Objectives1. What paparazzi is all about2. How others perceive paparazzi3. Impacts of the paparazzi work 4. The risks and costs of paparazzi

Definition Aggressive photographers Federico Fellini’s 1959 film La Dolce Vita Italian meaning: flashbulb popping gnat Photographers in tabloids Stigmas:

Infringe privacy Immoral Cold blooded

Intensification of Stigma Since the death of Princess Diana in

1997 Vacationing with Mr. al-Fayed Pursued by 9 photographers on

motorcycles

Japanese Journalists

Methodology●Objective: Find out the career of

paparazzi

●Both qualitative and quantitative research methods are adopted

●To balance the advantages and disadvantages of the research methods

Methodology●Totally six qualitative interviews

were conductedMore effective for this complicated

topic and generally producing fewer incomplete questionnaires.

MethodologyA face to face interview was conducted

respectively on:●27th March 2004 with an existing paparazzi who

works for Sudden Weekly for five years

●27th March 2004 with an existing paparazzi who works for Monday for two years

●3rd April 2004 with a paparazzi team leader who works for Oriental Sunday for twenty years

●4th April 2004 with a breaking-news reporter who works for Oriental Daily for four years

●4th April 2004 with a breaking news reporter who works for Apple Daily for eight years

●7th April 2004 with ex-paparazzi who worked for Sing Tao Daily

Methodology●Questionnaire survey was conducted

from 10th April to 13th April 2004 aims at finding the general perception

of people towards paparazzi. It is appropriate for making

descriptive studies of a larger population and the survey data may be used for explanatory purposes (Babbie, 2001).

MethodologyWith the purpose of gathering the

general perception towards paparazzi, there are three pools of population.

University students Housewives

Career professionals

MethodologyTheir age range is from 20 to 45. The gender differences of the

university students and career professionals are minimized.

There are 15 male and 15 female respondents in the university student group;

& 17 male and 13 female respondents in the career professional group.

Methodology100 questionnaires including closed-

ended and opened-ended questions were conducted on the street level

Response rate is 90% and 90 out of them were valid

Overall response rate is one guide to the representativeness of the sample respondents. A high response rate indicates a less chance of significant response bias (Babbie, 2001).

Nature of Work

● Follow the celebrities

● Patrol in different districts

● Station in airport or hotels or outside their homesTo uncover their secrets or hidden lives

●Responsible for taking photos

●Content: determined by editors or other writers

Entry Requirements●Basic skills needed:

●Able to drive●Able to use camera

●Advantageous characteristics:●Young●Energetic●Pro-active●Cheerful●Flexible●Good communication skills●High sensitivity

Entry Requirements●Academic qualification

● Tertiary education

●Lower requirement

●Physical strength●Stronger body

●Good physical fitness

●no. of male > no. of female

Entry Requirements●Public’s opinions:

●Patient

●Persistent

●Physically strong學生

15%

20%

17%

8%

4%

13%

8%

6%

6%

3%

好体力 耐性 面皮厚反應快 有創意 識影相不易放棄 有觸覺 有車牌記性好

專業人仕

18%

19%

13%

4%

2%

17%

8%

3%

13%

3%

好体力 耐性 面皮厚反應快 有創意 識影相不易放棄 有觸覺 有車牌記性好

家庭主婦

16%19%

20%

3%

1%

6%7%14%

10%

4%

好体力 耐性 面皮厚反應快 有創意 識影相不易放棄 有觸覺 有車牌記性好

Earning Capacity

●Determined by market demand and supply

●Past:●Higher

●Maximum: $70,000

●Present:●Lower

●$7,000- $10,000

●Monthly award schemes

Career Path Paparazzi

Photographer Assistant

Photographer/Paparazzi

Photographic Supervisor

Soft news

Performances and experiences

Laid off/resignJournalists responsible for writing report

Sources of Job SatisfactionReported the truthHelp gaining public interestPromotionRemuneration and bonusAppreciation

Comments towards Paparazzi●Most public’s comments negative

●Bold-faced●Unrelenting●Dishonest●Non-professional ●Report false information

●Advices for Paparazzi:●Obligated to ethnic of journalist●Respect rights of privacy●Not to create unreal stories●Behave decently●Be less aggressive

Chaos in Living Pattern Major duty Follow the target day and

night Irregular hours of work

No fixed time for meals or rest Little time spent with families and friends

Adversely affect both physical and psychological health

Tension and Stress

Stress of Paparazzi = Stress of other Journalists?

Definitely NOT!Definitely NOT!

Stress from Family and Friends Only 50% of respondents support their

friends or family members to be Paparazzi

18

12

024

68

1012

1416

18

會 不會

學生

1416

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

會 不會

專業人仕

9

21

02468

10121416182022

會 不會

家庭主婦

Stress from General PublicPublic’s negative comments and

criticism on Paparazzo’s actConsidered as non-professional and

immoral

101 200 3

13

6

3

5

10

5

10

5

15

6

3

6

5

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

1 專業 2 3 4 一般 5 6 7 不專 業

學生 家庭主婦 專業人仕

專業程度

001 112

111

10

2

5

10

4

7

6

7

13

2

15

1

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

1合符道德 2 3 4一般 5 6 不合符道 7德

學生 家庭主婦 專業人仕

道德程度

Stress from ColleaguesDiscriminated by other journalists

who consider themselves are:

