Are Celebrities Asking For It?

Ethical problems pertaining to the paparazzi can be viewed from two different angles; feeling sorry for those they are chasing, or realizing that they brought it upon themselves. Celebrities know that hitting the big time is like extending an invitation to the media to follow you at all times, especially when you are doing something you should not be doing. Celebrities complain about the paparazzi invading their privacy by coming ontotheir property and following them at close range. However, they give everyone the ability to stalk them online through social networking. If celebrities do not want people to know everything about them, then they should not put all their information on the internet for all to see. It is very hypercritical to complain about people following them when they themselves are providing a medium to do it.

The Anti-Paparazzi acts was tightened in California recently by governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Being a celebrity in the limelight himself, the terminator restricted the rights of the press and increased the amount they are liable to be fined. The photographers are mad as they are taking away the rights they have regarding the first amendment. The law is only targeting the press, which they argue, is not just as they are being treated differently than others.

Ethical Issues

Many ethical issues arise surrounding the ways in which the paparazzi obtain their information and how they get their pictures. In some cases, the paparazzi are breaking the law and putting people in danger in order to get the right shot. Here are some examples of the lengths photographers have stooped to in recent times;

* A photographer intentionally drove into the car that Catherine Zeta-Jones was driving in order to force her off the road and out of her car.

* Photographers consistently provoked actor Sean Penn to create physical confrontations and give them the ability to capture it, and then, file lawsuits with evidence pertaining to the confrontations.

* When Catherine Zeta-Jones was rumored to be giving birth to her son, photographers posed as Michael Douglas' family members in order to get in to the hospital.

* A paparazzi camp was once set up in Susan Sarandon's garden without her knowledge.

* Many photographers have released the addresses of celebrities’ houses and places the regularly go.

Not only is it unethical to act in these ways, it is illegal in most circumstances. There are laws forbidding stealing peoples identity or lying about your own, trespassing and giving out secret information. Also, forcing a car to crash not only puts the passengers of that car in danger but also other motorists.

The most famous incident regarding the paparazzi is the death of Princess Diana in 1997. The Princess of Wales was spending a night in Paris, France with friends. The paparazzi had crowded the hotel the heir was staying at and followed their vehicle as soon as it left. The were multiple cars in the paparazzi convoy, all of them trying to get as close to the princess’s car as possible to photograph what was thought to be a secret relationship between Diana and Dodi Fayed. While driving through the Place de l’Alma underpass, the driver of Diana’s vehicle lost control and crashed straight into one of the tunnels pillars at approximately 60 miles per hour. While the victims lay injured in the destroyed car, photographers kept taking pictures and continued to do so the entire time the emergency team was at the scene. Seven photographers were arrested at the scene on the accident for failure to move out of the way. Following the accident, there was a non-formal rule of thumb that no pictures of Diana in her last moments were to be published in honor of the great things she did during her life. In 2008, after a long and grueling trial, the paparazzi were convicted of manslaughter as they contributed to the death of those in the vehicle.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UERexDjgu4c&feature=related

Paparazzi: Live.

Here are some pictures and videos of the paparazzi in action. They show just how close the photographers get to the celebrities as they live their daily lives, and follow them from place to place. Some celebrities say things to the paparazzi, implying just how frustrating it is for them to be constantly bombarded by people with cameras in their faces.

Halle Berry gets angry with Paparazzi as she has her child with her. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhQ2zk-HYWo&feature=player_detailpage

Lindsay Lohan bombarded by paparazzi

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_uIpOHQBWg&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PL3FFD28AB3EFD193C

Britney Spears followed by photographers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YI4kxXMof8k&feature=related

Hugh Grant hits a paparazzo while driving away

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StIJLcxUSzc

Extreme Measures

The majority of celebrities have had to deal with the paparazzi at some point in time; some much worse than others. Here are some examples of the lengths that photographers all go to to get a required picture, and how the celebrities have coped with the intrusion.

