2008 Woodie Awards
Thanks a lot Katie Couric, you sellout
Amanda Waas
Issue date: 9/16/04 Section: Opinion
- Page 1 of 1
I want to complain about something. Shocking, I know.
I am unbelievably sick of so-called 'exclusive' interviews with celebrities constantly pushed out by televised news magazines such as "Dateline" and "20/20." Yes, I know that "Friends" going off the air was so much more important than, say, the upcoming presidential election or the WAR, but let's prioritize, people. Yes, it was extremely hard to say goodbye to people who are paid $2 million a week to pretend that they're our "friends," but what about what was going on at the time of this tragic goodbye to sub-par actors and actresses? Ah, yes: the Iraqi prisoner sexual abuse scandal. It was a real possibility that the Secretary of Defense would get fired, but instead, Katie Couric, the highest paid female journalist in history, was off interviewing the cast of "Frasier." Donald Rumsfeld, you can wait. We need to give Frasier Crane a proper send-off.
It used to be that you had regular journalism and sensationalized journalism. Now, a growing trend seems to be that everything is sensationalized, and everything is for ratings. Celebrity interviews are being conducted by celebrity journalists and I don't like it. It's a sad day for journalism when the journalist has become the story instead of simply reporting the story. It also seems as though the higher the journalist gets on the 'celebrity ladder,' the more they cater to soft news and celebrity 'issues.' Barbara Walters was notorious for this, and, now, so is Katie Couric. It's a shame, because both women are admirable, gifted journalists. They rose to the top by asking the hard questions, by not pulling punches, but now that they've got the huge salaries and the Park Avenue apartments, they seem to have forgotten about the journalistic integrity they possessed in the earlier days of their careers.
Tell me, Katie, what pertinent information am I going to gain from watching an interview with the singer of a song titled "Bootylicious?" Oh yes, I learned that Beyonce is dating Jay-Z. Great. Meanwhile, the economy, the government's foreign policy, the presidential election and the war in Iraq are all taking a back seat to this disgusting form of celebrity ego-stroking.
So, where does this leave us as a country? Is this what we want? It seems to be that way; because news networks cater to the public, they want ratings. Personally, I am frustrated with journalism today. And since I've decided to do a double major in advertising and journalism, this issue is very important to me.
One day, I might be a career journalist. And still, it's extremely hard to keep your integrity and your morals intact in a world so consumed with fame and fortune.
Where will this sensationalistic, fame-driven journalism lead us in the future? Only time will tell, but I can promise you one thing, my "Katie Couric Power" t-shirt is going in the garbage. Thanks a lot, sell-out.
Let's recap:
Katie Couric's salary: $12,000,000 a year.
Amanda Waas's salary: $0 a year.
Something doesn't add up.
I am unbelievably sick of so-called 'exclusive' interviews with celebrities constantly pushed out by televised news magazines such as "Dateline" and "20/20." Yes, I know that "Friends" going off the air was so much more important than, say, the upcoming presidential election or the WAR, but let's prioritize, people. Yes, it was extremely hard to say goodbye to people who are paid $2 million a week to pretend that they're our "friends," but what about what was going on at the time of this tragic goodbye to sub-par actors and actresses? Ah, yes: the Iraqi prisoner sexual abuse scandal. It was a real possibility that the Secretary of Defense would get fired, but instead, Katie Couric, the highest paid female journalist in history, was off interviewing the cast of "Frasier." Donald Rumsfeld, you can wait. We need to give Frasier Crane a proper send-off.
It used to be that you had regular journalism and sensationalized journalism. Now, a growing trend seems to be that everything is sensationalized, and everything is for ratings. Celebrity interviews are being conducted by celebrity journalists and I don't like it. It's a sad day for journalism when the journalist has become the story instead of simply reporting the story. It also seems as though the higher the journalist gets on the 'celebrity ladder,' the more they cater to soft news and celebrity 'issues.' Barbara Walters was notorious for this, and, now, so is Katie Couric. It's a shame, because both women are admirable, gifted journalists. They rose to the top by asking the hard questions, by not pulling punches, but now that they've got the huge salaries and the Park Avenue apartments, they seem to have forgotten about the journalistic integrity they possessed in the earlier days of their careers.
Tell me, Katie, what pertinent information am I going to gain from watching an interview with the singer of a song titled "Bootylicious?" Oh yes, I learned that Beyonce is dating Jay-Z. Great. Meanwhile, the economy, the government's foreign policy, the presidential election and the war in Iraq are all taking a back seat to this disgusting form of celebrity ego-stroking.
So, where does this leave us as a country? Is this what we want? It seems to be that way; because news networks cater to the public, they want ratings. Personally, I am frustrated with journalism today. And since I've decided to do a double major in advertising and journalism, this issue is very important to me.
One day, I might be a career journalist. And still, it's extremely hard to keep your integrity and your morals intact in a world so consumed with fame and fortune.
Where will this sensationalistic, fame-driven journalism lead us in the future? Only time will tell, but I can promise you one thing, my "Katie Couric Power" t-shirt is going in the garbage. Thanks a lot, sell-out.
Let's recap:
Katie Couric's salary: $12,000,000 a year.
Amanda Waas's salary: $0 a year.
Something doesn't add up.