Do celebrities, pop stars, football players, anyone in the public eye for that matter forfeit their right to privacy? Is it right to suggest that merely because they like good publicity that they should be prevented from objecting when the publicity is bad? In this essay I will concentrate on whether celebrities ought to have the right to keep certain aspects of their life private – and whether their private life should be more respected by the media.
Today we live in a celebrity culture that is being dominated and exploited by the media. In a bid to satisfy the public’s interest in celebrities it is ever-present that the news and entertainment media are going well beyond the point of providing consumers with basic information. “In this cult of celebrity, images of stars, people ‘famous for being famous’, are circulated and consumed daily across the world” (Penfold, 2004: 289).
It is a generally accepted fact that the right to privacy is everyone’s right. Some critics argue that celebrities gave away that right the moment they became famous. However, it’s important to recognise that not all celebrities choose to be famous, and the media’s over intrusive behaviour toward celebrities cannot always be justified. These individuals ought to have the right to protect certain aspects of their private lives on the basis of human rights.
The media attention that celebrities receive has resulted in a total lack of privacy regarding both public and private issues. This loss is mainly due to the status of celebrities as public figures, which exposes them to more extensive scrutiny compared to the average person.
In recent times our obsession with public figures has grown, especially with the advances in technology. The paparazzi are con...
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...right to know. Although arguably there is no such right to know and if there were it does not mean that people have the right to know everything – especially when concerning the private lives of public figures. Bentham’s utilitarian approach to ethics questions the nature of human rights, and puts a boundary in place by proclaiming that: it is the greatest happiness of the greatest number that is the measure of right and wrong (Bentham 2001: 93). Therefore anyone’s privacy should not be invaded unless it is for the greater good for the greatest number of people to constitute as being in the public interest. Only if this information were to reveal an important truth that the public should be aware of it can be deemed acceptable by law. Therefore there ought to be a line drawn between informing the public and the obtrusive invasion of privacy for the sake of profit.
Marshall P. David (1997). Celebrity Power; Fame in Contemporary Culture. May 16, 2010. Electronically retrieved from
As celebrities stand distinctively among the masses and cast out their halos of personality charm and strong suits of skilled abilities, the controversies about them are unavoidable shadows created from their fame. With the popularization of celebrity culture, information synchronization, and communication technology, their lives are publicly exposed and various forms of media (depending on eras) record their flaws. Tough information transmitted to audiences are frequently biased, evidences of objective reality remains, even in the remote past.
celebrity may be found in the words of one of America’s Founding Fathers, John Adams, who wrote, ‘‘The rewards . . . in this life are steem and admiration of others—the punishments are neglect and contempt. The desire of the esteem of others is as real a want of nature as hunger—and the neglect and contempt of the world as severe as a pain.” (Price, 463). The author suggests that fame is not at all w...
The celebrity is a large reason paparazzi is such a major concern. But, on the same token, so are the public. As subscribers to magazines and newspapers and news channels, all the public are fundamentally fueling and paying the paparazzo to go and photograph celebrities. But the question is if the photos we are viewing are really newsworthy. “When a celebrity is walking down the street after leaving Starbucks, that isn’t newsworthy and shouldn’t be covered” (Burke). That is the dispute. What happens to be newsworthy, and what happens to be pointless information. While the paparazzi may break laws or toe boundaries, they only do it because of supply and demand.
The deception of media consumers allows for the abuse of economic infrastructures of society. An obsession with celebrities’ lives passifies ordinary people in accepting the stratification of the elite businesses and the ordinary citizens. Though pseudo-events and celebrity worship may not be exactly complementary, the similarities of both leaves the public to be utterly vulnerable unless they begin to critically think for themselves.
The public has been able to have access into celebrities’ private lives thanks to the “paparazzi”. Definitely, celebrities will always be in front of the camera. It comes with the frame. Nevertheless, it does not justify photographing the lives of people at the expense of their privacy. Society always wants to keep an eye on their favorite celebrities’ lives.
The fight for privacy rights are by no means a recent conflict. In fact, there was conflict even back in the days before the revolutionary war. One of the most well-known cases took place in England, ...
In addition, if someone was fallowing you, taking pictures and bullying you every day single day, you would instantly report them to the police and they would without a doubt get the stalkers arrested, and they would get a restraining order. But if a celebrity calls the cops saying that there is someone following them and harassing them, no one is willing to protect them, because they are not able to stop the paparazzi for good. It 's like all celebrities are being punished for being rich and successful. Nobody deserves
Over the last few decades celebrity and fame has changed dramatically, from Alexander the Great to Kim Kardashian. Talent and achievements no longer play a huge role when it comes to our celebrities. “Much modern celebrity seems the result of careful promotion or great good looks or something besides talent and achievement” (Epstein2) with that being said celebrity-creation has blossomed into an industry of its own. Keeping up with all the gossips from breaking up to hooking up, law suits and drama many might come to an agreement that celebrity culture is starting to be the great new art form in our new generation and that it ...
After observing and researching all the sources portraying celebrities I have came into a conclusion that todays society it seems like all we want is to be accepted and we tend to look at other people and judge. Its not right, we all are different and thats what makes the world go round. It would be a pretty boring world if we were all the same. Celebrities deal with this everyday, I think the paparazzi know more about some celebrities lives than they actually do. They judge them for who they are and what they do, it is not right nor fair.
We are part of a generation that is obsessed with celebrity culture. Celebrities are distinctive. Media and consumers alike invented them to be a different race of super beings: flawless, divine and above all the real moral world. In a 1995 New York Times article “In contrast, 9 out of 10 of those polled could think of something
Much of today’s society seems obsessed on what actors/actress, athletes, and music artist are wearing, eating, who they are marrying, dating, where they are vacationing, what affairs they are having or have had, and how they live their everyday lives. What’s so interesting about this obsession is as a society we are implacable and often place celebrities on a pedestal, only to destroy them when they are illusive or promiscuous. Media outlets are swift to report when celebrities are in trouble but quickly forget all their accomplishments. It’s as if we want them to be perfect but once they are associated with a scandal we embark on destroying their reputation and character. Should society hold celebrities to higher standards just because they are paid millions for endorsements and a craft they worked hard to perfect? Do we as a society have the right to castigate celebrities when they misbehave? Do celebrities have the right to become livid when they are focused on for their immoral behavior? Do they love the media attention only when it benefits them? Before we can answer the above questions, would we, furthermore, can we live our life as a celebrity if given the opportunity?
Although the right to privacy has been used to sway the outcome of many U.S court cases, including the famous Supreme Court ruling of Roe vs. Wade, there is still some debate over how the “right to privacy” should be viewed. For example both Judith Jarvis Thompson, and James Rachels agree that the right to privacy is indeed a right that is bestowed upon citizens, however their perception of how one is granted this right is quite different.
They want to know everything about them and have a desire for more information. Celebrities should have their right to privacy due to historical/practical rights, their invasion of privacy with paparazzi, and their childrens’ rights to privacy. They are ordinary people just with a famous role in life. Historical/practical rights are one of the biggest issues and it all started back in colonial America. In colonial America, privacy was constrained.
In previous years, the issue with the paparazzi and media has grown. With the advances in technology, it makes taking and posting photos of celebrities or public figures much easier. The public appears greedy and feels privy to their private lives. Celebrities, or any public figure, have very limited privacy due to the paparazzi and media. The paparazzi and media are also affecting celebrities’ children. Currently, laws are being put in effect to stop this.