This week: Last week’s story on the availability of information to those interested in stalking celebrities stirs up a campaign to save Claire Danes from her potentially psycho fans.
Lunatic Fringe
Are you guys insane? How could you approve the article on stalking by Becca Tucker (“I’ll Be Watching You,” December 5-11)? Couldn’t you at least have the decency to avoid giving so much information? At the very least, you should not have given out the name of the street. Even if it’s easy to find on the Internet, that does not release you from the responsibility for making it even easier. Nothing gives you the right to terrorize a person just because they decided to work as actors. And now, thanks to you, Claire Danes might look at every person she crosses in the street and wonder if some lunatic got there thanks to your article. This story was creepy, and not because of the other stories about stalkers, but because it shows such complete disregard for the safety of another human being. You should be ashamed.
—Rafael Hernandez
Delusions of Grandeur
I suppose you think “regular” stalkers are mentally unbalanced, whereas stalkers who publish accounts of their own stalking are “journalists.” In my view, you’ve exhibited an even higher level of mental illness than a garden-variety stalker. You should definitely take down the article, apologize to Ms. Danes, seek help for your illness and find a line of work where you can’t harm others. No, seriously. Do yourselves, your readers and real journalists a favor: Try another line of work.
—Cliff Tarrance
Invasion of Sanity
I’ve read your story [on stalking], which I thought was very interesting and informative, and the story of how Danes felt “violated” by it. I don’t understand her reaction. Her home address was already published in another magazine. If a stalker wanted to find her, he could find her address on the Internet from that story. The point of this article wasn’t to advocate stalking, it was to point out the dangers. If I were Claire Danes, I would be more concerned with articles that invaded her privacy, like the kind that Us Weekly publishes every week. This wasn’t a sleazy tabloid story about her personal life. It was thoughtful, balanced journalism. It’s too bad Claire Danes didn’t bother to read the story before attacking it.
—Betsy Brauner, Chicago, Il.
Inspiration for Stalkers
We all know famous women, or anyone else, can be stalked, then raped or killed. There is nothing to know or prove with your article on Claire Danes. There is, however, a high likelihood that your teasing prose could inspire some sicko to actually go after her. You are disgusting to use her, or any live human, as a target. I hope she sues you. I hope you are arrested by the NYC police department. You deserve it. Yuck.
—Bob Treumann
Yuck, Yuck, Yuck
A New York Press reporter decides to go on a mission to stalk Claire Danes, in an effort to prove just how easy it is to stalk someone: Yuck. I mean really. Yuck. Whoever thinks this was a good idea was/is warped. Scummy. Gross. Makes me think of dirty, underhanded things. What a shame that it’s not in the least unexpected. Have you heard of Rotten.com? Check it out. It’s your kind of place.
—Jay Blackburn, Santa Rosa, CA
DIY Disturbia
While I appreciate your interest in bringing attention to the problem of stalking, I am very disturbed by your efforts to stalk Ms. Danes. Perhaps you should be more interested in talking about how to stop stalking, how to prosecute stalking, than in providing a step-by-step guide. Stalking is a serious problem. Anyone that has been stalked and unable to get the judicial system to intervene knows that it’s not funny, and not fodder for some celebrity human-interest story.
—Katherine Haenschen, Austin, TX
Vulnerable to Attack
I wasn’t sure what to think when I first saw your cover story on stalking last week. But when I read Becca Tucker’s article, I was impressed by her good writing and her perspective. It could have been a sensational tabloid article, but instead it had a lot of fascinating history. Stalkers are, obviously, crazy people who will find their prey without the help of anyone, but it’s still scary to realize how vulnerable celebrities are.
—Philip Hawkins
Lunatic Fringe
Are you guys insane? How could you approve the article on stalking by Becca Tucker (“I’ll Be Watching You,” December 5-11)? Couldn’t you at least have the decency to avoid giving so much information? At the very least, you should not have given out the name of the street. Even if it’s easy to find on the Internet, that does not release you from the responsibility for making it even easier. Nothing gives you the right to terrorize a person just because they decided to work as actors. And now, thanks to you, Claire Danes might look at every person she crosses in the street and wonder if some lunatic got there thanks to your article. This story was creepy, and not because of the other stories about stalkers, but because it shows such complete disregard for the safety of another human being. You should be ashamed.
—Rafael Hernandez
Delusions of Grandeur
I suppose you think “regular” stalkers are mentally unbalanced, whereas stalkers who publish accounts of their own stalking are “journalists.” In my view, you’ve exhibited an even higher level of mental illness than a garden-variety stalker. You should definitely take down the article, apologize to Ms. Danes, seek help for your illness and find a line of work where you can’t harm others. No, seriously. Do yourselves, your readers and real journalists a favor: Try another line of work.
—Cliff Tarrance
Invasion of Sanity
I’ve read your story [on stalking], which I thought was very interesting and informative, and the story of how Danes felt “violated” by it. I don’t understand her reaction. Her home address was already published in another magazine. If a stalker wanted to find her, he could find her address on the Internet from that story. The point of this article wasn’t to advocate stalking, it was to point out the dangers. If I were Claire Danes, I would be more concerned with articles that invaded her privacy, like the kind that Us Weekly publishes every week. This wasn’t a sleazy tabloid story about her personal life. It was thoughtful, balanced journalism. It’s too bad Claire Danes didn’t bother to read the story before attacking it.
—Betsy Brauner, Chicago, Il.
Inspiration for Stalkers
We all know famous women, or anyone else, can be stalked, then raped or killed. There is nothing to know or prove with your article on Claire Danes. There is, however, a high likelihood that your teasing prose could inspire some sicko to actually go after her. You are disgusting to use her, or any live human, as a target. I hope she sues you. I hope you are arrested by the NYC police department. You deserve it. Yuck.
—Bob Treumann
Yuck, Yuck, Yuck
A New York Press reporter decides to go on a mission to stalk Claire Danes, in an effort to prove just how easy it is to stalk someone: Yuck. I mean really. Yuck. Whoever thinks this was a good idea was/is warped. Scummy. Gross. Makes me think of dirty, underhanded things. What a shame that it’s not in the least unexpected. Have you heard of Rotten.com? Check it out. It’s your kind of place.
—Jay Blackburn, Santa Rosa, CA
DIY Disturbia
While I appreciate your interest in bringing attention to the problem of stalking, I am very disturbed by your efforts to stalk Ms. Danes. Perhaps you should be more interested in talking about how to stop stalking, how to prosecute stalking, than in providing a step-by-step guide. Stalking is a serious problem. Anyone that has been stalked and unable to get the judicial system to intervene knows that it’s not funny, and not fodder for some celebrity human-interest story.
—Katherine Haenschen, Austin, TX
Vulnerable to Attack
I wasn’t sure what to think when I first saw your cover story on stalking last week. But when I read Becca Tucker’s article, I was impressed by her good writing and her perspective. It could have been a sensational tabloid article, but instead it had a lot of fascinating history. Stalkers are, obviously, crazy people who will find their prey without the help of anyone, but it’s still scary to realize how vulnerable celebrities are.
—Philip Hawkins
