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Asra Nomani, former reporter for the Wall Street Journal, says that after witnessing her brother's struggle with mental illness, it is impossible for her to find the entertainment or news value in the coverage — or harassment — of Britney Spears. Nomani's recent op-ed, "Leave Britney Alone," appears in the Los Angeles Times.

"Mental illness doesn't always elicit compassion," Nomani writes. "It's hard to see, so it's hard to understand. ... All of us should reflect on the fact that we wouldn't be so cruel to somebody diagnosed with another disease. Would we make a sideshow of someone with a brain tumor?"

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