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Us Weekly’s Paparazzi Policy: A Letter From the Editor

The staff of Us Weekly is deeply grateful to the stars who share so much of their professional and personal lives with our 33 million readers in print and online. But we also appreciate that some celebrities choose to keep their children out of the spotlight. Many of us are parents ourselves and we understand the importance of keeping children safe and happy.

That is why we are especially sensitive to the concerns of the celebrity parents who we cover. In the past, when a star has requested that we not run paparazzi photos of their children, we have been happy to respect their wishes. Going forward, Us Weekly will refrain from publishing paparazzi photos of children that are taken without the explicit or implicit consent of their parents.

Of course, we will continue to be an outlet where stars can proudly show off their kids at special events, on red carpets and in public settings where one would reasonably expect to be photographed. We will still feature photos provided by the parents themselves via social media or through cooperative photo shoots. There may be occasions when a photo is part of a breaking news story. In these situations, we will make an effort to be sensitive to the parents’ wishes.

At Us Weekly we have daily discussions about the pictures we publish. We have always avoided photos that are obtained through reckless means. We do not purchase photos from photographers who violate traffic laws, trespass or invade the privacy of children at their schools. We do not support photographers who harass and stalk celebrities or their families.

We welcome the conversation about photos of children that has been publicly initiated by actress and mom Kristen Bell. Her passionate advocacy is inspiring and we are proud to stand beside her.

— Michael Steele, Editor in Chief

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