The Paris Hilton protection act

..., who sought the legislation, said such a measure was needed to preserve the integrity of the justice system, The Los Angeles Times reported Thursday. Opponents said it would provide cover for errant celebrities at the expense of press freedoms. It's the Paris Hilton and Mel Gibson Protection Act, said Tom Newton, general counsel for the California Newspaper Publishers Association. Fundamentally, it attempts to regulate news-gathering and criminalize it. In a statement to the Assembly, bill author Assemblywoman Julia Brownley said traditional media obtained information and pictures through official channels and the Public Records Act, but new Internet media and others have recently been attempting to circumvent the system by offering law enforcement officials money for information and pictures of celebrities.