People Magazine Reporters Better Watch Out

If they happen to follow Cameron and Justin to Columbia. After a malicious rumor led to death, the mayor decided to ban all gossip. People who break the ban could go to jail for up to 4 years.

This is a very disturbing story insofar as it might possibly affect Americans' God-given right to tabloid news. Sure, the ban was issued in an obscure South American town so it shouldn't be a big deal, right? Wrong. What if such bans spread to other cities, or to locations where celebrities flock to canoodle discreetly? If our journalists can't trail celebrities without risking jail time then, well, a little part of America dies.

So please, everyone, contact the mayor and let your voices be heard. You need to write a letter to the opinion section of El Tiempo, one of the country's major newspapers. I don't want to put words in your mouths, but perhaps try a letter like this:

Querido Editor,


Yo soy [your name] de [city, state, country] y leí un artículo que me espantó muchísimo. ¿ Es verdad que el alcalde de Icononzo ha prohibido los rumores? Pues, no me gusta. ¡ NO ME GUSTA CABRÓN! Lo siento. Me enfadé. Digo y escribo cosas insensibles cuando me enfado. Sólo quiero decir que una ley como esa será un catástrofe por la industria de los medios de communicación. Ojalá que People Magazine, Star, Us Weekly and Entertainment Weekly pueden sobreviver esta horrorosa ley.


Sinceramente,
[name]

Obviously you'll want to put this in your own words when you send your emails off to: editorial@eltiempo.com. Some of you might even be a tiny bit more elegant in your language than me, but I doubt it.

It's very very very important to denounce this law.