The Stars v The Snappers

With 400 full-time ‘paps’ in Los Angeles alone, and dozens more in every major city in the western world, the stars have had enough. In the past month, George Clooney has called for paparazzi to curb their lawless ways, Nicole Kidman has given evidence in court against a snapper, and Orlando Bloom has said he’s lucky to be alive after he crashed his car while being pursued by photographers.

 

After years of paparazzi intrusion into his private life, George Clooney has taken a stand after he and his girlfriend were nearly knocked off his motorbike in Los Angeles during a high-speed chase with photographers. The actor laid into their “bounty hunter” tactics and said snappers endangered the lives of celebrities and the public. “It’s not about shooting pictures,” George said, still fuming from the chase. “It’s about the risks they’re taking and driving with reckless abandon.

 

“What they're doing is illegal – high-speed chases and they’re competing with each other,” he continued. “They’re not trying to catch me doing something stupid; they're trying to create me doing something stupid. Take your pictures but don’t go 60 miles per hour down a one-way street. Don’t cause injury to people who aren’t involved.”

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The Oceans 11 star also defended Britney Spears, who is followed by up to 100 photographers as she goes about her life in Beverly Hills each day. She was criticised recently for running a red light while trying to escape over-eager photographers. Not surprisingly, her reckless driving was captured on camera and on film, and plastered all over the media the following day. “You look at the footage of Britney running the red light – there are eight guys with cameras at night in the middle of the street,” Clooney said. “There are no rules now. It’s getting to a point where people that are not involved are getting hurt. You don't get to break all these laws and then say, ‘I’m just doing my job’.”

Nicole Kidman has also taken a stand against paparazzi in recent days, giving evidence in a Sydney court against photographer Jamie Fawcett who she says left her fearing for her life after he chased her “aggressively” as she drove to her parents’ house in 2005. The actress told the court that his pursuit had her “in tears and distressed” and added that she now employs people “24 hours to protect myself because I don’t feel equipped to handle things.”

 

Then there’s Orlando Bloom, who claims he could have died in the October car crash that took place as he was pursued by four photographers after leaving an LA nightclub with two women. Bloom hit a parked car, leaving both of his passengers requiring hospital treatment; one with a fractured neck. He has now called for a crackdown on the aggressive tactics paparazzi use to get a shot of a star.

 

One of the most high profile attacks on paparazzo’s methods has come closer to home. Heather Mills used her recent interview on GMTV to take a public swipe at photographer Jay Kaycappa, claiming that he had aggressively hounded and harassed her and her daughter outside their home in Brighton. During the interview, Mills displayed a large file she is keeping on Kaycappa – who was charged with assaulting her in 2006 – and vowed to stop him. At the time, Brighton Magistrates Court revealed he had committed 130 offences and had 20 convictions.

Do the snappers go too far? Or are celebrities equally to blame for courting fame? Join the debate on the boards

 

So why now? Why have photographers multiplied in numbers, stepped up their harassment of stars, and adopted increasingly reckless behaviour in the pursuit of a shot? At least some of the blame must be pointed at gossip magazines that are willing to pay enormous sums for candid pictures of the big stars – some titles think nothing of spending six figures on paparazzi shots, week in, week out. In 2005, American magazine Us Weekly paid $500,000 for photos of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie walking along a beach, while shots of Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake on a surfing holiday earned one photo agency $300,000. And that’s just the US rights – by selling the pictures in other markets around the world, photo agencies can easily double their take.

Los Angeles police detective Jeff Dunn, who oversees the department’s Threat Assessment Unit, says that paps are so keen to get a good picture that they are willing to go to extreme and dangerous measures. “Looking back at how this has evolved over the last 12 years,” he said, “we've gone from guys who sit outside the home of the mother-to-be of Michael Jackson's children to the paparazzi willing to force celebrities off the road for a photo and public safety be damned.”

 

A new breed of photographer is being hired more for their ability to navigate high-speed celebrity chases and their willingness to get the shot, irrespective of the situation and how dangerous it might be to pursue. That means speeding through red lights, blocking rivals’ cars, and even travelling in packs to intimidate other snappers.

 

Some responsibility must also lie with the celebrities themselves, or at least the ones that court the paparazzi attention. Step forward Mrs Beckham! Victoria is said to have angered management of the discreet Chateau Marmont hotel in Los Angeles recently after allegedly tipping paps off before she arrived. The hotel prides itself on giving stars a sanctuary away from prying eyes, but Posh apparently ruined that by causing a paparazzi scrum as she arrived, much to the annoyance of other famous guests. And she’s not alone; many celebs tip off photo agencies as to their whereabouts.

 

Is it fair that Britney is harassed by dozens of photographers every day, only to be publicly derided when she loses her cool and runs a red light to escape the baying mob? Or is the constant paparazzi attention something celebrities court – after all, there are plenty of stars who shun the trendy bars and restaurants and are therefore able to live without a constant paparazzi presence. Let us know what you think by leaving a comment on the message board below.

 

Do the snappers go too far? Or are celebrities equally to blame for courting fame? Join the debate on the boards

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