Should the American News Media Provide Coverage on Paris Hilton and Other Entertainment Stories?

The vast majority of Americans support our capitalistic society without great pause for analysis. It would stand to reason then that we should expect no less from our media enterprises; meaning we should expect the media to represent their own interests by amassing the greatest amount of capital possible in order to expand their enterprises. Our capitalistic system’s overall goal of efficiency in profit applies just as readily to the media‘s coverage; they market the stories we are most likely to buy at the highest possible returns (mostly our viewing time). Despite many viewers of the mass media networks acknowledging and often even slandering the many shortcomings (bias, 5th grade programming level, and entertainment only stories) of the very news programs they watch, the bottom line is clear, they still tune in. The supreme irony of this debate lies in the fundamental fact that we care enough even to participate and, as consequence, add yet another notch to Paris’s (really the media’s) belt.

Now the obvious counter argument will be that without public dissent the media will continue to drum to it’s own beat . This argument has it’s merits but is so simplistic that it deserves a thorough and ruthless dissection. The first point of business is to spend one minute on Paris. Should the media provide airtime for a woman who has written a new York times bestseller, had a musical album reach #6 on the billboard charts, had a TV show premier with over 13 million viewers, has had a role in 17 movies, has multiple product lines, was a model and designer for the world’s top companies, and has appeared in countless major publications, shows, etc? Of course they should; we gobble it up. In another person’s case the world might be hailing the coming of the world’s next polymath, so why not for poor Paris? Because she is a useless actor, musician, intellectual, and human being in general. However, she may be the single greatest self-promoter of our time, with a combination of sex appeal, wealth, and megalomania strong enough to attract immense attention, whether good or bad.

The media has no choice whether or not to cover Paris; we as a people have spoken and not simply to the media. We have crowned her a champion author, musician, and television star. So how can we as a people turn on the media for reporting our choices as a culture? Of course, it’s predictable; your not the one who supports her, it’s the minority with enough of a base to push her to stardom. If that’s the case then why do we enter into a debate at all? If Paris were suddenly run 24/7 on CNN the outcry would end the coverage faster than a one night stand. The reason that Paris works as both a news story and a person echos the reasons why we as people fail to move past mediocrity; a lack of ability and desire to think critically coupled with a touch of schadenfreude (a German word meaning to derive pleasure from others misfortunes.)

There are two ways in which we buy into the Paris type stories; and at this point realize that it is the story’s genre that matters, not the person (Paris). The first way is directly; by sucking up, memorizing and finding interest in the actual story. The second is by either debating about or denouncing the media carrying the story. While the latter group is at least proactively promoting an honest cause; useful, intelligent media coverage, they are still playing into both the first group’s and the media’s hand. Debating whether the media should or shouldn’t cover Paris is of no use, as there will always be a group of individuals who, for various reasons, find value in the least challenging and least valued topics within a society. Sadly these people are strong enough in numbers to exert the influence necessary to make it so capitalist news sources should carry the stories. However, we need to realize the bigger problems with the media in general and resist playing into the media’s hand by selecting the easiest stories to denounce. We need to recognize that the same quality of coverage afforded to the Paris type stories is being bestowed upon the rest of the news. If a media outlet is taking time out of it schedule to report on such trivialities then don’t debate, act! The first step is ignoring the false targets and the second is dissent by not viewing.