Tuesday, 3 September 2013

Why Photographers and Journalists crowding around the Famous should be Banned. Blog 2


                                 Why there should be a law against photographers and journalists:
                                  2: Regarding and affecting their children.

                                                            
Above Right and Left: Actress Halle Berry, fiancé Oliver Martinez and daughter Nahla confronted by the paparazzi. Berry angrily shouted at them not to harass her daughter.


The biggest concern of most famous persons are in regards to their children. The children of famous persons  are a prized target for the media, and paparazzi are often found following/stalking, pursuing, shouting at, and in some cases, abusing, young children. Recently two actresses and mothers, Halle Berry and Jennifer Garner are pressing for the state government of California USA, to put forward a law banning the presence of paparazzi near their offspring. Garner stated, their children have "a bounty on their heads." Halle Berry stated firmly, "We aren't just whiny celebrities... we're moms here, trying to protect their children." Garner claimed that she and her husband did not want "a gang of arguing, shouting, law-breaking photographers who camp out everywhere we are all day, every day, to continue traumatizing my kids." Berry angrily stated her daughter  did not wish to go to pre-school anymore because there were grown people waiting to harass her. Actor Brad Pitt, also had a grudge against paparazzi, due to having six children with actress Angelina Jolie. Bluntly saying he hated them, had no respect for them, and could not understand why they chose such professions for a living. As they were not at public events and functions, he argued that they should have a chance to live their everyday lives in peace, not to have the walls of their private property climbed upon, or to have photographers and journalists disturb their children as they are being taken to school or anywhere else. With six very young children, it is understandable that he and his partner would wish to concentrate on raising them, and keeping them happy and safe. Yet it appears that the children do not feel safe as they are being stalked and crowded upon and shouted at by strangers, it apparently from the words of their parents, disturbs and frustrates them as they do their day-to-day, or holiday activities. They neither asked, nor needed to feel the stress of living with fame, as it is not mentally and emotionally healthy for children, as an Article in Information Gateway stated. "Because my husband and I are public figures, it is assumed that our daughters are public figures, and there's nothing to protect them." As parents who desperately loved their children Yet Garner, her husband Ben Affleck, Pitt, Jolie and Berry are not the only parents with children at strain in the public eye.




  
Above Left: Actresses Halle Berry and Jennifer Garner at court to plead for laws restraining photographers and journalists- especially around children. Right: Actress Katie Holmes, and her daughter with Tom Cruise, Suri are followed by photographers. Suri attempts to shield her face.

As mentioned above Berry's own daughter no longer wished to continue pre-school. In this, it can be argued that such disruptions would be called illegal, if any non-famous person were disturbed that way, they were likely to call the police, the offending persons would be jailed and/or fined, with a restraining order. Yet nothing has been done to prosecute the offending persons. If such laws are not strongly placed, new, stronger laws, may yet be needed. Another scandal would be when the daughter f formerly married actors Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes had been abused by a member of the press. As she and her mother had attempted to board a car, the paparazzi had crowded in, shouting, and blinding them with flashbulbs. The seven-year-old, reaching a breaking point in terms of stress, frustration and fears shouted, "We're trying to get into a car....Stop it!"

 She shouted again; "Get out of the way!" But as she was boarding, a voice shouted, "Bye Suri, you little brat!" And then proceeded to call her a "b**ch".  This treatment occurred, possibly due to the person not seeing Suri Cruise as a child- who had only recently experienced her parents' divorce- but as a spoiled celebrity who "deserved"- due to her "attitude", to be harassed and bullied. Yet it can be pointed out that it is her parents who had fame, for being actors. She chose no such profession, nor did she choose to be born with famous parents, as mentioned above.

 There are no laws preventing such treatment, as the police have done nothing as of yet. However there are laws that state if an ordinary person were to be stalked, abused, crowded upon, their homes and privacy breached, as well as their everyday lives, would be imprisoned and/or fined and restrained. There should be no reason why famous persons- who happen to be citizens of nations with such laws, or Heads of State- having the same right extended towards them- and their children who desperately need it. As mentioned, the paparazzi ignore such laws, more restraining ones are needed.
















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1 comment:

  1. Unknown28 September 2013 at 22:29

    This is a really good point that you bring up. I don't agree that children should be allowed to be harassed. This is a big thing in Holly wood at the moment and a lot of celebrities have been trying to fight for law change. The only thing I would say is that your argument is really long and I find it a bit confusing in parts, but other than that I think you have done a great job and brought up some good points.

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