Jon and Kate plus 8 - the tabloids are the real problem

What is it with the tabloids? Are they getting in too much trouble with the paparazzi circling stars like vultures that they now are after reality tv stars? And what cost does this all have?

Case in point is the drama surrounding Jon and Kate plus 8 stars Jon and Kate Gosselin. They are the parents of 8 children, and have a television show that highlights their daily tribulations in taking care of their little troop. I’ve seen the show from time to time, it’s not great television but it does surpass most of the ‘reality’ television fare out there.

The Gosselin’s are not a perfect couple. They get tired, stressed, and annoyed. Just like parents of far fewer kids. And like every other parent in the world, they occasionally look forward to having time away from the kids. But they are good parents in a good marriage, from what can be observed.

That of course is motivation enough for the paparazzi and the tabloids. Any successful relationship seems to be the fodder of their ire. And now they are stirring a hornet’s nest of trouble.

If you haven’t heard, recently Jon was photographed in a car with a woman other than his wife. He was exiting a bar. His wife Kate was on a promotional tour for her book at the time.

Does that sound like a scandal? That he was out cheating on his wife? To the tabloids it does. Though all the people involved insist that it was merely a night out away from the kids with a friend. Still they twisted the wording and laid down accusations all the same.

Of course this has lead to the usual paid dirt. You know, when someone related to or familiar with someone in this situation sell a story to the tabloids that backs up or infers truth on some part of the paparazzi driven drivel. You would be amazed what some people will do for $10,000 (a common amount paid for such “inside” information), or just a few moments of fame.

But what is the ramification of all this? Has anyone at these tabloids stopped for one moment and thought how this could affect the 8 children?

I mean the best thing that a tabloid could have happen is that they instigate a marital fight. They put undue pressure on the already difficult task of raising so many children, and hope that something pops. And if it does the paparazzi will be there in droves to film every second of it.

But what if this tabloid driven version of a married guy going out for a drink with a friend, who happens to be a woman, in a public place by the way leads to divorce? Neither of the parents are millionaires or even rich (8 kids will do that I am sure). Life for either Jon or Kate will instantly become more difficult.

But the real losers will be the young children. None are old enough to understand divorce. Hell, grown kids often don’t understand it. What kind of trauma might this mean for 8 innocents, still learning the basic building blocks of life.

Maybe it’s just me, but the private lives of entertainers and celebrities are private. Paparazzi and tabloids are a poison to the lives of everyone they touch or go after. There is no justification for what they do, nor any way to determine the damage they create in their wake of going for the photo.

Maybe Jon is innocent. Maybe he is not. But no matter which is the case, having the lesser part of the national news media (if such a thing exists) exacerbating the situation makes it all worse.

No child deserves this. And even if I am the only one to think so, I will say that the media needs to back off. Some things aren’t worth a minor bump in ratings or an extra couple of dollars in profit.