I’m your biggest fan-atic

Privacy has been an issue since the invention of gossip.

For celebrities, privacy is a rare and often an expensive luxury. Modern celebrities have argued on more occasions than can be easily counted that paparazzi have no right to the job they do at their expense. However, while some will argue that everyone has a right to privacy, the constitution doesn’t indicate a specific right for privacy. Thanks to paparazzi, celebrity privacy is all but nonexistent.

Named after the news photographer character, Paparazzo, in the Italian film, “La Dolce Vita (The Sweet Life),” paparazzi are photographers, professionals and amateurs alike that take pictures of anyone with celebrity status. They are normally independents that do not work for any one publication. Instead, they sell the pictures they take to whoever will buy them. These pseudo-photojournalists do not have to have formal training or background in journalism. All they need is a camera and the will to take the pictures. Some are beloved by celebrities, while others are despised.

Normally, paparazzi do three things: follow a targeted celebrity throughout their day, document their normal schedule and routine, and photograph anything newsworthy. Much of this is done without the subject’s knowledge, and when discovered, some paparazzi have been confronted, and even attacked, by the celebrity they are following. While some journalists may view this as a problem, paparazzi see this as a bonus; more controversy for their story.

Although some celebrities may see the job paparazzi perform as a form of legal harassment, what paparazzi normally do is not illegal; celebrity news is protected under the First Amendment to freedom of the press. While many paparazzi draw the line at breaking the law, some will do anything for the perfect picture of a celebrity, especially if they are in a compromising position. These paparazzi may break into a celebrity’s cars, houses or even computers to find a story. Some states have characterized this as a form of stalking, and some events are camera free zones, and require paparazzi to check their cameras at the door.

The price of fame for some celebrities is their privacy. Whether they want their fame or not, they are stuck with it, and as long they have fame, there will be someone there willing to turn it into news.

Paparazzi have been following gossip since before the written word, and they will continue until there are no more celebrities to follow.