Today I start a new chapter in this blog called Media Scrutiny. Since my wife watches these shows, they spill over to me from time to time. Last night Kate was having a birthday party and pointed out the photographers in the bushes. “Yes, they are following us now, ugh” was the sentiment from Kate.
This morning Meredith from the Today show interviews the senior editor of People magazine. They talk about the divorce and within the story mention how the pressure of the show and paparazzi have paid their toll. So why didn’t Meredith ask People:
“Were those YOUR camera men in the bushes?”
“Have you ever paid for pictures from one of these sources??”
“Do you feel you and your magazine have contributed to the stress of their lives and lead to divorce?”
When are people going to stop paying for the destruction, interruption and outlandish crap of other people’s lives labeled as “entertainment”. More importantly, when is the media going to make a stand.
jtw
Couldn’t agree more! But based on the rhetorical question at the end of your argument, it appears you seem to be missing the essential key to this whole mess: in order for People or other media outlets to make a stand,they would have to actually care about the people whose lives are destroyed. As is painfully obvious, they don’t. They don’t care about Jon and Kate, and they don’t care about the children (the children-!) who are the real victims here. To Meridith and the rest of the vulture culture, the Jon and Kates of the world are nothing more than media road kill. They care about the ruined lives as much as the average driver cares about the poor innocent squirrel that they tried so hard to avoid, but hit anyway. They feel really bad about it, just ask them, but…well, it’s just too bad the squirrel didn’t know better than to dart out into the road. Such a shame…but Meridith has lots more interviews to do, and she just doesn’t have any more time to feel bad for Jon and Kate.
EMPM, Esq.
jtw and Groosh, how soon you forget that there are 3 parties involved in this, not just the obvious 2: the media, the consuming public, and…. the people that put themselves in front of the camera. If they don’t like being exploited, then perhaps they should stop exploiting themselves.
The true victim in all of this is me because my ex-girlfriend made me watch that stupid Jon and Kate show like 5 times. I’ll never get that time back.
Paul "Groosh" Grusche
True true, you will never get that time back… good thing you broke it off with her.
But let us not forget that 20 years ago the paparazzi was nothing like this or hardly existed. It was around the time of the Breakfast Club that the US developed a taste for the intrusion and started selling magazines with this trash.
Genuine actors never planned this. John and Kate may have started innocently enough but could have expected this, I agree with you there. They exploited themselves. They should have started a magazine and blog.
jtw
They signed up for life in the public eye without having to get real jobs other than taking care of their herd. I understand buyer beware on their part, but did their kids sign up for this? It is on behalf of the children that esteemed members of the media should respect some boundaries. (I am nothing if not a champion of the little people-!) But again, that would require Meridith and People et al to give a rat crap and they’re too busy chasing eyeballs. Whoooooooores!