Sunday, March 23, 2008

Would You Sell Your Soul For a Job?

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS is hiring 21 new employees for positions in New York, Los Angeles and London.

Excited? There's a catch: the newbies are on the celebrity beat.

In defending the well-respected wire service's foray into the world of celebrity gossip, one executive said, "The entertainment vertical is not about gossip, unnamed sources and innuendo or about “peephole” journalism with AP photographers becoming paparazzi. It’s about recognizing an opportunity to use our journalistic talent and unmatched network of resources to produce high quality, multimedia coverage in an area of growing interest."

Do we really need more celebrity gossip?

Do people want more celebrity info or is this the Associated Press looking to make money?

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

High quality stories about celebrities? Sounds like an oxymoron to me.

-Jessica (a former student)

Anonymous said...

People really want more celebrity news. Celebrity news seems like the only news that sells so i think the other question about the AP wanting to make money is also true. Nevertheless, i think they are more worried about making money and they figure why not put the newbs on it

Josh Middleton said...

I think the answer is yes to both questions. Celebrity gossip evidently sells, because you see it EVERYWHERE. Websites like PerezHIlton.com and TMZ continue to thrive like never before. So, with this said, I'm sure the Associated Press is all about getting their hand in the game to make a few $$$$$'s. It's not surprising that they are touting it as more of a high profile view. They wouldn't want to tarnish their reputation.

Anonymous said...

Celebrity news, gossip, and so on makes a ton of money! Otherwise why would we have TMZ on tv? E! News, entertainment tonight, and the insider? It's a booming buissness and people are trying to get their foot in the door. It's a shame though that the AP is stooping down to that level. But money is money. It makes the world go round.

Anonymous said...

If i remember one thing from J1111 it's that journalism is a business.

Celebrities sell.

So, yea, the AP is looking to make money.

Not all celebrity coverage is "gossip." And time will tell if the executive that stated not all stories will be about gossip is true or not.

Ariela Rose said...

I agree the AP is definitely looking to make from $$$ by employing some new talent on the celebrity beat.

Today information and pictures that cover celebrities are of huge interest to a wide range of people. And whether or not it's gossip is usually up to the reader. Can anyone really know what information about celebrities is true and false other then the celebrities themselves?

We don't really NEED more celebrity gossip but right now it's what people are reading.I think it's pretty amusing.

Anonymous said...

I think it's pretty evident that celebrity news will never die dead within our society. The AP is not dumb by any means, and they know how to make their dollars. Look at Extra and Access Hollywood, both shows are focused on celebrity news,they come on at a peak time, whe most families are home from work, and they both say the SAME THING over and and over again. It's like it's not enough to just tell people that it was a mistake, Angelina and Brad did not get married, it's such "investigative" and pressing news that it comes on 2x. When it comes to celeb news, the more the better, the money is rollin' and people need that celebrity news. The AP proves that it's contagious.

Anonymous said...

die* when*