There’s a movement in LA to pass legislation that would make it easier to punish those who leak photos and information about police cases and media outlets that use that photos, whether or not any money exchanged hands. This movement started when the photo of a beaten Rihanna hit the Internet, and media outlets decided to publish the identity of the victim, even though the victim’s identity is typically not published in domestic violence cases.
An organization called STOParazzi is spearheading the cause, and their website explains it further:
Our aim is to enact RIHANNA’S LAW which would make leaking, distributing and publishing private law enforcement crime photos, (such as the one leaked of Rihanna,) illegal whether there was money exchanged or not. The current law, “Mel’s Law” requires that money changes hands in order for the person distributing the photo to be in violation of the law, furthermore the current law has no provisions for the prosecution of those who publish such photos or videos, such as Harvey Levin and TMZ. As it stands, anyone can leak private victim photos and get away with it, as long as no one can prove they received money, which usually is unprovable because tabloids pay cash to third parties. In addition, entities such as TMZ who pay for these photos and publish them are able to do it, and profit from it, with no legal repercussions whatsoever. The publication of Rihanna’s police victim photo was inexcusable and will likely help the alleged attacker’s case. The person who distributed it is in the clear unless the LAPD can find evidence the leaker received money for the photo. Regardless of all that, Harvey Levin and TMZ are not in violation of any law even if it is proven they paid for the photo. All involved need to be prosecuted in cases like this and with the new proposed law, all would be in violation of that law for distributing the photo whether there was exchange of money involved or not.
So, basically, they’re looking to put TMZ out of business. Their whole gig is basically that they tend to get their hands on these leaks from the legal system before anyone else. Without that shit, they’re just another paparazzi website.
Another point of view is that a law like this makes it harder for journalists to do their jobs, which is to dig up the truth behind the story. Obviously it’s not a huge national crisis if Harvey Levin can’t get his hands on a photo of a beaten pop star, but how will something like this impede journalists and media outlets who cover government or health care or politics? Will it make it harder for them to find the truth behind the PR spin?
What do you guys think? Good idea? Bad idea?
so i live in richmond, and before the whole rihanna/chris brown smackdown happened they showed up all over the place shopping and hanging out and being adorable. since then he’s been laying pretty low. however, i saw him last week at victorias secret which just makes me sad that either he’s found someone new to abuse or rihanna really has gone back to him :(
In some respects it’s a good thing (kind of gives celebrities the same treatment as us normal folks, considering how embarrassed I’d be if someone was digging this stuff up about me) but on the other hand, they’re celebrities and I love to see this stuff! I guess I’m just glad that I’m not a celebrity when it comes to these things.
And by the way, I saw a really ridiculous ad on Myspace today. It’s kind of a poor choice of words, but I know it wasn’t intentional.
http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/6843/beatthat.jpg
Oh, dang.
Anything that can potentially put TMZ out of business is a good thing. Maybe that’s the one positive that will come out of the whole situation. i seriously can’t stand those idiots.
Sounds like Chris Brown is behind this. Who else would care? Protecting wealthy psychopaths is not a good idea.
this is what I think….
I am so OVER this whole fuckin’ Chris /Rhianna drama.
Shelve it. NEXT
At this point it’s not even just about the Chris Brown/Rihanna drama. It’s about a serious issue that was brought to light by this event, and now has sparked much needed discussions of the serious issue that is domestic abuse. The whole thing goes so far beyond Chris/Rihanna and I think that’s a major part of why people are still talking about it. I’m not ready to say “next” until we see how judicial legislation chooses to treat this woman abuser.
Yeah, because you are over TOTALLY means its irrelevant now. This is important, if you dont want to hear about Chris/Rihanna then don’t read it.
Tabby,
Fuck Off. K?
Thanks.
good intentions with a very possible bad outcome
good intentions with a very possible bad outcome
Let’s all start crying for the celebrities.
We need MORE photos and information, especially from our criminal justice system. Those pictures were taken with police cameras and should be publicly available. The police should be forced to reveal more information, not less.
great, chuck. hey, here’s an idea – maybe the police should announce publicly every bit of infofmation they have, every person they are investigating and who they are going to arrest and charge before it happens. that way lynch mobs could form faster and the criminals would know they are being watched & get rid of evidence faster. heck, they could just skip town when they know they are a suspect! in fact, we could just do away with the justice system completely and not even bother with trials.
I’m all for beating Chris Brown on the spot. Oh wait, he ran away before the police showed up to take pictures. And Chris can’t get rid of evidence faster because his lawyers didn’t have time to seal all the files off from the public before a member of the police department leaked the picture.
We’re talking celebrities here, who have PR people and lawyers who do nothing but lie on their behalf.
Good idea!!!!!!!!
Gah, the point is the need to protect the victim’s identity. It’s not just about Rihanna. Many victim’s will not cooperate with police for fear of being identified. For example, RiRi gave the police a description of the event-if she thought her identity would not be protected, she might not even have done that, and now that she won’t press charges, her statement is the only thing that might put her abuser in jail.
Protecting the identity of victims allows to police to collect information that leads to prosecution and protects women who are frightened, confused, and in serious danger.
i am for legislation that would make it illegal to leak photos of crime victims, crime scenes, etc. to the public . all victims of crime (any type of crime) are entitled to privacy. also, leaking too much information can compromise a police investigation and also make it harder for a fair trial because if everyone has seen all the dirt they have already decided what happened before they have the facts.
You call this journalism?
Bwah. I’m sure TMZ and co will find a way to go around it, such as “here’s an artist’s rendition of the picture we can’t show you”, or, if showing the likeness of the person involved is forgotten (which it isn’t if I believe this snippet), taking an unknown face to show what has been inflicted.
Nice try, but won’t work.