Homework
Cult of celebrity
What is a sleb?
A sleb is a C-list celebrity who has become famous for appearing on a reality show and then made a name for themselves and then do whatever it takes to keep up that celebrity status
Looking at an edition of a national tabloid, in what ways are celebrity related stories presented in this edition? Account for these representations.
(1) Story about Peter and Jordan: 'We've been at it like rabbits'
This article is about the personal sex life of Jordan and her husband Peter. These two are not the top A-list celebrities, as one is a glamour model and one is an ex-pop star. This story about their sex life shows how open they are to the press and also as this is “soft news” it isn’t very important or affecting anyone else in the society. This couple, it seems, would do anything to stay in the public eye to keep up their celebrity status. Jordan and Peter are no longer famous for what they do, but are just famous for once being famous. This shows that the public like to hear more gossip of celebrities’ rather then actual news about them. These two try to keep their celebrity status by continuing to go on reality TV shows so that people carry on seeing them.
(2) This story is about Victoria Beckham: ‘Vic is one Posh beach babe’
This story is about Victoria Beckham’s new hairdo. This article promotes a healthy, successful woman who has built up her celebrity status by marrying a footballer. Victoria Beckham was once a Spice Girl but after they broke up, she became unknown for a while until she married a top footballer. This article talks of her move to America after staying in Madrid, showing their glamorous lifestyles. This again is “soft news” as it is only about her new hairdo. Victoria Beckham is a sort of A-list celebrity, so people want to know every little thing about her.
(3) This story is on the Oscars 2007 ‘Oscars best and worst dressed’
The Oscars are a glamorous, globally reported celebrity occasion, which carry so much weight that most stars are able to borrow outfits and jewellery for the occasion, knowing the image and ideology of glamour they construct will also benefit the designers. This is an occasion for A-list celebrities and this article pin points the best looking and the worst looking celebrities of the night. This shows that they have to look their best to try to promote themselves and a positive image of themselves.
News Values
What is gate keeping?
The gatekeepers are primarily the editors, who are responsible for selecting and ordering the news broadcasts or selecting and planning the newspaper layout. It is a process of choosing certain items for inclusion in news programmes and rejecting others.
What do we mean by bias?
The fact that every news story is influenced by the attitudes and background of its interviewers, writers, photographers and editors.
Negativity: “Cheap oil means cheap London buses”
Personalisation: “Anti-American feeling soar as Muslim society is radicalised by war on terror”
Reference to elite persons: “Cameron declares his faith in a state education for his children”
Reference to elite nations: “Iraq troop pullout”
Unexpectedness: “Father’s hug 40 years ago turned out to be death sentence for his daughter”
Composition: “Teenager’s home made jam to earn him pots of money”
Meaningfulness: “Pakistani man killed family in fire because of their western lifestyles”
Consonance: “Mugabe has £30,000 birthday as his people starve and die of aids”
Threshold: “5000 year old golden eye sees the light”
What is a sleb?
A sleb is a C-list celebrity who has become famous for appearing on a reality show and then made a name for themselves and then do whatever it takes to keep up that celebrity status
Looking at an edition of a national tabloid, in what ways are celebrity related stories presented in this edition? Account for these representations.
(1) Story about Peter and Jordan: 'We've been at it like rabbits'
This article is about the personal sex life of Jordan and her husband Peter. These two are not the top A-list celebrities, as one is a glamour model and one is an ex-pop star. This story about their sex life shows how open they are to the press and also as this is “soft news” it isn’t very important or affecting anyone else in the society. This couple, it seems, would do anything to stay in the public eye to keep up their celebrity status. Jordan and Peter are no longer famous for what they do, but are just famous for once being famous. This shows that the public like to hear more gossip of celebrities’ rather then actual news about them. These two try to keep their celebrity status by continuing to go on reality TV shows so that people carry on seeing them.
(2) This story is about Victoria Beckham: ‘Vic is one Posh beach babe’
This story is about Victoria Beckham’s new hairdo. This article promotes a healthy, successful woman who has built up her celebrity status by marrying a footballer. Victoria Beckham was once a Spice Girl but after they broke up, she became unknown for a while until she married a top footballer. This article talks of her move to America after staying in Madrid, showing their glamorous lifestyles. This again is “soft news” as it is only about her new hairdo. Victoria Beckham is a sort of A-list celebrity, so people want to know every little thing about her.
(3) This story is on the Oscars 2007 ‘Oscars best and worst dressed’
The Oscars are a glamorous, globally reported celebrity occasion, which carry so much weight that most stars are able to borrow outfits and jewellery for the occasion, knowing the image and ideology of glamour they construct will also benefit the designers. This is an occasion for A-list celebrities and this article pin points the best looking and the worst looking celebrities of the night. This shows that they have to look their best to try to promote themselves and a positive image of themselves.
News Values
What is gate keeping?
The gatekeepers are primarily the editors, who are responsible for selecting and ordering the news broadcasts or selecting and planning the newspaper layout. It is a process of choosing certain items for inclusion in news programmes and rejecting others.
What do we mean by bias?
The fact that every news story is influenced by the attitudes and background of its interviewers, writers, photographers and editors.
Negativity: “Cheap oil means cheap London buses”
Personalisation: “Anti-American feeling soar as Muslim society is radicalised by war on terror”
Reference to elite persons: “Cameron declares his faith in a state education for his children”
Reference to elite nations: “Iraq troop pullout”
Unexpectedness: “Father’s hug 40 years ago turned out to be death sentence for his daughter”
Composition: “Teenager’s home made jam to earn him pots of money”
Meaningfulness: “Pakistani man killed family in fire because of their western lifestyles”
Consonance: “Mugabe has £30,000 birthday as his people starve and die of aids”
Threshold: “5000 year old golden eye sees the light”
