As a fan, these are the things I am supposed to do. And, it is enjoyable for me - it is a hobby to add to my many others.
Unfortunately, this hobby has given me a sad lesson in learning the truth about today's press and the media. Because of my "Google alerts" and the fact everything Clay does seems to be "in the news" I have discovered that I no longer believe what I read or see in the news.
I watch Clay Aiken on TV or in an interview and then I read what is written about what I have just seen and find it's spun into something completely different. And the nastiness? Unbelievable. I have been wanting to blog about this, but haven't been able to put the words together. In the last couple of days two blogs have been posted that I would like to share. This first one was posted on Clay's Official Fan Club Blog and is reposted here with the permission of the very talented author. Thanks for writing it and thanks for letting me share it on my blog.
01/13/07 : Public Relations or Media Integrity Issue?
“We are in the process of creating what deserves to be called the idiot culture. Not an idiot sub-culture, which every society has bubbling beneath the surface and which can provide harmless fun; but the culture itself. For the first time, the weird and the stupid and the coarse are becoming our cultural norm, even our cultural ideal.” ~ Carl Bernstein
Chuck Taylor of Billboard magazine recently wrote a review of Clay Aiken’s latest single A Thousand Days in which he barely spoke about the song itself, the music, or the artistry but stated, “Aiken's challenge at this point is more a public relations issue. As press reports continue to spread repeated tales of his lack of humility and haughty, diva-like disposition, how much longer before fans retreat and any semblance of radio support fades like a Christmas wreath?”
Press? I contend that Clay Aiken doesn’t have a public relations issue as much as our society has a journalistic integrity issue. When did rumor mongering become tantamount with journalism? Why is credence given to faceless blogs and gossipers? The internet, while a powerful resource is also like the Wild, Wild West of old where there are no rules and anything goes. Where faceless people hide and are spreading malicious rumors as fact and where publications that once researched before reporting, such as Newsweek, are now using the plethora of gossip sites and blogs as legitimate news sources.
“The media tends to report rumors, speculations, and projections as facts... How does the media do this? By quoting some "expert"... you can always find some expert who will say something hopelessly hopeless about anything.” ~ Peter McWilliams
I recently watched the debut of a new show starring Courtney Cox-Arquette on the Fx channel called, DIRT and it scared the hell out me. The show depicts the goings on at a tabloid called DIRT and “shows” all the machinations of how they get their stories. I found it to be very realistic and saw that IF you are a celebrity and someone has it in for you, they will stop at nothing to trash you, right or wrong.
I wrote about this subject in my blog almost a year ago and it is sad that in this time, not only has the issue not gotten better it has gotten worse. When the likes of Perez Hilton and TMZ.com have become more mainstream and are made credible by being given a forum on radio and TV, we have a problem.
“Never make negative comments or spread rumors about anyone. It depreciates their reputation and yours.” ~ Brian Koslow
If Clay Aiken has a public relations issue it is ONLY because sensationalism sells and ALL the good, legitimate stories of his compassion, his philanthropic works and the stories of how he has changed lives for the better are deemed not newsworthy.
I am sorry, but would a “diva” perform a concert while suffering from vertigo so badly they need help to just stay upright? Would a “diva” visit elementary school children and reward them for writing a book about one of their classmates who lives life with a disability and the lessons they learns from her? Would a “diva” take the time to film a public service announcement for a local children’s choir who shared the stage with the orchestra with which he was performing? Do “divas” worry about making a difference in the world? Do “divas” graciously spotlight and encourage those with whom they share a stage? In my experience the answer to all of these questions is no.
It is a shame when society and the media have made it so easy for people who have experienced disappointment, based on their own contrived expectations, are allowed to publicly berate and trash another person solely based on twisted opinion of facts. Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty?
“Man is a being with free will; therefore, each man is potentially good or evil, and it's up to him and only him (through his reasoning mind) to decide which he wants to be.” ~ Ayn Rand
It appears to me that many have decided to be evil.
The second blog that I recommend can be found here : claymate911
Technorati tags:
Clay Aiken
Journalism
Tabloids
Internet
Chuck Taylor
Perez Hilton
Jeff Varner
Scandal
Diva
16 comments:
Fantastic Blog! and I too feel that the internet is full of lies now to the point that there is no reality on the internet. It's scary. TIME magazine may have awarded the person of the year as a result of advancing our power through the internet but the damage that is done as a result of anonimity on the net is far worse thing.
That blog almost made be cry. It was beautiful because it is true.
Thanks for featuring these excellent blogs about the lies that are spread about Clay Aiken. If they are spread about Clay, it does make you wonder if anything else in the media is true.
Truth!
Great blog.
The Dirt show although a stretch of how they get their information, it does show how devious the intent is by these Rag mags.
Thank you for this blog.
That is a wonderful blog. Thank you for sharing it with us. I am appalled at the lack of professionalism in journalism today.
These blogs are excellent at explaining what is happening with our media today and the internet. The fact is that any of these nasty blogs can sucker in a lazy journalist who doesn't take time to check out facts, but just reports the "story", made up or not.
The internet certainly needs some cleaning up. The hurtful and gossipy websites and blogs need to be taken down. It's one thing to report truth, but entirely another thing to twist it and even make up lies with malicious intent which is the sole reason some of the nasty blogs exist.
Excellent blog, and so true!! Everything is blown out of proportion by people who dislike the artist. Its too bad these critics don't research their sources first. But of course, they arent investigative journalists, they are spreaders of false rumours, spread like the telephone game, where each repetitions distorts the true story. A criticism of a song should be just that, not the critics personal feelings for the artist themselves. I don't see his other critiques of songs making personal slams.
Its too bad that integrity has disappeared from a lot of these people.
Thank you for posting this. Its a sad world we live in when good people get trashed because they are good. Very sad!!!!!!!!!!
What a fantastic blog !!! The state of the media is very sad indeed.
great blog !!!
So well said. Thank you.
Unfortunately your blog is right on! What a sad state of affairs journalism is in today. Before my days as a Clay Aiken fan I used to believe just about everything I heard on the news, thinking that they would have their facts right. Boy have I learned a lesson!
My hope is one day Clay will be able to overcome all the many who "have decided to be evil" and the world will see him for who he really is, an unbelieavable talent with a heart of gold.
Thank you so much for your wise words.
Excellent blog!
Funny you mentioned Newsweek. I'm planning on letting my subscription and a gift subscription run out this year because of a couple of gossipmongering Clay mentions recently. I don't buy tabloids, and I certainly don't want any in my mailbox.
Boy, you got it right. We can't believe anything we read anymore and it's a crying shame.
Funny you mentioned Newsweek. I'm planning on letting my subscription and a gift subscription run out this year because of a couple of gossipmongering Clay mentions recently. I don't buy tabloids, and I certainly don't want any in my mailbox.
6:04 PM
There were gossip mentions in Newsweek? Crying.
Is there nothing we as Clay's fans can do to let people know what the low lifes have done and are still trying to do to Clay?
This is just so unfair.
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