●Professional

●Carry out moral and meaningful duties

Paparazzi: Lower entry requirement Inferior to others

Stress from WorkStrictly Follow the orders and

instructions of editors or their supervisors

Meet the requirements and goals In a risk of losing a job if not able to

accomplish the task

Ethical DilemmasAlmost 90% of respondents

consider Paparazzi as immoralPublic condemnation VS Job

duty

Public condemnation VS

Market demand你對那類型的報導最感興趣 ? (請順序列出感興趣新聞報道 1,2,3)

10

10

4

4

9

5

4

4

7

5

3

7

2

2

2

12

2

4

02

0010

5

10

15

20

25專業人仕" "第三感興趣第二感興趣最感興趣

32

6

212

100 123

13

11

9

5

9

9

0105

4

1

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35 學生" "第三感興趣第二感興趣最感興趣

4

9

2

200 4

11

2

3

3

7

13

6

7

4

14

100303

0

5

10

15

20

25

30 家庭主婦" "第三感興趣第二感興趣最感興趣

Public condemnation VS

Public interest

57%

43%

是 否

43%

57%

是 否

40%

60%

是 否

學生 家庭主婦 專業人士

你認為這種採訪手法是否需要？

Risk & Cost1. Violence2. Critical Decision: Moral or Duty?3. Traffic Accidents: Fine, Marks

Deduction and Life Risk4. Long working hours: Hunger and Sleepless5. Legal responsibility

Risk & Cost1. Violence

●actors have triad background attack reports in case the actors

are traced

Risk & Cost-violenceExample: Cecilia Cheung Date: 19th April, 2004 Time: In the afternoon Place: Tsim Sha Tsui Suffer: Two Paparazzi were hit while waiting outside a building for Cecilia Cheung

Risk & Cost2. Critical Decision: Moral or Duty?

●Take photos or give help in Emergency?

●A woman jumps from a building:Take photos or Persuade her to

come down?

Risk & Cost-Critical Decision: Moral or Duty

Example: Edison Chan Date: 15th March, 2004 Time: In the afternoon Place: Central Suffer: Edison Chan complained that two paparazzi kept on taking photos while he was hit by two strangers

Risk & Cost3. Traffic Accidents:

Fine, Marks Deduction & Life Risk

●Fine and Marks Deduction for overdrive

●Risk lives when driving too fast

Risk & Cost- Traffic Accidents: Fine, Marks Deduction & Life Risk

Example: Princess Diana & Dodi Fayed

Date: 31st August, 1997 Time: At night Place: Paris Suffer: Diana and Dodi died in the traffic accident

4. Legal Responsibility Responsibilities born by Paparazzi

themselves and the Magazines/ Newspaper and the public

Risk & Cost

你認為誰或 0那個部門要對不道德的採訪方法承擔責任？

000 100 00

5 4

3

3

6

5

5

12

12

7

7

10

10

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

0 1 2 3 4 5 6

學生 家庭主婦 專業人士

010 1

10111

130

5

6

3

12

8

12

10

10

14

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

0 1 2 3 4 5 6

學生 家庭主婦 專業人士

2

5

3

100 2

4

5

6

9

0

7

5

4

7

4

7

5

3

11

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

0 1 2 3 4 5 6

學生 家庭主婦 專業人士

狗仔隊 該報館總編 大眾

Risk & Cost- Legal Responsibility Is it necessary to set up a department to

monitor the press? ●Freedom of Press?

67%

33%

應該 不應該

63%

37%

應該 不應該

30%

70%

應該 不應該

學生 家庭主婦 專業人士

Risk & Cost5. Long working hours:

Hunger and Sleepless

●Paparazzi trace a target 24 hours a day

●Afraid to get lost from the target

●No time to eat and sleep or go to Toilet

●Suffer from Hunger & Sleepless

What We Have Learnt?

Analytical skills Importance of Initiative,

Self-motivation and Teamwork

Group Work Is Fun Interviewing skills

More insights in viewing career

Conclusion Aim of this research:

To examine the work of paparazzi in Hong Kong

This paper has analyzed 3 main dimensions: Background Occupational influences Risk and cost

Conclusion

Usually, paparazzi are seemed to be an exciting and interesting job.

However, there are quite a number of occupational stress, ethics dilemmas, disordered living pattern, risk and cost which influence the career lives of them.

Conclusion It is shown that unlike what the public

perception towards this career, the depressing image of paparazzi somehow is exaggerated.

The public generally share a negative views towards the work of paparazzi.

ConclusionLimitations:Though this research paper may not

be representative enough Time and the size of population are the

constraints It has failed to scrutinize every details

of the career and the poll of survey is limited to 3 groups of people

Conclusion Through the above illustration, this paper

shows another picture about the work of paparazzi under the general perception of the public Raise people awareness of the issue of

paparazzi. People could critically evaluate if the

image of paparazzi is just perceived by the public with exaggeration

Conclusion The six interviews and the survey show

two different sides to view the career of paparazzi

Sources of information: Internet, newspaper clippings, interviews & a small-scale survey

Further study is recommended in examining the public deception towards undercover agents

What We Have Learnt?

Analytical skills Importance of

Initiative, Self-motivation and

Teamwork Group Work Is Fun Interviewing skills

More insights in viewing career

Presented by:Chan Sze Yan, CecilyChang Sze Man, JessChiu Kai Yee, CrystalChiu Lok Kwan, NatalieNgo Hiu Ka, JoyceWong Kit Ying, Gloria