Celebrities and Gossip are the new Opium for the Masses!
June 13, 2007I do not know why the more I think about my interview with ABC News on the so called “Celebrity journalism” I am reminded of Marx’s famous quote on Religion. He wrote, “Religion is opium for the people. Religion is a sort of spiritual booze…” I, for one, do not agree with his definition of religion, but what if we replaced the word “Religion” with the words “Celebrity and Gossip?” I think his quote will fit much more today’s society and marketplace. As long as I have the opportunity to teach journalism, this profession will remain to me a profession that must answer the simple question of What Is In It For Me? That ME means my life, my home, my money, my country, my soldiers, etc…but NOT some Hollywood created celebrities (here today, in jail tomorrow and gone the day after)…there is nothing in them for me. They have become the opium for our people. What a sad commentary on events (and our society) when a dead celebrity occupies not twice or thrice, but more than hundred times the coverage on cable television news while the death of our soldiers fighting in Iraq were not worthy but a ticker line on the bottom of the screen. Please do not misunderstand me, I love all kind of magazines including the gossip ones. But please do not treat them as Journalism. They are not. In fact you will be doing a disservice to real journalism if we equate the death of Anna Nicole Smith with the death of our soldiers in Iraq, or if we equate the imprisonment of Paris Hilton to that of Lewis “Scooter” Libby.
Mr. Magazine 
You’re being honest- and people have trouble with that… it’s all about poseurs and profit, you know that.
I was talking with someone today about the total lack of true leadership in the publishing/newsstand business.. but then remembered that that “leadership vacuum” is a national problem- not just our own industry segment. Perhaps it’s courage that’s in limited supply…
Anyway- I agree with your blog today, but it does make
people most uncomfortable.
Ahhh- where’s Nero when you need to get a historical
parallel.
I for one love the celebrity hype in our boring lives
http://parishilton.snagapic.com
How can you not feel sorry for this sad face??/