When you are Britney Spears, the chances of seeing your name headlining one or more supermarket tabloids are pretty good. You may put in a five minute appearance at a party and the next thing you know the headlines are screaming “Britney Spears Smoking Cigarettes” or “Exclusive Pics of Britney Spears Smoking”. Inside you may find a bonafide shot of Britney Spears smoking a cigarette, or you may see a shot of Britney holding a cigarette that was just handed to her by a friend, with the caption underneath reading “does Britney Spears smoke?”

While the news that Britney Spears smokes may not seem like earth shattering news to many people, the fact is that many people thrive on any kind of news about celebrities and whether the truth is involved can be completely optional. That is why headlines that promise to capture Britney Spears in a picture smoking, or to reveal Britney Spears caught smoking will sell whether there is a shred of truth involved or not. All one has to do is hint around that there is such a thing as Britney Spears smoking pics and the tabloids will end up in just about every shopping cart in the country.

Of course, it may be true that Britney Spears smokes cigarettes. Or it could be that the pictures of Britney Spears smoking are from years ago, or that they are lifted from a scene from a music video. Purported Britney Spears smoker shots can even be nothing more than some creative computer imaging these days. The bottom line is that even if the Britney Spears smoke rumors have any substance, the ones who ultimately lose out are her fans. Some of them will be disappointed in their idol, perhaps enough to abandon her altogether and go off in search of the next big female performer. Still other fans may some to the conclusion that a cigarette now and then is not really a big deal, so why not give them a try?

Journalists who trade on the fame of personalities like Britney Spears do not worry a great deal about who may be hurt by their stretching of the truth. The truly sad thing is that when it comes to something like smoking, it is not just the star who may have to deal with some backlash, but also some fans who may make decisions today that cause them to ultimately lose their lives as a result of those choices. Is that really worth selling some magazines over?