With a New Year upon us, what is the number one lesson we learned in 2009?
In short, we discovered that the old maxim, “There is no such thing as bad publicity” was false. As evidence, I need only to invoke the names Tiger Woods, Falcon “Balloon Boy” Heene, Jon and Kate Gosselin, the Salahis… dare I go on?
In each of these cases, we see people who believe that they can navigate or control the media onslaught and come out with a restored image, a TV show, or a level of celebrity earned without any discernable talent.
But in the end they become lambs led to the altar of public opinion, ready for slaughter. Certainly, these people take their punishment in the form of lost sponsorships, freedoms, marriages, etc., but real blame lies at the feet of a news media willing to point their cameras at the target and a public eager to watch the drama unfold.
I won’t try to construct some argument that these media shenanigans never occurred in the halcyon days of Murrow or Cronkite, but when the latest newsmaker lands their live interview on a late night talk or morning show mere hours after their story breaks, are we truly better for it?
I don’t think so. After all, it seems that when we ought to trust the news media to inform us on issues related to our economy, health care and world affairs, all we hear about, or care to pay attention to, are plain Scottish spinsters who have a hidden ability to sing.
I hope in 2010 we expect more from the media and ourselves.
-- Alex Cook
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