Paparazzi oppress those who actually deserve it

If there's another benefit to the financial collapse, and we are examining the silver linings today on TB, it's that paparazzi have moved their oppressive coverage, swarming locust masses, and constant video scrutiny to people who actually deserve it: crooked CEO's. It seems as the crisis worsens people want to see coverage shift from attempts to create eating disorders, traffic violations, and street level up angle crotch shots, to, well the same things....but focused at people who have stolen from us and bankrupted us instead of entertaining us.

The celebrity Web site TMZ and TV shows like “Extra” and “Inside Edition” are expanding their coverage of starlets and Hollywood break-ups to include billion-dollar business scandals and the economic collapse.
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TMZ, a Web site better known for unflattering paparazzi shots of Britney Spears and Rihanna, drove mainstream coverage and Congressional outrage with a blog post late last month that exclaimed, “Bailout Bank Blows Millions Partying in L.A.” The site reported that Northern Trust, a bank that received $1.6 billion in taxpayer money, had hosted hundreds of clients and employees at a golf tournament and a series of parties in Southern California. “Your tax dollars, hard at work,” the site wrote.
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Harvey Levin, the editor of TMZ, who called the story “the most important thing we’ve ever done,” knows his readers don’t come to the site for a dissertation on mortgage-backed securities. “It’s hard for people to wrap their heads around $800 billion in bailout money. It’s too big a thing,” he said. “It’s much easier to understand paying for a Sheryl Crow concert.”

“Britney is fluff,” said Rory Waltzer, a photographer for TMZ, “but the stories about Northern Trust and Madoff and politicians in D.C. really have an impact on the country.”

You just found that out now? You needed financial Ragnarok to let you know that driving Britney Spears to an emotional meltdown over a period of years wasn't actually important? One thing though, stop trying to claim a Sy Hersh/Murray Waas level of investigative journalism. You aren't actually trying to cover these stories as news, you just cover them the way you cover/humiliate Octomom or Paris Hilton. It's just that you're trying to get a shot of Madoff's bulge as he gets out of a car this go around. All you're doing is providing the maximum level of discomfort the law provides until they're convicted. Which is exactly what we want this time. We've moved from wanting to see our idols be dragged down to our level to seeing crooks get fucked with.

When this is all over you'll still be back covering Joaquin Phoenix's latest meltdown, not diving into the balance sheets of Fortune 500 companies to discover the next crisis. Stop confusing yourselves with Woodward and Bernstein and go fuck with Mrs. Madoff, she's still hoarding that stolen money.