Has the media fallen prey to the cult of celebrity?

national | arts and media | opinion/analysis

Friday January 21, 2005 15:19

by Laura Synnott

Irish media is following the British tabloids in its coverage of celebrity lifestyle, little realising that people are growing tired of being bombarded with 'famous' peoples lives.

Is Elizabeth Hurley’s arrival at yet another party really a quality front-page photo? According to a well-known national broadsheet, the answer is a resounding yes. While we are familiar with the tabloids bombarding us with images of the celebrity lifestyle, a new low for the Irish newspaper industry was reached with this development.
We can see the Irish media across the board, tap into this celebrity cult, with RTE developing a celebrity reality TV show. This programme was the epitome of celebrity culture gone too far and was proven to be a failure. Further to this, the RTE News then went on to announce the break-up of a famous Irish couple as part of their headlines. This couple’s separation also was covered in depth by the newspapers with weeks and weeks of photographs and quotes from the relevant parties. The question has to be asked, how much do the Irish public want to know? Are the media merely reflecting society’s interest?
While we constantly hear people bemoaning the constant coverage of certain celebrities, the stark reality is that people buy the newspaper and turn on the programme if they will hear the latest scandal or development. In the UK, editors of the glossy magazines know they will sell thousands more copies of an issue if they have a certain celebrity on the cover. This fascination with the lifestyles of the rich and famous passes through the generations from Audrey Hepburn to Princess Diana. The Irish media have learnt this lesson, little realising that people are now growing tired of this constant celebrity coverage with intimate details of their lives known to everyone. The media are gaining more and more access to places and the public are reaching saturation point.
Recently, the front story of a national broadsheet was the solicitor Gerard Keane and his wife’s dismissal of rumours over the state of their marriage. While this couple’s celebrity status has to be questioned, this newspaper believed the story worthy enough to be their front-page headline. This kind of gossip is expected in tabloids, but the broadsheets are now realising the usefulness of celebrities and their lives. It is interesting to note the different types of celebrities that adorn the tabloids and the broadsheets. While the tabloids feature any kind of celebrity that might have caused any scandal recently, the broadsheets favour upper class, refined celebrities. While they are following their tabloid road of highlighting the celebrity lifestyle, the broadsheets are misguided in believing that people want to hear about their lifestyles.