12:18 pm, February 22nd, 2012
(GettyImages.com)
The National Enquirer frequently sets the bar very, very low.
But the tabloid really crossed the line this week when it decided to publish a cover story featuring a photo of Whitney Houston in an open casket at the Whigham Funeral Home in New Jersey before her burial last weekend.
That’s right: The magazine somehow thought it was appropriate to put a picture of the late singer’s dead body on every newsstand in America.
It’s not appropriate.
Actually, it’s astoundingly poor taste and low stooping, even by the Enquirer’s dreadful standards.
And it represents the very worst of predatory paparazzi culture.
There’s no reason why the public at large needs to see Houston’s body.
Almost as jaw-dropping as the decision to show the photo itself is the Enquirer’s total lack of self-awareness in “reporting” on Houston’s private viewing.
The tabloid says Houston was “finally at peace after a tumultuous and troubled life in the spotlight.”
But the Enquirer invaded that “peace” by sticking cameras into the room.
The mag adds, “This was the emotional private viewing that her legions of fans never saw, a time for Whitney’s loved ones to say a heartfelt goodbye with their tears and prayers.”
And the Enquirer trampled on those loved ones’ final moments with Houston, turning what should have been an out-of-view time for reflection into tabloid spectacle.
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