paparazzi a Feature by clemann (Anna Clemann) In the early hours of August 31 1997, a young woman and her boyfriend were killed in a motor accident. Unfortunately not a totally uncommon occurance, excpet that this woman was the Princess of Wales, and her boyfriend was heir to the Harrods fortune. So when paparazzi are blamed for their deaths, everyone is quick to agree, but the truth is there were others to blame for the deaths. Too far! That's what most people have been saying about the paparazzi, not only those chasing the Princess of Wales, but any person holding a camera. I was sitting in my kitchen when I heard the news, and I was shocked, but more than that I was a little suspicious about all the blame going to the paparazzi. As it turns out there were other contributing factors. Yes the paparazzi were chasing them, but as the most photographed women in the world this was nothing new to Diana. What was new was that she had a new man, and those photos were worth a lot of money, as the six million dollar man, who got the photos of Dodi and Di kissing, will tell you. However, the total blame for this tragedy cannot rest solely on the feet of the press. First and foremost the driver Henri Paul was drunk. In Australia we have graphic ads showing us what drink driving can do and anyone who has ever had alcohol will know that it affects your reflexes. Mr. Paul had had a bottle and a half of wine. However, that is not the only factor to be taken into cosideration. Another is that only one person out of four in that car were wearing a seat belt and he has survived. Maybe if Dodi and Di had put their seat belts on they may have survived. We will never know. What we do know is that although some of the blame should be placed on the paparazzi, it is unfair and untrue to say that they were solely responsible. Created on 00/00/00 and last modified on Tue, 14 Oct 1997.

LOUDonline - http://www.loud.net.au - Fri, 10 Apr 1998