Paparazzi and Their Contribution to Princess Diana's Death

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Paparazzi and Their Contribution to Princess Diana's Death

It was only last August that the familiar world of U.S. evening television programming was interrupted by a terse bulletin, stating only Princess Diana of Wales had been injured in an auto accident in France. However, moments after the first bulletin, a second news flash interrupted, ominous in the complete lack of details, gravely stating that an update on the Princess Diana’s condition was coming. The update, as promised, came, succinctly describing her having recently died in a French hospital, after being removed from the wreckage of a late night automobile accident. Later, other details were added in further reports, especially how motorcycle-riding photographers and reporters had pursued her sedan at high speeds. Some eyewitnesses had also been quoted as saying the motorcyclists had swerved in front of her car, causing the driver veer away from the cyclists and into a wall.

The question soon asked by many, including the French magistrates, was “who was responsible for Diana’s death? It was not as simple as just negligent motorcyclists involved, as the accident was complicated by Diana’s driver allegedly having a drinking problem, and witnessed as driving much too fast. If anything, the photographers were just a contributing factor to the accident. Certainly, there were people who voiced either one or the other opinion. In some of the first reports after the accident, as related in the BBC news (1), a white Fiat Uno was reported to have been involved in the crash, and pieces of the Uno were supposedly found intermingled with that of the Mercedes. Although it was not known who was driving the Uno, speculation immediately focused on one o...

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...as certainly more important in than the paparazzi in causing her death. One might even make a claim that the paparazzi were simply guilty of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Their invasion of her privacy was no worse the evening of the accident that at any other time, and could be argued as having no greater effect that evening than at any other point in her life. Despite all the opinions placing blame on the paparazzi, there is just not enough evidence to convince, or to convict.

Works Cited

1. BBC News, http://204.71.177.72/headlines/970831/entertainment/

2. Reuter News Service, http://204.71.177.72/headlines/970831/entertainment/

3. Retuer News Service,

http://204.71.177.72/headlines/97091/news/stories/driver_5.html

4. Daily News, http://dailynews.yahoo.com/headlines

5. American Photo Syndicate, http://www.american-photo.com/cgi/ID:cgi

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