News you can use?
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ISSUE: 11/08/07 > Opinion > News you can use?
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Editor Courtney Drake is a junior Journalism major. |
In a recent online article, Carl Bernstein, one of the reporters that broke stories on the Watergate scandal, blamed current culture for the emphasis it places on entertainment news and the lack of national/world news. At first, I agreed without thought. It’s true most people know more about what’s going on with Britney’s custody and divorce battle than the latest bombing in Iraq. But it really hit home when I looked at the links around the article:
“Racial Rants” from Dog the Bounty Hunter, “Publicist: Bass was joking about marriage,” “Britney spends big, court paper reveals” and so on. The sad thing is, I wanted to click on every link to catch up on the latest celebrity gossip. I couldn’t resist one video about Lance Armstrong and an Olsen twin dating, which included a full list of both celebrities’ previous relationships within the past year. Why do I care so much? That’s what I’m still trying to figure out.
In my Mass Communication Theory class, we’ve tried to decipher the same thing. Is it the media’s fault for emphasizing celebrity gossip or are they just trying to maintain readership by giving people what they want? Why are people drawn to this dramatic news in the first place? It’s like a never-ending tug-of-war game. The public wants to read entertainment news, so the media gives them the stories. But the more people read, the more “news” they want on those infamous people who live their lives in the limelight. So who’s really to blame for this increasing coverage of celebrities over world events?
According to Bernstein, “You can’t separate the appetites and demands of the people themselves and what they are given. The blame simply can’t all be put at the feet of those who present news.”
I agree with this notion. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with the occasional check-up on Britney and her kids. I’m guilty of that as well; but I think as a society we need to start paying attention to the real news, the news that affects us. With the presidential primaries beginning soon, it’s time for us to take advantage of being a democracy and make informed decisions based on education, health care, economics and public safety, not the latest Paris Hilton rumors.
That’s not to say media consumers are solely to blame, though. I think the media also have to take responsibility and realize they’re continuing to stoke the fire by publishing celebrity rumors and gossip. There will always be celebrity news out there, but do we really need this much?
It’s disturbing that I can find entertainment news everywhere. From the time I sign on to my e-mail account, turn on the TV or even go to the grocery store, the faces of celebrities are staring at me, enticing me to look up the juicy details of their lives. However, when I want to read about world or U.S. news, I have to be the one to search for it. It doesn’t come to me as entertainment news does.
From now on, I’m going to do my part by paying attention to world events rather than Lindsey Lohan’s rehab trials and hair color. Will you?
