On Feb. 8,
the Senate Judiciary Committee approved a privacy bill sought by celebrities
such as Maui resident Steven Tyler of Aerosmith fame.
The committee
agreed to move a bill copied from California’s so-called anti-paparazzi civil
law. Committee Chairman Clayton Hee also added that the privacy protection would
apply only on property owned or leased by the individual.
Tyler and
Mick Fleetwood, another Maui resident and member of the famed rock group
Fleetwood Mac, asked the committee to make it a invasion of privacy for anyone
to photograph or voice record a person in their home. They complained of the
actions of paparazzi in trying to get photographs.
The Hawaii
Chapter SPJ opposed the bill, citing an infringement on the First Amendment. The
chapter also said existing state laws guard against such intrusions on
celebrities’ lives.
But the
chapter pointed out the unintended consequences of the bill that could affect
the media. According to the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, the
New York Times and ABC News faced lawsuits based on the law. ABC was doing an
undercover investigation of a Hollywood casting company, the RCFP
said.
SB465
testimony.doc