Tsk…because of an inevitable coverage somewhere in the South, I’ve wasted an opportunity to partake in Sir Beav’s discussion last Tuesday about ethics in media especially when he posed the question about celebrities: Are they entitled to have a private life when being a public figure is part of their job?
Being in the entertainment beat for years, I have my own share of view about the question.
Celebrities especially in entertainment are like creatures living in an aquarium where every move they are going to make is being magnified by their fans and the media. In a way, a life without privacy is already a part of their career they have chosen.
Why? Because traditionally speaking, supporters have the right to know almost everything about their celebrity idols. Because these supporters are the ones who are following their idol’s projects, endorsements, reel and real partners, to the extent of fighting against another group of fans.
And remember, these supporters are the ones who are paying and supporting their idol’s movie project which is the primary basis of the celebrity’s popularity.
In the business of entertainment, popularity for every celebrity is like having a cash machine which keeps on ringing because of the series of huge talent fees they are getting.
Fact is, there is an delusionary feeling for these supporters that they actually own these celebrities and in return, these celebrities owe them their private life.
And for these reasons, when celebrities are complaining about privacies, we usually throw them the cliché: if you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.
Simply put, if you want to live a simple private life, then get our of the entertainment world.
There is also a question of sensationalism in entertainment press when giving interesting stories about celebrities.
Remember the nip slip of Anne Curtis live on national TV? Because she is a popular personality in entertainment, the issue was sensationalized for approximately two weeks.
Her supporters, mostly males, felt that their illusions were materialized by reading stories about Anne’s nip slip.
If she is not a celebrity and the nip slip happened somewhere, then who gives a shot to feast on the story?
This is one price the celebrity has to pay being in the entertainment world.
I don't think that having a private life is a privilege. It's a right that everyone has, whether they are a celebrity or not. However, it is also a right that we are responsible for safekeeping.
ReplyDeleteI have always questioned the ethical merit of the Paparazzi, because I think that if it were me, I wouldn't want a hound of people following my every move. The again, as a fan, I'm always interested in knowing the latest news on my favorite celebrities. But, there are many times when I think the craze and the prying goes too far and crosses limits. Especially when the news is presented in the fashion of tabloid guesswork and sensationalism - because these are distortions of reality. It's easy to say that that the business aspect justifies these violations of privacy, but we forget that we are dealing with people (much like ourselves) not commodities.
As a fan, I want to be connected to my idols, but I sometimes feel protective over them when I see the hyperbolic and intrusive stories posted. However, I think that with the advent of social media sites (like Twitter, Facebook, etc.), it's easier for celebrities to give fans the little updates they crave and be connected to them all the time - on their own terms. They decide what they want to share, and what they don't. And, it comes from them so I know it's real. I'm not discounting feature articles with interviews - I enjoy these too. What I'm not comfortable with are the speculative stories that don't necessarily reflect the full picture and are just insensitive and unprofessional for me.