Are Famous People Treated Unfairly by the Media?

Are famous people treated unfairly by the media? Should they be given more privacy, or is the price of their fame an invasion into their private lives?

The question of unfair treatment of famous people by the media is one that cannot be easily answered without a close examination of all that is involved. Fame is a state of being well known either by one’s personality or a result of one’s accomplishments and cannot happen without the media. The media makes people famous. The world is now in an information age that is totally driven by the media. You view events happening around the world via satellite TV in the comfort of your living room; you get the latest gist and gossip on smart phones connected to the ubiquitous internet that is proliferated with social media like Facebook and Twitter; propagation of gossips has not been easier!
Success, being synonymous with fame is something people naturally love to identify with. The most intricate affairs of successful people thus become goldmine of information for people who have made them role models. They believe they can also achieve success by patterning their lives after their models. Likewise, famous entertainers like the late Michael Jackson also are idolized especially by young people. The ‘wannabes’ of these entertainers will do whatever it takes to get information about what things make their favourite acts tick.
On the other hand, the unhealthy secrets of the private lives of famous people make good sources of scandal that can be used to blackmail or even discredit them. Information exposing the privacy of famous people thus also becomes a highly sought-after commodity by mischief makers.
Everyone deserves privacy. For famous people, however, the invasion into their private lives is the price they have to pay for their fame. Because, whether for good or mischief, information on the private lives of famous people has a large community waiting to consume it.
Even if the corporate media refrains from hounding famous people for information, will they be insulated from cameras of mobile devices of ordinary people, ready to capture images at the slightest hint of an 'interesting' event that will make great views on social networking sites like Facebook?