Justin Bieber paparazzo killed: Lessons from this tragedy?

Justin Bieber paparazzo killed: On Tuesday, a photographer was killed by a vehicle while chasing pop star Justin Bieber. In today's celebrity-driven culture, how can paparazzo tragedies like this be avoided?

By Laura Edwins,?Contributor / January 2, 2013

Singer Justin Bieber performs during the Z100 Jingle Ball at Madison Square Gardens in New York, on Dec. 7. A celebrity photographer was struck and killed by a car on a Los Angeles highway on January 1, after snapping photographs of a Ferrari registered to pop star Justin Bieber, police said.

Carlo Allegri/Reuters/File

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On Tuesday evening in Los Angeles, a photographer crossing a California freeway on foot was struck by a vehicle and killed while chasing teen pop sensation Justin Bieber.

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The incident harkens memories of Princess Diana's tragic death 15 years ago. While this time it was the paparazzo ?? not the celebrity ? who paid the price, this tragedy raises again questions about privacy vs. First Amendment rights, stalking vs. publicity, and the perception of "the money shot."

The photographer, whose name has not been officially released, was chasing Bieber?s white Ferrari. According to CNN and gossip site Gawker,? the photographer crossed Sepulveda Boulevard and began snapping pictures while the car was parked.

Police repeatedly told him to return to his car, and while re-crossing Sepulveda to leave, the photographer was struck by on-coming traffic. Bieber was not in the car at the time; a friend was reportedly driving it.

In 2010, the state of California passed the ?Paparazzi Bill? in an effort to avoid such incidents. The law cracked down on photographers for reckless driving, blocking sidewalks, and creating a sense of ?false imprisonment,? in pursuit of celebrity photographs.

The amendments included fining photographers up to $5,000 ? or a year in jail ? for breaking traffic laws or impeding the operation of a celebrity's vehicle.

Despite the law and others protecting against stalking, the reckless pursuit of Hollywood?s glitterati continued. In July, after a similar incident involving Bieber and a photographer in a high-speed chase, Los Angeles City Councilman Dennis Zine told CNN the paparazzi pursuit of Bieber was, ??a tragedy waiting to happen.?

Authorities tried to use the new California "paparazzi law" in this hot-pursuit case, but Judge Thomas Rubinson of Los Angeles County Superior Court ruled on Nov. 13, that the law was overly broad. He said, "The law is problematic because it covers news-gathering activities protected by the First Amendment."

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/UBk_Ost2aTc/Justin-Bieber-paparazzo-killed-Lessons-from-this-tragedy

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