Welcome to the machine: Celebrity gossip and the passing of celebrities

I’m hopelessly obsessed with celebrity gossip.
From PerezHilton.com being my homepage (…I’ve grown since this, now it’s email,) to compulsively grabbing at least one gossip magazine every time I’m in the checkout line at the store, there’s no denying it. As much as I enjoy the glossy pics, so-wrong-they’re-funny star facts and celeb interviews, the actions of some gossip magazines and websites in light of the deaths of major stars lately are turning me against the genre.
My biggest problem is the invasions these companies make into grieving families’ lives after a loved one passes. Grieving is usually an emotional and intensely private period for families; while people may feel like they know a celebrity or musician because they love their movies or music, they don’t. Gossip sites exist to entertain the public, and as Perez Hilton recently said, grieving is not entertainment.
I was shocked when some gossip sites ran video and pictures of Liam Neeson leaving the hospital after his wife Natasha Richardson’s death. I was annoyed when I saw paparazzi attacking Michael Jackson’s siblings’ cars on their way to meet at the family compound after news of his death broke. I was absolutely disgusted when I saw that pictures of Ryan O’Neal at the hospital after his long-time love and recent bride Farrah Fawcett passed away were all over the internet.
Finding these pictures on the internet makes me question the thought process that whatever editor signed off on posting the images went through. Have they no decency? Most people my age know how difficult it is to lose a loved one. Imagine having your loss broadcast to the world. And your face being the face of that grief. It’s a tough pill to swallow.
Don’t get me wrong- the paparazzi who actually take the photographs are obviously to be held responsible, too. They’re the ones on the front lines, face-to-face (or fence-to-face, etc.,) with the families. I personally feel, however, that that sort of action is expected out of the paparazzi (not saying that makes it okay.) We expect paparazzi to invade the personal space of celebrities. The sensationalism that helps stars’ movies make millions of dollars comes at the cost of their privacy, for sure. It’s all too easy to ignore the ugly side of the paparazzi.
The reason I hold the sites/magazines at the greatest blame, though, is because journalists are supposed to be held to a code of ethics. Objectivity and neutrality are the cornerstones of journalism. On these principles, then, shouldn’t celebrities be granted the same respect and privacy that would be given to those who are not famous when loved ones die?

-Haley

(I’m literally sick to my stomach about this. Expect part 2 later this week.)