Arjen Lubach is angry that photos are published in the media of his brand new villa in the Gooi. Does he have a point? “No, but it would go too far to use drones.”
It has been a common practice for decades: gossip magazines, and nowadays websites such as Benoenburen, who show their readers in which houses famous Dutch people live. It is of course not something that only happens in our country: you can also look up in an instant where the largest Hollywood stars live. Star houses are one hot topic.
Villa photos
Arjen Lubach has to get used to it as a new-baked RTL star, because he has urged both the Gooi and Eemlander and Shownieuws not to publish photos of his new villa in Soest. It is remarkable because he has bought a municipal monument that is simply on Wikipedia, including a photo.
Mediaciticus Victor Vlam believes that Arjen should not complain that Story has now put those photos on the cover. “There are just consequences being famous and one of those consequences is that you just have a little less privacy,” he explains in the latest episode of the podcast The Communicado’s.
“Belongs to it”
This is simply part of it as a Dutch celebrity, Victor believes. “If you are just someone who is famous … The moment you get divorced, then that is not in the newspaper. If you are a famous person, then it will be in the newspaper. Yes, you have privacy, but on the other hand: you also get a lot of things in return.”
He lists: “In general you are well paid for things. Your compensation, your salary is considerably higher than that of a carpenter, so that is opposite. There is also a lot of positive attention to it. Many celebrities are worshiped by fans. So you have to see it in the context.”
Curious
If Arjen wants to spawn the masses, the masses also ask something back, says Victor. “I can imagine that some celebrities are not waiting for their house to be on the cover of a magazine, but it is also something that comes with it. People are curious about a celebrity and therefore also want to know: where does such a person live?”
“It is a bit the downside of being famous, it is part of it and I also think you should accept that. There are limits. You can’t just publish everything. The photos in Story seem to have been taken from the street. I mean: people just drive past, people just see that house. I don’t think that’s a privacy violation.”
Drones
What would Victor think go too far? “It’s a bit different if you start flying above the garden with a drone to try to take pictures of the inside of the house. I would find that a privacy violation that goes too far.”
He would also not find publishing the precise address chic, but, the medianer says: “Everyone found it within five minutes, because the house has its own Wikipedia article. It is quite easy to find.”
Frans Bauer
Yet gossipedia should not make it too easy for people, says Victor. “That is the whole point with things like this. You don’t want to make people too easy, because then you get Frans Bauer scenes that there are indeed people at the door, come by and want to come and drink a cup of coffee.”
Should the presenter fear people with bad intentions? No, he thinks. Arjen is too easy for that anyway. “He’s just at the Mediapark.”