2008 Woodie Awards
Britney Shears: star of the media circus
Kyle Miller
Issue date: 3/1/07 Section: Op/Ed
- Page 1 of 2 next >
Breaking news: Britney Spears shaves her head! Spears enters rehab and leaves same day! More importantly, who cares? Why do I need to know this? News listeners across the nation have been asking themselves the same questions as bald "Britney Shears" and deceased Anna Nicole and company, grace the headlines and air time of our national news networks.
According to Pew Research, who conducted a study on the circus surrounding the death of Anna Nicole Smith, six in ten Americans, or 60% of the entire population, claim that the story has been "over-covered" by the press. Unfortunately, for viewers and concerned citizens, news networks continued virtually uninterrupted coverage through the ridiculously lengthy court proceedings. The court, or theatre as it were, was given the national spotlight for much of last week, despite the implementation of the new strategy in Iraq and the announcement of a decrease in British troop levels. Instead, the country's news networks were fixed on such headliners as 'Judge Larry' Seidlin who offered one council, a "glass of juice" in response to an argument. During this show, our nation was granted the opportunity to learn his interesting background as a New York 'cabby' and his childhood growing up in the Bronx. Despite the issue at hand, a serious one for all parties involved, Judge Larry kept the courtroom calm and unfocused with his stories and humorous quips. At the end of this affair, the country was fixed on his tearfully delivered opinion. Perhaps this case is a prime example of why cameras should not be allowed in the courtroom for live coverage.
As long as a good portion of viewers remain interested in non-news, and those who aren't interested watch anyway, the media will continue reporting it. While this is quite disturbing, Pew also reported that, despite the "over-coverage" opinion, 11% of viewers followed Smith's story closer than any other story being reported. Therefore, the Smith story was, as Pew reported, as closely followed as stories about all 2008 presidential candidates combined.
According to Pew Research, who conducted a study on the circus surrounding the death of Anna Nicole Smith, six in ten Americans, or 60% of the entire population, claim that the story has been "over-covered" by the press. Unfortunately, for viewers and concerned citizens, news networks continued virtually uninterrupted coverage through the ridiculously lengthy court proceedings. The court, or theatre as it were, was given the national spotlight for much of last week, despite the implementation of the new strategy in Iraq and the announcement of a decrease in British troop levels. Instead, the country's news networks were fixed on such headliners as 'Judge Larry' Seidlin who offered one council, a "glass of juice" in response to an argument. During this show, our nation was granted the opportunity to learn his interesting background as a New York 'cabby' and his childhood growing up in the Bronx. Despite the issue at hand, a serious one for all parties involved, Judge Larry kept the courtroom calm and unfocused with his stories and humorous quips. At the end of this affair, the country was fixed on his tearfully delivered opinion. Perhaps this case is a prime example of why cameras should not be allowed in the courtroom for live coverage.
As long as a good portion of viewers remain interested in non-news, and those who aren't interested watch anyway, the media will continue reporting it. While this is quite disturbing, Pew also reported that, despite the "over-coverage" opinion, 11% of viewers followed Smith's story closer than any other story being reported. Therefore, the Smith story was, as Pew reported, as closely followed as stories about all 2008 presidential candidates combined.