The term paparazzo is defined as “a freelance photographer who pursues celebrities to get photographs of them.” (Definition of paparazzo, 2011) The name originated from the last name of a photographer in the 1960 film La Dolce Vita. (Green) Yet the meaning from the word paparazzo denotes a stronger meaning than just a freelance photographer. The paparazzi are notorious for their persistent and annoying personalities who will go through any measure to get the shot that they wish for.
The main targets of the paparazzi are the celebrities who enchant the public. The public’s obsession with that person encourages the paparazzi to pursue the celebrity and encourages them to participate in acceptable invasive antics. It is only when harm occurs that the public is outraged by the paparazzi’s newsgathering techniques.
A notable example of inappropriate intrusion involved the deaths of Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed, who were killed on August 31 1997 in a high-speed car chase in Paris, France while being chased by the paparazzi. The death brought a lot of criticism to the media and its newsgathering techniques, especially those by the paparazzi. The media’s attention to celebrities has caused a loss of privacy and a skewed view on private and public issues for celebrities. This loss comes from the categorization of celebrities as public figures, meaning their every day lives are subject to an extensive scrutiny unlike an average person. The public thrives on the intrusion into the lives of celebrities because of their obsession with wanting to know every bit of gossip. The paparazzi fulfill this fixation by gathering the information that the public longs to consume.
The methods of the paparazzi are condemned as invading th...
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... the courts and the press.
Works Cited
Definition of paparazzo. In (2011). Oxford Dictionary Online Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. Retrieved from http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/paparazzo?region=us
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Middleton, K., Lee, W., & Chamberlin, B. (2005). The law of public communication. (2005 ed., p. 182). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
Nordhaus, J. Celebrities' rights to privacy: How far should the press have to go?. Retrieved from http://www.asc.upenn.edu/usr/ogandy/c734 resources/celebrities rights - nordhaus.pdf
Green, P. (n.d.). Where does the word paparazzi come from?. Retrieved from http://curiosity.discovery.com/question/where-paparazzi-term-come-from
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Bonila, Denise M., and Levy, Beth, Eds. The Power of the Press. H. W. Wilson, 1999.
The question of paparazzi threatening privacy and First Amendment rights is often to situational to argue in a conventional manner, but certainly there are many facets of the issue which can be addressed in a quite straightforward manner. Celebrities who feel they have the right to privacy in public places often muddy the waters of this issue. Oddly enough, those celebrities who have chosen to speak out against what they feel are violations of their privacy most always begin their campaigns with a large press conference. In other words, they gather together those people they wish to not only suppress but also berate in hopes that these people will use their positions and skills to carry these celebrity's messages to the public. Is often seems that theses celebrities want it "both ways" in that they appreciate coverage when they have a movie, record, or book coming out, but not at any other time.
Baran, Stanley J., and Dennis K. Davis. Mass Communication Theory: Foundations, Ferment, and Future. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Pub., 1995. Print.
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.
Does the public have a right to know everything about a public figure’s life? If you turn on your television, the primetime program will have lots of news about celebrities. By the time you have to pay at the register at the supermarket, you can appreciate your favorite public star on the cover of a magazine, or if you open up a new window on the internet browser, a celebrity gadget will appear at the beginning. It is irresistible not to read about the personal lives of the various famous people with pictures, or watch what is happening in the showbiz. In fact, it makes entertainment for a while boring.
Mass Media. Ed. William Dudley. Farmington Hills, MI: Thompson Gale, 2005. 121-130.
Photographing an individual whether famous or not in public will not violate that person’s privacy under the laws in most countries. Assuming the paparazzi isn’t assaulting someone or trespassing or otherwise doing something illegal while taking such a picture, he or she will not be violating the law. Public figures do not ask for a total invasion of their privitness .Few of us lead lives that are not classified into a newsworthy. Just because these people contribute to their profession in front of the world, it does not mean that they should be denied the right to privacy and respect. Therefore Paparazzi should be banned from exposing people’s private lives, any way they want.
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.
Middleton, Kent, and William E. Lee. The Law of Public Communication. N.p.: Pearson Education, 2014. Print.
SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 07 Feb. 2014. Sisto, Joseph. " Do Celebrities Forfeit the Right to Privacy?"
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.