Sometimes the media jumps on stories without asking enough questions.

Yesterday, Christmas Eve, was one of those days.

The lead video on TMZ's Web site was an airport encounter with a so-called fan and James Cameron. The "fan" had an "Avatar" poster he asked Cameron to sign. Cameron refused and the guy got pushy. Not like an adoring fan asking again for an autograph. Not even like an aggressive professional autograph runner—unless he was the dumbest one in the world. Because the way he acted, Cameron will never sign for him now, ever. The guy was an A-hole, and had to be a media plant there to make Cameron look bad. With "Avatar" the biggest news in Hollywood right now, I'm not surprised. Anything to do with Cameron is big news, and the more scandalous the better.

The situation escalated, Cameron said some choice words that, in retrospect, he probably wished he never said, and the "fan"—clearly prepared for what might happen—reamed him out. I'm sure that for some of the celebrity-following public, it was great TV. But it unfairly branded Cameron, fans and autograph collectors with the scarlet letter.

In a few short years, TMZ has become the cutting edge of celebrity news. Love it or hate it, no one publishes it faster, and they're generally stone accurate. But this time they gave Cameron, and fans and autograph collectors, a bad rap. Real fans and collectors—well, at least 99-percent of them—would never have acted like that.

James, as the publisher of Autograph magazine, I want you to know that we think you've been done wrong. I don't know any fan or autograph collector who would treat someone like you were treated. You were set up, and they didn't care if you or your fans paid the price. It was appalling and I hope you don't hold it against us.

Watch the Cameron video on TMZ

Cameron is no George Clooney when it comes to signing autographs. He's not one of the friendliest people in Hollywood and seems to prefer to keep fans at a distance. He does sign, but not that often. That's his prerogative—and as long as he signs sometimes that's OK with us. Like all of us, he's entitled to live his life as he wants to and have his privacy. He should never treat a fan or reasonable collector like he treated the guy in that video, but then again, no fan or collector I know would treat him like he was.

Most autograph collectors know that when a celebrity signs an autograph they're giving a gift to a fan. We're not entitled to it—and we really appreciate it when we get one. The guy in the video told Cameron that because he had just seen "Avatar" he owed him an autograph. That's ridiculous. 400,000 Americans buy Camrys a year, at prices somewhat higher than the cost of a movie ticket last time I checked. If the president of Toyota spent the time to sign an autograph for all of them, the car would be as reliable as a Yugo. If Cameron signed autographs for everyone who saw his movies, he'd be 1,000 years old before he finished signing for those who saw "The Terminator" alone.

I don't know about you, but I'd rather Cameron spend his time making movies like "Avatar."