Jackie and the Media
From the time she married Jack, Jackie had been a fixture in the news media. Sometimes, such as when magazines dwelt on her wardrobe, she found the coverage silly. Other times she found it intrusive, but it was never mean-spirited. There was always an undercurrent of respect for Jackie as an individual. That was especially true after Kennedy's assassination. But after Jackie married Aristotle Onassis, her relationship with the media changed. No longer a Kennedy in the public's eye, the press dubbed her “Jackie O.”
The Original “Tabloid Queen”
It could be argued that the National Enquirer changed the face of American journalism. Its blend of inspirational human interest features and sensational coverage of celebrities struck a chord with readers hungry to learn that the rich and famous really weren't that much different from themselves. The Enquirer treated gossip seriously and unapologetically.
In 1969, the Enquirer's publisher, Generoso Pope, ran an article on Jackie Onassis. The highly unflattering piece was based on an interview with Caroline and John's former nanny. Sales of the Enquirer jumped significantly. While Americans may not have been enamored with Jackie as much since her marriage to Onassis, they were still intrigued by her.
After that issue, Gene Pope put Jackie on the cover of the Enquirer every chance he got. Whether the story was genuine and newsworthy, superficial, or basically fiction, Jackie was the new tabloid queen. Pope would have freelancers create stories around paparazzi photographs of Jackie. It was the Enquirer that ran the expose on Jackie's aunt, Edith Bouvier, living in squalor in her East Hampton mansion. The article prompted the Suffolk County New York Board of Health to raid the home and cite Edith, ordering her to clean up the premises.
Galella v. Onassis
Considered one of America's first true paparazzi, photojournalist Ron Galella developed the innovative technique of catching his subjects by surprise to catch their reactions or by following them going about their daily lives and taking their pictures in everyday settings.
Jackie Onassis and Ron Galella in New York City, 1971
Photo Credit: Ron Galella/ WireImage
FACT
The most controversial magazine coverage occurred in 1975. Hustler published a photo spread of Jackie sunbathing nude on Skorpios, taken by a paparazzo. The photos helped raise Hustler's profile and increased its sales. The experience also made Jackie that much more bitter toward paparazzi specifically and the media in general.
Galella was particularly relentless when it came to Jackie, stalking her on basically a daily basis. He took literally thousands of pictures of Jackie over a period of fifteen years. He interrupted Caroline's tennis lessons to get shots of her, bribed people to reveal Jackie's whereabouts, showed up in a powerboat where Jackie was swimming, and generally stalked the family relentlessly. But when Galella used his “jump out and surprise” tactic on John Jr., it set off a lawsuit that would pit a celebrity's right to privacy against a photographer's First Amendment protections.
In October 1969, Ron Galella encountered Jackie and John Jr. as they returned home from a bike ride in Central Park. He was able to take several pictures before Jackie saw him. According to Galella, she ordered John's Secret Service guards to apprehend him and break the camera. He alleged he was driven to a police station and given the choice of giving up the film or getting arrested. He kept the film and was subsequently charged with harassment.
SHE SAID …
“Aristotle Onassis rescued me at a moment when my life was engulfed with shadows. He brought me into a world where one could find both happiness and love. We lived through many beautiful experiences together which cannot be forgotten, and for which I will be eternally grateful.”
After his acquittal, Galella sued Onassis, charging he was falsely arrested and maliciously prosecuted. His lawyer also claimed Galella was protected by the First Amendment to photograph Onassis in public. Jackie countersued for damages and injunctive relief against Galella, saying she lived in dread fear of the photographer. In the end, the court dismissed Galella's claims and granted Jackie injunctive relief, requiring Galella to stay at least fifty yards away from her and one hundred yards away from her apartment building. That was later reduced to twenty-five feet.
FACT
In the course of his career, Galella angered more than one celebrity. In June 1973, Marlon Brando broke his jaw and knocked out four of his teeth. Brigitte Bardot once had him hosed down. While trying to photograph Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor in Mexico, Galella was beaten up by Burton's bodyguards.
In 1982, Jackie brought another suit against Galella, claiming he had violated terms of the injunction on at least a dozen occasions. Rather than risk huge fines and jail time if found guilty, Galella agreed to never photograph Jackie again. Ironically, after Jackie's death, John Kennedy Jr. reached out to Galella, and the photographer chronicled John Jr.'s life until his tragic plane crash.
