The real criminals are back in jail and we can all breathe a sigh of relief.

Well, you can if you live in L.A., because that’s where the evil, drunk driving Paris Hilton has been put back in the pokey. She tried to outwit the system with a “medical condition” that was supposed to let her serve her 45 days at home with an electronic bracelet, but the judge saw right through that debutante excuse and sent her back to the slammer.

All the while she was crying for her Mommy and ranting about how it wasn’t fair. Funny how even the richest and “coolest” among us is reduced to that when the going gets tough, isn’t it? I have to say I was glad that some judge was finally willing to be firm with a celebrity and actually make them do some time for a crime.

But what upset me about the whole thing was the amount of media coverage given to the Paris events. A lot worse things, and a lot more important things, were happening in the world, and yet the newscasters were covering Paris’s arrest like it was the end of the world. I’m all for justice--but can we refocus our priorities at the same time?

I think that’s what worries me most about the media and how they have handled this. The judge, I commend, because he got tough and stayed tough. He wasn’t swayed by celebrity, designer labels, threats from rich parents, or even tears. He stuck to his guns and treated her like any other criminal. But the media--

They didn’t treat her like anyone else. They made it their top news story. Every day. Several days in a row. It became front page news on papers across the country. Because the media was trying to make an example out of Paris? Hoping other DUI driving celebrities would shape up?

Ha-ha-ha. I think not. The media did it to sell papers, gain ratings and viewers. They had more altruistic reasons, unlike the judge who was doing his job. I’m glad the media covered it, because I wanted my teenage daughter to see that celebrity doesn’t equal privilege. But I turned off the coverage after the judge announced his decision and Paris was led back to jail, because the lesson had been learned. That was enough. And that was all any other criminal would have received.

Any more, in my opinion, would have been feeding into the celebrity glamour pool. I wanted my kids to see the consequences of bad actions, and to see they happen to everyone, rich and poor, famous or not. But if you’re famous, those actions end up national TV with commentary from Shepard Smith.

What do you think? Do you think the judge was right in sending her back to jail? Do you think the media went overboard in its coverage? And be honest, have you been watching it all? ;-)