DATE: Thursday, September 4, 1997           TAG: 9709040002

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B10  EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Letter 

                                            LENGTH:  132 lines

LETTERS TO EDITOR -- THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT

Maybe boycott of rags

will stop paparazzi

It was a shock Sunday morning to see the headlines blaring from the newspaper machine:

``DIANA KILLED IN CAR CRASH.''

Here was the world's ambassador, now dead. Her life and the lives of her two children shattered forever, inside a Paris road tunnel. Why? Preliminary reports hint that, once again, photographers were hounding her.

After these men are released from the Paris jail where they sit, what will happen? They will sell their photos to some rag paper. And you can bet, those photos will sell.

I have resolved to never purchase another ``rumor rag'' in my own small effort to make these photographers an endangered species. The price of fame shouldn't be constant harassment by photographers. If a private citizen were to do that, it would be called stalking.

Just over 15 months ago, another newsperson indirectly led to the death of Adm. Jeremy ``Mike'' Boorda, who took his life after questions arose about two small insignias on his ribbons that he stopped wearing a year earlier. That small fact should have ended the relentless pursuit of ``getting the story'' by a man who it was later revealed was guilty of a similar deed.

Barbara Babb

Virginia Beach, Aug. 31, 1997

Let world see what

drunken driving did

The disturbing revelation that Princess Diana's driver was drunk forces a new perspective on the issue of the Bild Zeitung photographs, the paparazzi and the public's right to know.

Suddenly, the entire grieving world is placed in the position of having lost a dear friend to drunken driving. As gruesome as it may seem, show us the pictures. Make the world look into the face of death and experience that profound sadness, the anguish, the anger that all parents, family, friends feel when they lose loved ones to drunk driving.

The princess herself would most likely approve, given the record of causes she championed of late. What is the perspective of Mothers Against Drunk Driving on this tragic event? Who among us will ever forget the sight of that wrecked car being loaded on a flatbed?

No one, it seems, can afford the hideous expense of not having a designated driver.

Guy Hayden, office manager

St. Paul's Episcopal Church

Newport News, Sept. 2, 1997

AIDS, HIV patients

mourn a royal friend

Today all people with AIDS and HIV have lost a true princess. I remember at the onset of the HIV epidemic, when everyone was afraid of us and shunned us, we felt like true lepers. Her Royal Highness, the Princess of Wales, took off her glove and shook the hand of a person with AIDS.

By her simple act of love and support, she showed the whole world that we deserved respect. She championed our cause and that of many other people in need all throughout the world.

The true testament of her success, though, are her sons, the royal princes. The entire world should shun and ostracize those who would hunt them like game just to get a picture. William is the future king. For now he is a young man who needs to be left alone.

The American media left Chelsea Clinton to grow up in her own way. For that the president and the first lady are grateful. I ask that all world leaders and celebrities band together and force these money-hungry individuals to stop the hunting down of famous people for sport.

Today is a sad day. Not since the death of President John F. Kennedy has our country felt the loss of an individual who changed the world so.

Jorge C. Sague

Chair, Eastern Virginia HIV Care Consortium

Norfolk, Aug. 31, 1997

Charles, Di never had

their day in the sun

As one who has always admired and loved the pageantry and pomp of the British people and its royalty, this is one of the saddest of all days. Princess Diana was truly a role model for all classes of people throughout the world.

For several years, I have pondered why Queen Elizabeth did not relinquish the throne to Prince Charles and Princess Diana, while in their prime. Perhaps their separation and all the bad publicity that they received could have been avoided by such a noble act by the queen.

What a tragedy that these two never had a day in the sun, with Prince Charles on the throne.

It seems to me that one tragedy ultimately leads to another, in strange and unpredictable ways.

Earl B. Chappell Jr.

Virginia Beach, Aug. 31, 1997

In an accident,

blame the driver

Maybe I'm missing something here. Were the paparazzi shooting at Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed with bullets? No, it was film.

Were they trying to run the couple off the road, kidnap them or carjack them? No, they were trying to get some ridiculous supermarket-tabloid shots. Maybe it was a paparazzi behind the wheel, driving 100 mph or faster? No, no and no!

While, obviously, the paparazzis' actions were a contributing factor, 90 percent of the blame should be on the driver of the car who pulled this stupid, macho, high-speed getaway, and thus caused this tragic mishap.

Imagine doing 60 to 100 mph in the Downtown Tunnel from Norfolk to Portsmouth. Would there be any justification for this, just because someone's following you trying to take your picture?

Maybe we should blame or indict all 7-Elevens, Food Lions and other grocery stores that carry the tabloid rags that feed off paparazzi garbage for this accident? Of course not. Put the blame where it belongs in every reckless car accident - on the driver.

D.K. Forrest

Virginia Beach, Sept. 1, 1997

One way to atone:

leave family in peace

I was angered by a news clip of a seemingly sorrowful member of the National Enquirer urging competing magazines to refuse pictures of the fatal accident. How any one of these tabloid magazines dares to deem these photos as untouchable seems more than a bit hypocritical to me.

If Diana and Dodi Fayed had made it out the other side of the tunnel, there is little doubt that these same magazines would have paid millions of dollars for a photo of the couple taken on that very same roll of film. Can they honestly believe that they hold no responsibility in the untimely deaths of three innocent people?

As Lord Spencer stated, his sister's blood is on the paparazzis' hands. If they want to demonstrate their remorse at this senseless tragedy, they will refrain from printing any intrusive photos of Princess Diana's family as it mourns the passing of their loved one.

Sandra Cote

Virginia Beach, Sept. 1, 1997

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