Have the paparazzi gone too far?

Aaron Berkowitz – General Assignment Reporter

People nowadays are anything but camera shy. You can literally walk anywhere and see someone either snapping a “selfie” or getting a picture with a group of friends flaunting their outfits. But could you imagine someone shadowing you constantly stealing pictures of you doing normal things throughout your day? The paparazzi’s job is to get photos of celebrities’ everyday lives, but I believe there is a line that should be drawn and never crossed to protect a person’s humanity.

Celebrities such as Halle Berry and Kanye West have been in the media lately for voicing their concerns towards the paparazzi showing no humanity or respect towards them. Personally, I understand that at the end of the day the paparazzi are doing what they are paid to do. I do believe that celebrities should understand that the camera men/women are just trying to make a living, but at the same time I do think that a certain level of respect should be maintained.  The respect needs to be there because the paparazzi-celebrity relationship is mutually beneficial as the photographers get paid off of the photos that they get and the celebrities gain more exposure from photos being shared.

Halle Berry supports the new law that is to be implemented in California which is designed to protect celebrity’s children from being unrightfully photographed. The law was passed and prohibits photographers from taking photos of or recording celebrity’s children without consent; if they fail to comply they will be forced pay $10,000 as a first offense. I am for stricter laws that protect the celebrity’s private lives because although they chose a career path that attracts attention doesn’t mean that their families should have to be harassed.

I can sympathize with these entertainers, even though I think they are overpaid, because it seems as if the more famous they get, the less respect they receive. Paparazzi often turn these celebrities into “zoo animals” in the public eye. If you think that just because your job is to take photographs that you are entitled to hang outside of someone’s house at 4:30 a.m., you are mistaken. There should be more laws created that stop paparazzi from camping outside of celebrities’ homes and that invade personal space in general because they are just normal people at the end of the day. I feel as though everyone should be granted privacy in their own home and should be able to do everyday tasks without being harassed.

The first amendment does give people the right to free speech and press, but as time passes and circumstances change, celebrities’ lives have become more public. In my opinion, even if the law protects you and allows you to do certain things, such as waiting outside of someone’s house to get a photo, it doesn’t mean that you should. So much of celebrity’s lives are presented through media platforms such as magazines, blogging sites (Twitter, Instagram, etc.), and television shows that unless it is consensual entertainers should be granted their privacy outside of their jobs. The way I look at it is, whenever a Kanye West or any other celebrity gets criticized as an artist it is acceptable because that’s their job because they are entertainers, but what goes on in their personal life should not be viewed as entertainment and therefore should be private if they wish.

The paparazzi’s job would be much easier if they respected the people who they photograph more because I think it would result in less issues between them and the celebrities. More laws like the one that protects celebrities’ children should be passed because the way that the paparazzi pursue their stories sometimes can be extreme.