2008 Woodie Awards
Caught in the 'Gossip Mill'
Celebrity news tests personal integrity and sanity
Stacey Skotzko
Issue date: 8/28/07 Section: OpEd Page
But relating Lindsay Lohan to Grace Kelly makes me feel sacrilegious.
As I would sit in those meetings, listening and laughing with what foolish things these stars (I use that term loosely, as Kristen Cavallari from "Laguna Beach" is not quite star-quality in my book) did each weekend, I began to fall into the routine. Names became familiar. The antics became sillier. I learned what was good celebrity gossip, and what was B-List.
Sitting in the newsroom and listening to journalists whom I admired and aspired to become, it was hard for me to understand the importance of celebrity news. Why did people follow these particular human beings so intensely? Why did it matter if K-Fed got child custody or who Jennifer Aniston was seeing canoodling with? Shouldn't we be covering the latest Democratic debate? Why should I care about this junk?
One answer became apparent to me: I should care because the readers cared. I would see people on the "L" immediately flip to the RedHot page, ignoring the fabulous cover story on drunk driving. The readers wanted the celeb gossip. So we had to write it. We had to be snappy, scandalous and witty. And if the readers liked it, advertising revenue went up. Plain and simple.
I didn't like that answer, and it didn't satisfy me. Journalists shouldn't cater solely to advertising revenues and I didn't think RedEye did. It was, of course, factored into decision-making. But it wasn't the sole reason for the obsession with celebrity gossip.
The one person who answered my question wasn't my editor, a fellow reporter or a page designer.
It was Paris Hilton.
The day Paris was released from jail for "medical reasons," her picturesque face smushed and smeared from crying, I read the articles in People. I watched CNN replay the scene. As the debacle circled around the media, I was able to stomach her for a moment on Larry King Live. It wasn't until I was venting about the whole media circus to my mother that the answer came to me.
As I would sit in those meetings, listening and laughing with what foolish things these stars (I use that term loosely, as Kristen Cavallari from "Laguna Beach" is not quite star-quality in my book) did each weekend, I began to fall into the routine. Names became familiar. The antics became sillier. I learned what was good celebrity gossip, and what was B-List.
Sitting in the newsroom and listening to journalists whom I admired and aspired to become, it was hard for me to understand the importance of celebrity news. Why did people follow these particular human beings so intensely? Why did it matter if K-Fed got child custody or who Jennifer Aniston was seeing canoodling with? Shouldn't we be covering the latest Democratic debate? Why should I care about this junk?
One answer became apparent to me: I should care because the readers cared. I would see people on the "L" immediately flip to the RedHot page, ignoring the fabulous cover story on drunk driving. The readers wanted the celeb gossip. So we had to write it. We had to be snappy, scandalous and witty. And if the readers liked it, advertising revenue went up. Plain and simple.
I didn't like that answer, and it didn't satisfy me. Journalists shouldn't cater solely to advertising revenues and I didn't think RedEye did. It was, of course, factored into decision-making. But it wasn't the sole reason for the obsession with celebrity gossip.
The one person who answered my question wasn't my editor, a fellow reporter or a page designer.
It was Paris Hilton.
The day Paris was released from jail for "medical reasons," her picturesque face smushed and smeared from crying, I read the articles in People. I watched CNN replay the scene. As the debacle circled around the media, I was able to stomach her for a moment on Larry King Live. It wasn't until I was venting about the whole media circus to my mother that the answer came to me.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Bill C
posted 8/28/07 @ 7:51 AM EST
If Stacey wants to be a reporter, learn how to spell the word sacriligeous.
Alex
posted 8/29/07 @ 12:28 AM EST
I can hardly read RedEye anymore. I used to like how it was different and kind of fun, but it's fluff and needs to do more hard news. Leave the gossip for Nine Lines and the back page. (Continued…)
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