Fred emails:<\/p>\n
\nIn an era of Paris Hilton, Britney, etc., the answer is: nothing. Gossip is what the media puts on the front page when they want someone to buy their rags. Gossip is news.<\/p>\n
All of this reminds me of something I saw when I was growing up in New York.<\/p>\n
I used to watch the 10:00 evening news on channel 5 (WNEW), which was a fairly good news broadcast. At the end of the broadcast they had a syndicated gossip segment by Rona Barrett. One could easily tell that the newscasters hated the gossip section–they thought it demeaned their broadcast.<\/p>\n
One evening, one of the news reporters reported a story about a man who was arrested for beating his wife. The police came and arrested him. One of the arresting officers asked him, "Why were you beating your wife?" His answer: "Well, she did something wrong, and that was her punishment." Without missing a beat, the news reporter looked at the camera and said, "And now for your punishment, here’s Rona Barrett."<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Eric Spillman blogs for KTLA<\/a>:<\/p>\n
\nI’ve got an interesting assignment next week. The LA Times website has asked me to take part in a debate with blogger Luke Ford. They call it a ‘dust-up’. The subject is gossip vs. news. I’ve been asked to represent the traditional media, and Ford will stand up for the blogosphere.<\/p>\n
He already has a chip on his shoulder when it comes to what I do for a living…<\/p>\n
If you care to read the conversation next week, check out the Times online Opinion page<\/a> and look for the feature called Dust-up.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
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Fred emails: In an era of Paris Hilton, Britney, etc., the answer is: nothing. Gossip is what the media puts on the front page when they want someone to buy their rags. Gossip is news. All of this reminds me … Continue reading