ALENA HANSON
Opinions Editor

There are lines that media have crossed in the past. These violations of privacy are rewarded due to the obsessive nature of readers.

Readers pick up tabloids to get the scoop on their favorite celebrity. These are the people that look at a story and completely put in their own two cents. Whether what they comment or remark is good or bad, the media has created a response.

Celebrities are not the only victims of these slanderers or receivers of support. Regular people can also have their lives changed due to a simple story that features them.

Lottery winners are revealed to the public. These announcements are meant to be welcome reminders that some people are just lucky.

However, the money is not the only thing that impacts a recipient’s life. With his or her winnings made common knowledge, people begin to contact the victors. Contact may be a nice way of saying harass.

They begin to send letters, emails, texts and packages to the front-runners. They offer sad stories, demands and other persuasion to get money from the winners.

Even if they have never met or spoken to the recipient, they still request cash for various reasons. They say “I need the money to [insert purpose here]…,” “You have so much now, help a guy out…” or even a “My child has cancer, and I need money to pay for the medical bills.”

Regardless, if the reason is true or not, they still contact the winner for the coinage. This puts a damper on the money parade of the fortunate ones.

They can be scammed or hassled out of their money or just inconvenienced.

Another serious issue is how much the news companies should put in their articles or programs. They have free will to report anything, even if they withhold information.

I want to tell you a true story that happened recently to my cousin. He was heading to work at an elementary school. On the way that he always travels, something stepped in front of his truck. It was not a deer; instead, he hit a man.

This man was wearing all black and walked into a straightway—no reflective gear or anything to let a driver know it was him.

The man and my cousin waited for the ambulance, and my cousin prayed over the man. He stayed with this stranger, even as the medics arrived.

However, reading the news story, you would never have known that. Instead, you get that a young teacher killed a man that was “walking” across the road. That, along with their names and ages, is all you get because the reporter was only able to receive a quick police report for the incident.

You do not get the full story or any other information. That has led to a huge response from not only the community where my cousin works and lives, but also people outside the whole situation.

Now, celebrities are the ones that are continuously in the spotlight, regardless of where they are or what they are doing.

You can actually find articles magazines that feature “Celebrities are just like Us,” as if we do not know they are humans with needs.

Yes, your favorite actor does get coffee. Yes, your favorite musician does buy toilet paper. Yes, your favorite model wears pajamas to walk his or her dog in the neighborhood.

Celebrities do make a lot of money, but why should people care what they look like without make up? You should not like people based on appearances or roles.

They are people, too, even if they make a lot of bank.

People do take it too far. Not every article gives only some of the details. Not every news source goes by what sells their product. Not every lottery winner hates being recognized.

It just comes down to the times that are not exceptions. What about those instances? How far can people go to put their own opinions or desires on others? How much should the media be able to put out there? How little?