Lights, Camera, Sanction - Whether a Proposed Anti-Paparazzi Ordinance Would Limit Investigative Journalism in the News Business

While the value of paparazzi-driven journalism is very low, it would be a detriment to the public if paparazzi regulations would potentially limit, or even have a chilling effect on valuable investigative news, merely because there were similar ways the two acquired information. Certain newsgathering torts permit one to consider the newsworthiness, and hence public interest of the stories in question in evaluating the claim. Just as a driver who runs a red light on the way to visit a sick relative in the hospital has still broken the law, if a reporter breaks the more stringent regulations imposed on paparazzi, then they will be responsible, even if the story would have potentially beneficial, and potentially the only means to uncover the information would have been through those means