From left to right, KVAL-TV news director Paul Reiss joins Rebecca Force, formerly KEZI-TV news director, and The Register-Guard's Managing Editor Jim Godbold in a panel discussion, "Paparazzzi, the Princess, and the Press: Media Ethics in a Post-Diana World."

by Ed Dorsch, graduate student

Pandering to the public for money and ratings, the media have joined an "unholy alliance" with their audience, and may be more and more frequently crossing the line between sensationalism and news, argued independent producer Rebecca Force, formerly the news director for KEZI-TV, during a panel discussion co-sponsored by the School.

The recent death of Princess Diana brought the rights of free speech and privacy to a crossroads in a debate that resonates far beyond the antics of the paparazzi. The world expressed contempt for the photographers involved, as well as frustration with sensationalized news in general.

David Fidanque, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon, asserted during the panel that viewers criticize journalists' irresponsible behavior.

But at the same time, the public demands more sensational stories and pays for them with ratings and dollars, he said.

"We don't want to admit that, yes, we are titillated by this kind of coverage," Fidanque said. "It isn't until something bad happens to one of those people that we feel at all guilty about that bloodlust that each of us has for the intimate details of the lives of famous people."

The School of Journalism and Communication teamed up with the ACLU of Oregon to bring "Paparazzi, the Princess, and the Press: Media Ethics in a Post-Diana World" to the Erb Memorial Union Nov. 6. The panelists included representatives of the School, the ACLU and local media.

"It isn't until something bad happens to one of those people that we feel at all guilty about that bloodlust that each of us has for the intimate details of the lives of famous people." --David Fidanque

These controversies surrounding celebrity privacy, the news agenda, and First Amendment rights concern the mainstream media as well as the tabloids. While the press struggles to balance the public's right to know against an individual's right to privacy, legislators may pass laws to strike a balance for them. Panelists agreed public criticism influences the legal system.

Moderator and professor Jim Upshaw said Princess Diana treated the press ambiguously. Like many celebrities, she used the media to promote her causes, but criticized them when she sought privacy. While the paparazzi involved in the car chase preceding Diana's death did not represent the mainstream media, they tarnished the reputation of all journalists, he said.

Fidanque argued the public has a "Jekyll-and-Hyde" attitude toward the media. Civil rights questions have been raised for people on both sides of the fence, he said, arguing that both privacy and the rights of journalists are important. While he doesn't think citizens give up their rights to privacy when they become public figures, Fidanque expressed doubts about laws designed to protect celebrities. Treating the paparazzi differently from mainstream photojournalists means that certain individuals are denied the rights given to others. Also, the press has traditionally had access to people in public places. Legislation proposed by U.S. Rep. Sonny Bono of California
and U.S. Sen. Tom Hayden of California might erode that principle. The so-called "bubble law" would require journalists to maintain a minimum distance from people granted celebrity status.

Tim Gleason, dean of the SOJC, said such measures were modeled on laws designed to protect citizens in a specific vulnerable situation, such as entering an abortion clinic. While celebrities may feel threatened in some instances, they often use the press to promote themselves, he pointed out. Gleason expressed concern that competition has worn away the insulation between newsrooms and the profit concerns of media managers. A free press operating in a market society must generate profit, but in an increasingly competitive climate, a balance must be maintained. When market forces overwhelm traditional journalistic values, the integrity of the editorial process crumbles, Gleason said.

The mainstream press profited tremendously from the Diana story, and tabloids weren't the only publications paying irresponsible photographers, said Force. The Associated Press bought a photograph from the paparazzi after Diana's death and sold it to Newsweek. Editors and publishers pay for celebrity photos because readers want to see them. People have always found gossip interesting, but it doesn't belong in the news, she said.Gleason pointed out that the constitution is not a "static document." Courts define free speech differently as the popular opinion and the attitudes of government change. The current trend favors greater limits on the free speech rights of the media, and journalists are partially to blame.

As long as people believe the press is guilty of pandering, Gleason argued, it will be harder to argue the press should be protected because it serves the public interest in a democratic society.

Convincing local readers that journalists make decisions for reasons other than money has been The Register-Guard Managing Editor Jim Godbold's most urgent concern following the death of Princess Di. Godbold hopes new outreach programs will foster trust in the media. Despite the legal protection traditionally given to the press, journalists must listen to public sentiment.

If "we thump on our Constitution too hard...," said Godbold, "we will end up in the worst solution to that problem."

Future journalists, who comprised most of the audience, face changing attitudes about a free press. Paul Reiss, news director for Eugene's KVAL television station, felt Diana's death may have raised awareness about important issues. But he disagreed this event affected the local media."People can tell the difference between the paparazzi in France and KVAL news," he said.

But Gleason contended, "There's a broad brush used, and all media get painted with it."