1997 - Arnold Schwarzenegger and his wife and two children were driving when they were approached by photographers in two vehicles. The reporters surrounded the Terminators Mercedes Benz and eventually forced it off the road. This dramatic act ended in the drivers of both the paparazzi vehicles being charged with misdemeanors for false imprisonment.

2000 - When Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas tied the knot in November the extremes they went to to keep the paparazzi out were beyond anything any other celebrity had done. Firstly, the guests were not told details of the wedding such as time and place until last minute. The night before the wedding, tickets were personally delivered to the hotels of each of the guests that were staying in New York City. Those who were outside the city received their tickets by courier. The tickets, which had a secret mark on the back, only known to the wedding planner, were to be swapped at the door for a pin, who's design was also only known to the wedding planner. All suppliers were made to sign confidentiality agreements regarding to the whereabouts of deliveries. On the day of the wedding, three security guards patrolled the corridors of the hotel and guests rooms were monitored by surveillance cameras periodically. Even with all these security settings in place, a photographer infiltrated the system and took pictures of the wedding and went on to sell them to Hello and The Sun.

2002 - Photographers scaled Jennifer Aniston's neighbors 8-foot wall in order to capture a picture of her tanning topless. The pictures, taken with a telephoto lens, were circulating at two New York based magazine companies when Aniston filed a lawsuit against both for invasion of privacy. The case was settled out of court and the photos were never printed in either magazine.

2010 - Can you guess who is riding their bike in New York above? Katy Perry! Celebrities are not even able to go for a bike ride or exercise without the paparazzi in their face. Perry was unsuccessful in her attempts to avoid the cameras, although it did take some time for them to figure out who it was. Her incognito attire simply brought attention to the fact that she was trying to hide her identity.

Celebrity Invasion

Today's society is so wrapped up in the latest news from Hollywood. Whether fact or fiction, gossip spreads like wildfires through magazines, online postings, the television and other tabloids. The journalists who write these columns have the power of freedom of speech and can more or less write anything they want; but how do they acquire the daily scoop if it is not attainable? They invade. Journalists rely on their being the first to write the latest news, and in order to do so, will go to whatever means necessary. They must use their own judgment in balancing what lengths of invasion to go to, versus their own moral and ethical values. The constant bombardment of celebrities has lead to many out lashes in recent times and has forced us to ask ourselves where to draw the line.

Brenda Almond the co-founder of the Society for Applied Philosophy, defines ethics as "the philosophical examination, from a moral standpoint, of particular issues in private and public life that are matters of moral judgment". Is it ethically correct for journalists and photographers to cross the lines of morality and the law? Trespassing upon a person or property is a part of tort law and is punishable by fines or even jail time in severe cases. Black’s Law Dictionary defines the right of privacy as the right to be "free from unwarranted public scrutiny or exposure". There is, however, a loophole that exemplifies celebrities from this law. As Public Figures, those who are deemed “famous” do not comply with the regulations as they put themselves in the limelight and in doing so, are asking to be followed.

Invasion of privacy by the paparazzi has become extremely over the top lately. From climbing walls and fences, to waiting outside houses and even stalking celebrities and their family and friends; photographers and journalists are breaking the law by intruding others' properties. In order to avoid such hassles, celebrities have been forced to use decoys, wear disguises, send multiple cars to destinations and provide fake names and information when making bookings. We are led to question whether, in the reverse circumstances, the paparazzi would appreciate the cameras and obsessive behavior.

“Heat magazine's a dirty, filthy piece of sh-t and I'd like to put that on record. People shouldn't buy it because it sucks… If a guy comes up and asks me, 'Can I take a picture of your daughter?' that's one thing. But if he's hiding behind a bus and he takes a picture of me and my daughter he's legally allowed to publish that photo in the press. I have no rights to stop him and I think that's wrong. I think we should encourage people to beat up paparazzi".

- Ewen McGregor, 2003