The term paparazzo is defined as “an independent photographer who pursues celebrities to photograph them.” (Definition of paparazzo, 2011) The name comes from the last name of a photographer in the 1960 film La Dolce Vita. (Green) Yet the meaning of the word paparazzo denotes a stronger meaning than just a freelance photographer. Paparazzi are known for their persistent and annoying personalities, willing to do anything to get the shot they want. The main targets of the paparazzi are celebrities who delight the public. The public's obsession with this person encourages the paparazzi to pursue fame and encourages them to participate in acceptable invasive antics. Only when harm occurs is the public outraged by the paparazzi's information-gathering techniques. A notable example of inappropriate intrusion involves the deaths of Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed, who were killed on August 31, 1997 during a high-speed car chase in Paris. France while he was chased by the paparazzi. This death sparked widespread criticism of the media and their information gathering techniques, particularly those of the paparazzi. Media attention to celebrities has led to a loss of privacy and a skewed view of private and public issues for celebrities. This loss comes from the categorization of celebrities as public figures, which means that their daily lives are subject to increased scrutiny, unlike the average person. The public thrives on intrusion into the lives of celebrities due to their obsession with wanting to know all the gossip. Paparazzi accomplish this fixation by gathering the information that the public craves to consume. The methods of the paparazzi are condemned as invading the medium of paper, the courts and the press. Works Cited Definition of paparazzi. In (2011). Oxford Dictionary Online Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. Retrieved from http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/paparazzo?region=usSiegel, P. (2002). Communication law in America. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon. Pember, D. and Calvert, C. (2011). Media Law. (Vol. 17, p. 243). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Middleton, K., Lee, W., & Chamberlin, B. (2005). The law of public communication. (Ed. 2005, p. 182). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc. Nordhaus, J. Celebrity Rights to Privacy: How Far Should the Press Go?. Retrieved from http://www.asc.upenn.edu/usr/ogandy/c734 resources/celebrities Rights - nordhaus.pdfGreen, P. (nd). Where does the word paparazzi come from? Retrieved from http://curiosity.discovery.com/question/where-paparazzi-term-come-from