Below is the article on Michael Levine's views on the subject
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 31/PRNewswire/ - In response to the death of Princess Diana and producer Dodi Al Fayed, Hollywood publicist Michael Levine has pledged to lead an effort to change laws to appropriately punish the criminal behavior of stalking tabloid journalists.
Levine, who represented Hollywood producer Fayed for a year in the early ‘90s, expressed outrage at the "totally unnecessary loss of innocent life." "I have witnessed the behavior of the tabloids go from obnoxious to criminal in the last few years," said Levine. "I'm frankly surprised that something like this didn't happen sooner."
Film star Tom Cruise said in a phone call to CNN on Saturday evening, "You look at the kind of money that it generated for the newspapers and the paparazzi-that's why the photographers are so persistent. I have actually been in the same tunnel being chased by paparazzi and they run lights and chase you and harass you the whole time, and it happens all over the world."
Levine agrees with Cruise and believes that it is the vast sums of money payable to the photographers that is the "gasoline that is driving the engine of this." "This problem cries out for an economic in addition to a criminal solution," said Levine. "If media owners understand that new laws could hold them responsible for their agents gross behavior, things will change pronto." Levine, who has represented some of the world's highest profile celebrities, including Michael Jackson, Barbra Streisand, Nancy Kerrigan, Charlton Heston, among many others, agreed to donate his time to work with lawmakers in changing the current laws.
"What these photographers did in Paris on Saturday night was to contribute to murder. Princess Diana's brother was correct in saying so," said Levine. "The only fitting tribute to the loss of Princess Diana and Dodi Al Fyed is to change the laws to protect other innocents."
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