Staking out Nadya Suleman

The media scene outside the Suleman home in Whittier — Camp Octuplets, you might say — is described in tomorrow's New York Times by L.A. reporter Randal C. Archibold.

Photographers encircled a FedEx driver as he delivered several baby seats on Tuesday, stepping past an assortment of toy trucks and cars, a scooter and a double stroller in the yard.

And a national discussion — on talk shows, blogs, in coffee shops, and Ms. Suleman’s block, among other places — raged over whether this was a cuddly family a-bloom or medical science run amok. Ms. Suleman’s own mother has voiced objections to her having so many children.

[skip]

Hollywood celebrity brokers debated how much the family would receive and the ethics of seeking so much publicity for young children. Howard Bragman, a Hollywood publicist and author of “Where’s My Fifteen Minutes? Get Your Company, Your Cause or Yourself the Recognition You Deserve” wondered if the family would start “using the kids as an A.T.M. machine.”

“That’s the part that bothers me,” Mr. Bragman said. “Exactly, what are they going do with them? The more money you get, the more privacy you give up. These kids are going to have a hard enough time without becoming media freaks.”

Photo: Monica Almeida / New York Times