CELEBRITY PRIVATE LIFE: SHOULD IT EXIST?

Elizabeth BernheiselMrs. Whitney Pd. 5

College Composition IIJanuary 27, 2014

Celebrities in the United States lawfully and ethically have the right to privacy, but they are also in need of new solutions and new social standards to keep their privacy.

Thesis:

NEW

Introduction

Definition of celebrity Media plays a crucial role Definition of privacy Definition of paparazzi

Definition of celebrity

Past- well-known business leaders and those who were in the entertainment business (actors, singers, and athletes)

Present- stay in the mass media’s spotlight, which is achieved by being deemed “newsworthy”

Media plays a crucial role

They provide the visibility and the means for celebrities

Definition of privacy

Expectation that confidential, personal information disclosed in a private place will not be disclosed to third parties, when that disclosure would cause either embarrassment or emotional distress to a person of reasonable sensitivities

Definition of paparazzi

A freelance photographer who takes candid pictures of celebrities for publication

Celebrities and the Law

Rights of the press Rights of celebrities Rights of children

Rights of the press

National Enquirer published an article on Clint Eastwood being romantically involved with Tanya Tucker.

“Freedom of the Press,” gives the paparazzi freedom to publish the news

The First Amendment:

The court defended the press and told Eastwood that his romantic involvements were of public concern.

Rights of celebrities

Public Disclosure of Private and Embarrassing Facts (an unauthorized public dissemination of information)

False Light (untrue opinions or actions)

Intrusion (an act of prying or intruding in a manner that would be objectionable to a reasonable person)

Misappropriation (unauthorized use of the plaintiff’s picture or name for a commercial advantage)

Four types of invasion of privacy laws:

Rights of children

Senate Bill 606 Kids under the age of sixteen should not be tabloid

fodder or the target of ongoing harassment

September 24, 2013

Celebrities and ethics

Define ethics Paparazzi Price of fame Media

Ethics

The moral standards or rules that determine the way a person behaves

They are important because they help people continue to live and interact in a civilized way with others

Paparazzi

Taking pictures of celebrities with high-powered lenses when they know that the celebrity has no clue that their picture is being taken up close without their permission

They are hurling insults at them in order to provoke them into violence by hunting them down like prey when they return home from work

Or stalking them when they are on vacation

Also catching them in affairs and during substance abuse

Price of fame

After completing the first nonstop transatlantic flight from New York to France, Charles Lindbergh’s son was kidnapped and murdered in 1932.

When the boy's body was found, photographers broke into the morgue and took pictures of the corpse.

Media

Since they no longer use morals and their consequence to guide their social behavior, man has to pass new laws to make it illegal to violate a celebrity’s privacy.

Celebrities and new solutions

Suggestions Statistics Defusing New enemy

Suggestions

Tougher laws Restraining orders Penalties against aggressive paparazzi Paparazzi obtaining a license with an

adoption of a code of conduct that when violated revokes their license

Statistics

13% think celebrities should be entitled to absolute privacy in their private lives

36 % say celebrities should be entitled to absolute privacy in their private lives unless they are breaking the law

34 % say celebrities should be entitled to absolute privacy in their private lives unless they are breaking the law or doing something that might be considered morally wrong (having an affair)

12 % completely disagree, and believe that celebrities should not be entitled to any privacy in their private lives

Defusing

Some celebrities try to defuse the unwanted media interest and sell photos of their weddings and babies

New enemy

Cell phones have become the new enemy now

Singer Beyonce’ Knowles said that when she is on the red carpet she is prepared for the attention, but when she is awakened by a flashing camera on an airplane it is too much.

Conclusion

Code of conduct Average person adds to the hype Break the cycle Celebrities deserve to have

protection, respect, and privacy

Code of conduct

Show respect for all people Taught by parents Taught by a church affiliation group

Average person adds to the hype

We have become a celebrity-obsessed culture in which our interest in the on-goings of movie stars, athletes and café society figures has reaches deranged heights.

(We are all paparazzi. (E News Fan Find))

Break the cycle

Not buying tabloids Leave celebrities alone when they are in

the private sector

Celebrities deserve to have protection, respect, and privacy

The constitution says that we are all created equal with the same unalienable rights…