Death by Media

[Anthony]

Recently, the United Kingdom has been hit by a trend of witch-hunting celebrities to their detriment. Some blonde fool named Ulrika Johnsson published her memoirs alleging a celebrity had raped her about ten years ago. The celebrity was named and has been fired by the tv network, but has of yet to face charges, as the whole procedure is in a state of suspension.

Soon after, another celebrity, one Alex Deyghton, was hounded for his drug-addiction, he too was fired. And now, the scandal has enveloped our beloved Royal family with homosexual rape allegations within Buckingham Palace, ontop of the scandal already in process concerning Diana's butler, Paul Burrell, and his 'confessions about the Royal family'. Prince Charles' man servant alleges to have been raped, and the whole thing was covered up. More conspiracy theories, more accusations, more dirt. It seems that Oscar Wilde was right when he said that 'we no longer have the gallows, we have the media'.

Is the press justified in its pursuit of celebrities? Do celebrities have a higher duty to be 'moral'? Or is the press just conducting a witch-hunt, which is spiralling out of control? Are there indeed, as the Queen would have it, dark forces operating within this, or any other nation for that matter, of which we have no control?

Ant.

 

[U2Bama]

I think there are a combination of factors...it is an individual, case-by-case basis everywhere. There are undoubtedly "dark secrets" to most celebrities, even to royalty. But there are also attention-starved fools out there who want to capitalize on this.

Here in the U.S., there was a tend a few years ago to go out and pick a fight with NBA star Charles Barkley, knowing that you would get the best of him and he would calmly throw you through the nearest store-front window. If I recall, the courst determined that the last few punks who did that to him had that in mind, and their charges against Sir Charles were dismissed. He wants to be the Governor of my state some day.

Anything else would be uncivilised.

~U2Alabama

 

[The Wanderer]

well, off to the foxes...

 

[Angela Harlem]

Yeah it is definately a case by case thing. It depends on who is in the news and who is doing the reporting a lot of the time.

I was reading some story just the other day about Catherine Zeta Jones and this Ulrika Johnsson as apparently she also dated this guy and it was all full of how she is 'deeply saddened and shocked that he could be accused of doing such things'. I guess that is just creative writing and is not really part of the problem, but yes definately the media do not leave well enough alone and respect that while these peole are in the spotlight and there are boundaries and they dont actually have 'rights' when it comes to reporting. The royal family in their entirety are a case on their own. No one seems to suffer as relentlessly as they. The difference with them I think is they are not the usual celebrity figures who do need the occasional pic in the paper to keep popularity. With Princess Diana the paparazzi made people sick with their pursuit of her, even those who are not fans of the royal family were outraged at the way they treated her. But I think the poor woman and her family have been talked about enough.

 

[cloudimani]

I have to see I was sorry to see Angus Deighton sacked by the Beeb, is it really their place to fire employees on purely moral grounds? I ask you.

I'm sick to death of hearing of Ulrika's latest endeavours (obviously I only hear it second hand as I wouldnt be seen dead reading the dreaded tabloid press). I also couldnt give a toss about the Royal family to be honest.

I wonder what sort of person is interested in reading the latest revelations about minor celebrities written by some holier-than-thou tabloid scumbag. Why do people encourage these guys by buying their pointless newspapers?