I was struggling with exactly what to write about this week in the open topic, so I began sifting through the pictures on my camera and computer. I tried to define exactly why I had taken each picture and decided I was attempting to create a physical representation of the emotion surging through me at that moment, or at the least the emotion I was hoping to feel. I can always see the emotion in my own smile when I review the pictures later. It is always blatantly evident when I was only faking it, going through the motions of having a good time. When I am in control of the photographs being taken of me, it is impossible to fake the meaning behind the picture. However, I believe that media has tainted this once truthful art by robbing their subjects of that control. They take a picture of an event or celebrity and attach whatever caption their heart desires. This is, after all, America and everyone has the constitutional right to freedom of the press, but we have to ask if this is the morally right thing to do. In the case of “Missing”, the media portrays Butler as missing in action, a prisoner of war being held captive and tortured by the evil communists. But, in reality, Butler had never felt more centered and found than in that moment the picture was taken. That misrepresentation must be the most frustrating experience in the world. You always hear young stars and starlettes complain about the loss of privacy and lies that begin appearing on newstands. The paparazzi invades their personal space and rewrites their personal life. It is such a shame that such practices are culturally acceptable in our country. What gives us the right to invent or exploit the lives of others? Britney Spears is one example of a celebrity dealing with serious emotional problems, and the paparazzi simply potentiate those problems. I am by no means supporting Britney's actions, but merely commenting on the injustice of the current status quo of media reporting.