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has historically served to curtail the over-zealous journalist. However the moral fiber of society has degenerated from its once prim and proper past, and the press now vulgarly oversteps the boundaries of decency with little retribution. In the words of Chief Justice Warren Burger, “The First Amendment should not be interpreted to include the protection of frivolous gossip that “lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value” (Grolier Encyclopedia 1996, Miller v. California). The People’s “right to know” does not justify the growing abuse of our right to Freedom of the Press. The negative effect upon today’s society is only beginning. Tabloids not only thrive on; they encourage the invasion of privacy. In an era defined by celebrity worship, Americans have become increasingly tolerant of what is acceptable concerning media coverage of celebrities’ private lives. It is unfortunate that Princess Diana died for a blurry picture, a pointless snap from a ...

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at a New York Hotel. The front is a Mary Albert press conference (Alter, In the Time 32). Are we all entertaining ourselves into a stupor? The gulf between what intrigues us and what directly affects us is widening. When news oozes twenty-four hours a day it’s not really news anymore. The TV becomes ambient noise. The newspaper becomes wallpaper. Finding the patterns of importance becomes hard and it’s easier and more profitable just to make the consumer gape.
Talk shows revel in the public airing of dirty laundry that is either real or fictional. The “Oprah Winfrey Show” beat all competitors with a Nielsen rating of 8.3, each point representing 954,000 households (Jet 22). ...

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