We are in a time where the public is more than eager to look into the lives of celebrities, and view the good, bad and the ugly sides of their lives. There are radio and television programs made to focus completely on celebrity journalism and celebrities often appear on main news programs. We have magazines and websites dedicated to celebrity lifestyle and we know that the most popular newspapers are those which contain celebrity gossip. Celebrity sells, and yet, it can only sell where there is a market for the product. Celebrity journalism tends to focus on the private lives of people already in the public eye, who are in that position through choice or otherwise. There is no question that ‘celebrity sells’, but there has to be a burden of responsibility on each journalist to ensure that simply because the ‘public has an interest’ in an individual celebrity does not mean that every story is ‘in the public interest’. Journalists are required to adhere to the same set of principles irrespective of the individual or group upon which they are reporting and this includes ‘celebrities’. However, people may argue that ethics in journalism are not mandatory. Journalism has power that should not be misused or abused, yet there are journalists with the field that do not embrace these ethics because loyalty is voluntary. The Society of Professional Journalists has a Code of Ethics that is adopted voluntarily and adhered to by many journalists. Although it does not seem to be a
According to Webster dictionary, a celebrity is defined as a famous or celebrated person. Celebrities serves as role models, heroes, cultural commentators, charity spokespeople, and political candidates. An exploration of celebrity culture uncovers changing conceptions of legitimacy, authority, and credibility at play in our culture (The Hedgehog Review, 2005) .There is a celebrity culture that has engulfed Canada, and indeed North America for a while now because celebrity culture is alluring, even to those who are embarrassed to admit it. There has been increasing infiltration of celebrity culture into politics. The media might have deliberately and unwittingly contributed in perpetuating this celebrity culture.
Ever since the start of commercial radio in the 20’s and the since the first silver screen entered the market, broadcasting messages by celebrities has been a tool employed to endorse products.”Just about every star was associated with one sponsor’s product he or she plugged.”(1). Over the years celebrity endorsement became an essential part of marketing (more than 25% of television ads feature celebrities)(5), for the endorser it became an easy way of generating an income while for the endorsing company it became a guaranteed way to reach a wide segment of potential clients.
Being a celebrity is not all it is cracked up to be. They have to deal with situations that the average citizen most likely cannot relate to. For example, many celebrities constantly encounter paparazzi who stalk them in order to take their picture, invading their privacy. Celebrities must also juggle demanding jobs, while maintaining a home life that many attempt to live as normally as possible. Celebrities lead busy, hectic lives that require them to appear in public frequently, exposing themselves to intense scrutiny; nonetheless, the private lives of celebrities should be off limits because everyone has a First Amendment right to privacy, it is invading their privacy not our business, causes different problems such as serious damage problems that might end up messing with their careers, and affecting family members in a negative way.
In the Journalists’ Code of Ethics is implemented to the media to keep the reporting of all journalists fair and non-judgemental. The professional standards
A celebrity is not a person known for his/her talent or achievement, but an individual recognized for his/her reputation created by the media. The phase of stardom is slippery, and media may choose to represent celebrities varying from exaggerated admiration to mockery. The three texts chosen, movie "Sunset Boulevard", feature article "Over the Hilton" and television show "Celebrity Uncensored Six" are texts presenting different perception of celebrities than their usual images - either corrupted by the encircling media, overloads oneself with self-indulgence, or just mocks celebrity in a broad spectrum. Such media items empower and impresses the audience by perceiving celebrities as people who pay the price of privacy to gain well
The Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics strives to secure the “free exchange of information”. It must be fair, accurate and thorough and also states that integrity is a key factor in being an ethical journalist. The Society asserts four main principles as the foundations to all ethical journalism and promotes their use in practice by all people in all media. The first code is to “Seek Truth and Report It.” It states that all ethical
In the article, “ The Impact Celebrities Have On Our Lives,” Deborah King explores the issue of celebrities impacting our lives, both negatively and positively. To begin with, she mentions that, today, we are overly obsessed with celebrities, whether they are positive or not. The author demonstrates that negative celebrities are more well-known than positive celebrities since they are mentioned on the news due to their salacious actions. Furthermore, King mentions that there are many positive celebrities that are famous despite the negative ones. In addition, she emphasizes that even positive actions performed by celebrities can get on the news, not just negative actions are publicised. Finally, King concludes the article by mentioning that
Code of ethics is always hard to define, with every profession. It's even harder when you're defining it in a way it disturbs your work itself or obligating you to prioritize your missions during work. In this paper, I will present my opinion about the "rescue clause" who has been added to the journalist ethics code. Generally, I'm for it, but I believe that the situation is the X factor, meaning- it depends whether you're reviewing an armed confrontation or reviewing on a civil zone and something bad happens.
