PAPARAZZI IDENTITY
To be the Paparazzi
What is the official definition of the word, paparazzi?
According to the Oxford Dictionary, the word paparazzi means:
"An unofficial collective term for freelance photographers who take pictures of celebrities out and about in public, typically entering or leaving clubs, restaurants, hotels, casinos, shops, airports, cars, or taxis, or in a location such as a beach.
Such pictures may result from a tip by a member of the public but they can also come about by members of the paparazzi following targets or simply hanging around celebrities’ regular haunts.
Some celebrities and/or their agents are said to be complicit in informing the paparazzi of their movements in the hope of attracting media coverage. Pap photographs tend to be bought by media organizations more on the basis of their novelty or candid nature than because of any particular journalistic or photographic quality," (Harcup, Tony).
What is the paparazzi...who is the paparazzi?
How does the paparazzi differ and compare with other types of journalism?
Yellow Press/Sensationalism
A type of journalism in which headlines are "sensationalized" or exaggerated to attract consumers to buy articles.
Tabloid Journalism
A type of journalism that includes various content in short/brief forms, usually including scandals, rumors, politics, and more.
Paparazzi Journalism
A type of journalism in which articles are written based on secretly or exclusively-taken photographs of celebrities or public figures, which speculate the stories behind the photographs.
Brief History
It was created by Joseph Pulitzer in the 1880's and this type of journalism had an "intensified use of sensationalism—stories focused on crime, violence, emotion, and sex," which these articles had "sensationalized" or exaggerated, shocking headlines. (University of Minnesota)
Brief History
It was created by Alfred Harmsworth in 1896 for his newspaper, the Daily Mail. This type of journalism simplified news for non-elite readers.
"Some of the early research on tabloid journalism was inspired by (and supported) criticism that emerged from high-minded public intellectuals and elite journalists in the late 1800s," (Grabe, Maria Elizabeth, & Sharma, Namrata)
Similarities
Paparazzi photographs lead to articles about scandals and rumors, and these articles are meant to entice readers to be curious or shocked about the contents.