Us Weekly Defends Tabloid Media, Paparazzi

Britney Spears’ shopping trip escalates into a paparazzi mob scene. Courteney Cox pleads with the press to leave her newborn daughter alone. And Jennifer Lopez refuses to confirm that she tied the knot with crooner Marc Anthony. With celebrities feeling assaulted day in and day out by the paparazzi, the tabloids and even the mainstream media, they’re building walls and trying to restrict access to their personal lives so they can maintain some semblance of privacy. “A celebrity is like an elected official,” Us Weekly editor Janice Min told USA Today. “If you’re getting paid $20 million a movie, you have to rely on public goodwill to stay in office. You have to accept the fact that you’re a public commodity.” Read more.