Celebrity Gossip or Truth: It Doesn't Even Matter
Candy Spelling, HuffPost
I knew it!
Thank you, "Hollywood Reporter." Reporter Paul Bond wrote it in
his story, "Celeb gossip is a hot ticket," so it must be true.
Or is it?
Does it matter if it's true? I know it used to matter.
My gotcha joy began with the first line of the story:
"Here's a shocker. Celebrity gossip is so popular - and lucrative -
that facts need not get in the way of a juicy story."
Quoting executives responsible for celebrity news, the story assures the
reader that everyone is dedicated to the truth. But then it continues:
"Consumers, though, don't care so much about the accuracy of their
celebrity news, as long as they can be part of the conversation."
This breaking news came from a conference called EconCeleb last week.
Yahoo Entertainment GM Sibyl Goldman said, "Mistakes are big business.
People love reading retractions."
I don't like reading retractions. I like reading news that's true, or at
least the product of good reporting.
"Access Hollywood" executive Rob
Silverstein summed up, "People just want to be in the know. They want to
know what others are talking about."
Me, too, Rob; but I hope they're talking about what matters.
The generation gap just got larger by the width of jumping a shark.