Is it appropriate for media to cover the personal lives of celebrities to increase their TRP or readership?

The media often tries to delve into the private lives of the celebrities. The pictures and information about their personal lives are often published.

Is it appropriate for media to cover the personal lives of celebrities to increase their TRP or readership?

The rapidly transforming sphere of communication has witnessed a sea change in media’s influence over people’s lives. While newspapers and magazines have been popular since ages, the digital revolution has made media more powerful than ever before.

Besides reporting on mainstream news such as politics, international affairs and sports, entertainment reporting has also become a vital part for all the media houses. Entertainment is an essential part of people’s lives these days and TV and film celebrities have become household names nowadays. Fans love to know more about their favourite movie or television star.
With celebrities interacting with fans over Twitter and Social networking sites, there is constantly an urge to know about what is the happening in their lives. The foray of industrial houses into entertainment sector as well as sports celebrities joining hands with movie stars for endorsements has given the sector a different dimension all together.
The constant struggle amongst various media houses to gain audience’s attention has led them to report extensively on lives of celebrities.

The paparazzi have only been on the rise as the media tries to delve deeper into personal lives of celebrities. Hence, the media channels and publications are leaving no stone unturned to increase both the TRP’s and circulation numbers.

Celebrities are human beings at the end of the day and like an average human being, they look forward to some private space away from the glamour world. However, the media is constantly focusing on getting closer to them and gaining information in order to be the first one to reveal the same to audiences. There have been situations in recent past when snaps of celebrities having a quiet time far away from home have been published or shown on TV. This not only increases the discomfort amongst celebrities but is also a breach to the privacy of an individual.

Besides this, there is just a thin line between reporting facts and turning them into a piece of gossip. Link ups between various co-actors, sports stars and corporate honchos are common result of the incessant coverage by the media. Besides disturbing the individual, it can result in tarnishing their image. Such media channels or publications should be sued and the individuals have to be arrested for crossing boundaries. Sometimes, the aggressive nature of the celebrities can also be attributed to the constant questioning by journalists as well as relentless attempts to click their photos. News is sometimes being manipulated in a manner to benefit some people with vested interest.

There have to be checks and balances and sanctity has to be maintained by media while reporting.