Pop singer Britney Spears is the latest casualty of media madness. The press frenzy over her apparently impulsive decision to shave her head is totally out of proportion to the significance of her act. If she’s having emotional problems right now, the paparazzi probably is contributing to her distress by following her around like a pack of wild dogs.

The insane furor over her recent visit to a tattoo parlor proves my point. If you see any of the ABC News video footage from the scene, note the look of panic on her face as she cowers behind her bodyguard pushing through the press mob outside the place.

In my view, the press needs to leave the woman alone! If she has life issues to face, give her the respect you would give your own sister and let her deal with them. The fact she chose to be a performer does not give the media a right to violate her privacy.

The press fixation on her estranged husband, Kevin Federline, is equally absurd. What difference does it make to the fate of the world whether the couple stays together or not? Will it end the genocide in Darfur? Will it create peace between Isrealis and Palestinians? Will it get President Bush to stop thwarting the acts of Congress with his Signing Statements?

No, in the big scheme of things, whether their marriage endures really matters to no one but them. The press should butt out and stop exploiting them for the sake of selling ads that target the fans of these pop stars. The same thing applies to all the other entertainers who become the objects of media feeding frenzies.

Back when I was in high school, I co-starred in a production of Eugene Ionesco’s absurdist play, The Bald Soprano. The satirical comedy ends with the main characters standing in a row at center stage and shouting at the audience: “It’s not that way. It’s over here! It’s not that way. It’s over here! It’s not that way. It’s over here!”

The cult of celebrity being fueled by the media in America today could benefit from that injunction. It’s not that way. It’s over here.

Digging into the woes and wounds of troubled celebrities is not the way journalists should behave. The real stories worthy of their talents are over in the White House, in City Hall, and in urban neighborhoods plagued by gang violence. Feeding scared celebrities to the lions in the arena of public opinion is not the way the media should behave. The real job of the press — educating the masses to become informed citizens — is being overlooked in the pursuit of sensationalism.

I’ve been a journalist most of my adult life. I consider myself to be a member of an honorable profession with high ethical standards. I’ve been reporting on the TV and Internet industries for almost 15 years, and I’ve been blessed to meet media visionaries with the higest good of humanity at heart.

When the media exploits celebrities as a distraction from the important news stories of the day, however, I feel embarassed by the degredation of my trade. I want to stand at center stage and shout to my peers, “It’s not that way. It’s over here!”

“It’s not that way. It’s over here!”