Celebrity Gossip Does Not Belong in the News
Sure, even the most reputable newspapers have an Arts and Entertainment section, a Television section, and maybe a few columns on the doings of newsworthy celebrities. We hope, however, that is because there is actual news to report related to the arts or to the celebrities. I expect this to be news that affects the average reader, or is at least widely appraised to be interesting. What gets me a little miffed, is that much of what I've seen reported lately that is related to celebrities isn't news at all. Nor is it a mildly fascinating opinion on something that was once news. Instead I see frivolous conjectures and commentaries in the place where something resembling news should usually have been. I see gossip, random remarks, and utterly useless petty details. And it's certainly not just The New York Times. Newspapers everywhere are reporting on the actions of fallen starlets as though they are matters of national security, or, to exaggerate less, as though they are even mildly interesting to a person with enough intelligence to pick up and read a newspaper.
If your neighbor got into a car crash while under the influence, you would probably be alerted through your community's gossip grapevine to watch your back. If a person living two counties away did the same thing, you'd probably never hear about it at all. Why? Because it wouldn't be any of your business. The media takes the giant nose that is their readership, and sticks it places it really doesn't belong. In matters of legal controversy, political scandal, and intercontinental strife, these intrusions are warranted and, even, encouraged. But the next time Lindsay Lohan trips in public, Paris Hilton breaks the law, or any other young woman forgets to put on her panties, I'm quite certain that if I want to hear about it, I'll pick up a magazine or a tabloid. Newspapers are for news, and even the op-ed writer has to be feeling themselves slipping to a new low when all they have to write a commentary on is someone like Britney Spears.
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Cecelia Lawson is currently a full-time college student, and a freelance writer on the side. View profile
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2 Comments
Post a Commenti luv celebrity gossip sumtimes its aight i just think its messy though u feel me holla!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I agree. I don't enjoy hearing or reading celebrity gossip when I'm trying to hear or read news. I'm not really into that celebrity stuff anyway, but if I was, I wouldn't want to see it on the news unless they did something that would be news whether they were famous or not. :-)