Maybe ‘Paparazzi Politicians’ Have a Point

Paparazzi I know little about. Princess Diana even less. But politicians, on them I’ve got a fix. Therefore, I fully expected that some state legislator ultimately would hitchhike on Diana’s fatal car crash.

A sort of paparazzo politician chasing a tragedy and trying to cash in on the publicity.

I didn’t have to wait long. The first press release into the office Tuesday morning came from Sen. Tom Hayden (D-Los Angeles), announcing that he’ll introduce legislation to “crack down on the excesses of paparazzi and bounty hunter tabloid journalism.”

Other lawmakers quickly joined the chase. Sen. Charles M. Calderon (D-Whittier) issued a press release saying he’ll introduce a “bubble bill” requiring paparazzi “to keep their distance.” Sen. Diane Watson (D-Los Angeles) told reporters she’ll ask the Senate to consider regulating “paparazzi-style” journalists.

Let me set something straight right here: Paparazzi journalism, tabloid junk journalism--call it what you wish--offends me. I’m offended not only by the gross misbehavior of these so-called journalists, their physical intrusion on people’s privacy, but also by the escapist, glamour-addicted market that is served, which unfortunately for civilization is quite large.

That said, my immediate reaction to the Diana-Dodi deaths was that some macho limo driver had been really stupid; probably had watched too many Hollywood car chases. Later we heard he was drunk, speeding at perhaps 121 mph through a Paris tunnel, maybe the paparazzi trailing far behind. Their cameras were not the real danger.

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My attitude was echoed by Assemblyman Kevin Murray (D-Los Angeles), an entertainment attorney and former Hollywood talent agent.

“You can’t say that pursuing photographers caused her death or even the accident,” Murray said. “This is not the example that should be the basis of legislation. . . . We already have privacy, trespassing, stalking laws. If need be, tighten those laws.”

Murray added: “How do you differentiate between a--quote--celebrity, whose private life is supposed to be off limits, and a public official for whom character is supposed to be an issue? What’s the difference between Mike Wallace showing up at someone’s door and sticking a camera in their face and starting to ask questions--and paparazzi following Tom Cruise into Spago?”

Entertainers pay publicists big money to get their pictures into newspapers--broadsheet or tabloid. At the Academy Awards, they fight for position to be in the TV lens.

“It’s a monster that [celebrities] feed,” Murray said. “And when it grows from a puppy and can’t be controlled, then they complain.”

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This was my frame of mind as I walked into Hayden’s office Tuesday night to inquire about his bill. By an hour later, my mind had been modified--not about who caused the wreck, but about the merits of this anti-paparazzi legislative effort.

Right up front, Hayden acknowledged cashing in on the Diana drama. One must seize the moment, he said, like when he introduced a bill to increase penalties for domestic violence as the O.J. Simpson case unfolded. “It passed,” he noted, “but it wouldn’t have had a chance if not for the background of the Simpson trial.

“So I have no apologies for [capitalizing on] something in the news.”

And “I have real reasons to do something,” continued the lawmaker, who was married 16 years to actress Jane Fonda. “No. 1, I’ve been through it. It’s bad out there. Madness. No. 2. I have constituents who get hit with it all the time. If I can protect them a little bit, I’m going to do it.”

Beyond that, Hayden thinks the paparazzi are “promoting garbage.” In this context, he includes supermarket tabloids and TV trash, which he said are distracting citizens from truly important issues. “There’s an opportunity here for public debate.”

Hayden’s bill would create a “safety zone” around people and require unwanted photographers to stay outside it. “You can easily take a picture of somebody picking their nose at 50 feet,” he said. “Everybody knows there’s a 12-inch space around them that’s theirs. And it’s scary when anybody gets near it.”

The bill would ban paparazzi harassment, behavior that “intimidates and has the potential of bodily harm.” There’d be a stiff penalty--maybe jail time and a fine equal to the photo bounty.

He’s not trying to censure photos, Hayden insisted. “If there’s a photo of the dying Diana, I will look at it. The issue is how the photo was obtained. I want to have rules of encounter for photojournalism.”

Hayden believes life in the fast lane for celebrities shouldn’t have to be dangerous. He’s right. Still, it always will be if their chauffeur’s a reckless, speeding drunk.