Have you ever wondered what influences us to behave the way we do? Look a certain way? Or even looked for an explanation to what causes us to apply a certain perspective regarding personal and controversial issues? One of the answers to these questions may revolve around the influence we absorb from celebrities. A definitive term for celebrity is an iconic figure to a category or group who has achieved success in one or multiple aspects of their lives. As a result, these individuals have drawn in publicity and fame. Over the years with the advances in media and other forms of communication, celebrities have become topics of discussion worldwide, rather if it’s at school, with colleagues or at the dinner table, it is fair to say that
Celebrities are everywhere in the news, the latest gossip appears in the weekly magazines without fail. Whether they be an actor, athlete, dancer, designer, model, singer or just rich; there is someone out there who is watching that person like a hawk, not letting a single breath go unnoticed. Such is the life of the rich and famous, under the incessant gaze of journalists and the paparazzi. Lives that many people take a great interest in and admire to the point where others would liken this great interest and admiration to a cult-like worship of celebrities. This is a brief description of what I think to be celebrity culture.
Response: After reading the Society of Professional Journalist's code, the ethical standard I find the most interesting is to act independently. I chose this ethical standard, because I feel as if it's a journalist's job to bring unbiased news to the public. In a world where corruption seems to fill industries everywhere, it's scary to think about what would happen if everything we knew was a lie. Also, I liked how this standard focused on getting information fairly. Acting professional is a key component to any job in this world.
First a journalist must follow a foundation of Ethics. The Society of Professional Journalists provides a code of ethics in which they should act on with integrity. There are four principles that SPJ say a journalist must follow. The first being a journalist should seek the truth before reporting. By verifying information before releasing, it allows the work to be accurate. Journalists should also minimize harm by showing compassion for those who may be affected by the news, balancing the public’s need of information against potential harm of the subject. The third principle of ethics according is to act independently as a journalist. Journalists should avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived. The last principle is to be accountable and transparent. Being a journalist requires you must make sure your information is accurate and that you are showing fairness.
People were not exposed to barrage of news about celebrities a couple of decades ago. Mass media is becoming more garden because of rapid progress on technology day by day. Thereby, people are substantially interested in the private life of celebrities, and some of them are obsessed with celebrities. They desire to know everything about them. For instance, who is dating with whom, where they are shopping, or what they wear. In a word public have an endless hunger for more information. However, the public doesn't have the right to know about every single detail of celebrities' private lives due to several reasons.
Once upon a time, I woke up in the morning and decided to turn on the television and switch the channel to the news. I instantly regretted the decision. Recently, the validity of news sources has grown noticeably questionable. With lies and mistruths swarming around such an industry, it is only natural to question various aspects of the industry as a whole. Upon further analysis, celebrity stories strike me as an aspect that needs to be disposed of. News sources should not publish celebrity stories since the numerous costs of the stories are much greater than is permissible.
The downside of fame is the interference of the media in one’s life. Stories concerning celebrities are likely to attract customers, just for entertainment purposes. Celebrities’ life is publicized, criticized and mocked at. Reporting celebrities downfall seems to be particularly appealing to the public, and it seems that hardly a day passes without the news reporting a celebrity’s’ downfall. Some people are obsessed with famous people, their life styles, and have desire for more information. Media’s negative role destroys the famous people’s lives. Famous people deserve privacy and respect. This essay will discuss the unfair treatment received by famous people from the media.