9/9/2009

in

How the death of a pop star has been sensationalized to the extreme.

Sarah Folmar

Entertainment news has gotten quite a bit of ridicule in the journalism field, but in every class and workshop I have always defended my passion for writing about celebrities. It has gotten much more difficult to defend the media since June 25, 2009, the day that journalism died.  
  
Michael Jackson was a musical icon to millions around the world, and his talent brought him the coveted title of, "The King of Pop." His music will continue to be heard on the radio, in movies and blasting from iPod headphones. Fans of Jackson will be forever grateful for his contributions to music and to charities, but at some point the fans and the media will need to move on from his death.  
  
After 9/11 the country was in complete terror and shock, but even after two months we were starting to rebuild our lives and remember the lives lost in the tragedies. New developments were reported on news stations, candlelight vigils continued to be held and books were in the process of being written about the bravery of those who helped with the events of the day. Nearly 3,000 Americans were killed that day, and the amount of media coverage surrounding Jackson's death seems to be close to the amount of coverage on the 9/11 deaths. Jackson was one man who left a musical legacy to his fans, and possibly a victim of an irresponsible doctor, but that does not mean his death needs to be sensationalized to the point of obsession.  
  
Just a few years before his death, Jackson was the butt of many jokes about child molesters and mentally ill patients. The media did whatever it took to humiliate him, but when he died their stories suddenly changed. Jackson was immediately stripped of all of his old stereotypes and deemed an American hero to the public. His death seemed to give a heart to journalists who said they were grieving his loss, even though these were the same people on the warpath to destroy him earlier on in their news coverage.  
  
After Jackson was pronounced dead the media swarmed to get any type of story possible. This is understandable considering the extent of his fame, but it is now September and there are still Jackson headlines plastered all over the entertainment news outlets. If finding some shred of a story relating to his death means a higher number of readers or viewers, is it really worth the dignity of the news outlet? If the entertainment news industry wants to be considered a real journalism outlet, the over-exposure of certain stories needs to be changed. If certain entertainment news outlets really just don't care to considered as real journalism, then go ahead and continue your constant headlines of Jackson. People care about entertainment news, but it's time to stop the constant stalking of certain celebrities just to find the day's headline. Michael Jackson's death was certainly a surprise, but it's time for us all to move on to other news.