The Brothers Grimm could not have penned a more germane cautionary tale.

Nancy Grace, the CNN talking (and talking, and talking, and talking) head, is in the midst of a wrongful death suit brought against her by the family of Melinda Duckett, a 21-year-old woman who shot herself in 2006 after Grace interviewed her about the disappearance of her two-year-old son.

Ironically, and for perhaps the first time in her life, Grace is camera shy. The Orlando Sentinel reports:

The latest news has the woman who will exploit anything for ratings — we’re talking slaughtered children, abused spouses, you name it — suddenly deciding that some people are entitled to privacy.

And by “some people,” she means her.

The latest news has Grace’s lawyers trying to ban cameras from videotaping her being questioned about a woman, Melinda Duckett, who killed herself after Grace interviewed her.

Grace — who has made an entire career out of turning other people’s tragedies into entertainment — argued that the video might cause “annoyance, embarrassment, oppression, and undue harm should the videotape be released prior to trial for purposes unrelated to the litigation,” according to the emergency motion, filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Ocala.

Now, as far as the legal issues are concerned, it seems to me that Counselor Yakety-Yak should be fully protected in this case by the First Amendment. Sure, she’s among the most obnoxious and grating personalities to “grace” CNN in recent history, but it’s a slippery slope to start holding journalists legally responsible for asking questions … no matter how cruel and insensitive those questions might be.

That said, I’m not sure she can dodge the bullet (see, now that was insensitive) on the whole “not wanting to answer for her actions on camera” thing. Ah, Nancy, the media is a cruel, cruel mistress. Now, smile for the cameras!