Get In Line With The Paparazzi / No Wonder There's Panic In The Industry

Piece Of Me - Britney Spears

In my last entry I wondered about the state of news reporting around the world. Allow me to clarify. While it's understandable that such a huge story in celebrity gossip is worthy of the front page on the tabloids, what's the deal with it headlining news programs? And I'm talking about the six o'clock, "families tuning in while eating dinner" news. I've quickly come to this conclusion.

It's not the the media's fault.

Don't get me wrong. I am not defending the likes of Britney, Paris, and Lindsay - far from it. But here is the bottom line . . .

The "packs of dogs" following celebs around, looking through their trash, and [over-] analyzing their blog entries are really just doing their jobs. There would be no place in the world for this line of work if not for one thing . . .

And that is the appetite for gossip of the general public. The paparazzi would otherwise be out of jobs, if not for the constant need to quench the thirsts of "normal" people who are either looking for ways to live vicariously through celebs or trying to fulfill some need to be voyeurs.

And here's the wake-up call . . . these people are you and me. The popularity of a whole throng of websites provides plenty of proof. YouTube, Xanga, Facebook . . . all places for everyday Joes to say, "Hey . . . here are the details of my fabulous life. Aren't I faaabulous? Look at me! Look at me!"

So if you ever feel the urge to hate on the paparazzi and say that they are being too reckless in their pursuit of celebrity smut, chew on this . . .

It's what the public demands. It's what you demand. And seeing that I have Perez Hilton, Lainey, and Trent bookmarked . . . it's what I demand.

However, allow me to say this. Puttings things on television, in magazines, on the radio, on the internet . . . with this ability comes the importance of reporting responsibly. And surprisingly, I was reminded of this by the blog of the very person who's in the middle of the erotic photo scandal that has taken over Hong Kong in the past week.

Edison Chen has pretty much gone underground since the first photos surfaced earlier this week. So when he updated his blog yesterday, the media were quick to read, judge, and publish their reaction. Edison's February 1st entry withholds any comments on the scandal situation. Call me naïve or maybe I'm missing something, but all I see are a few words and a couple pictures to promote a new movie he's in. It just so happens the pictures show Edison holding an automatic weapon.

A classic case of "a chicken talking to a duck". He blogs in English. Full CBC/ABC slang. Next thing you know, it's splashed across the front pages that he's making threats. So now I'm led to believe that people in Hong Kong aren't fluent in slang. Trust me, I never thought I'd be defending the guy . . . but dayam.

Responsible reporting? Out. The. Window.

For a more unbiased report on this, see CNN.