MyMediaFeed

The last two years has been a time of troubles for Britney Spears. She has gone through a divorce, spent considerable time in rehab, was photographed sans underwear on several occasions, shaved her head in the midst of a mental meltdown, and just recently lost custody of her children. Britney’s tragedy, as it turns out, has been the media’s treasure. According to a recent story appearing on NPR, celebrity gossip titles like Star, US Weekly, and In Touch Weekly have seen their sales surge, while profits for the traditional media have been on the decline. Britney has graced two-thirds of the the covers of US Weekly in the past year, and People magazine has put her on the front page in ten of the last fifteen months. According to some estimates, Britney alone accounts for thirty percent of total revenues for paparazzi agencies that are now paying up to $100,000 for a unique shot of the star.

Discussion Questions:

1. Should Britney’s mental meltdown be fair game to the press, or has the media crossed a line with their around-the-clock coverage?

2. Why are people so interested in celebrity gossip?

3. Mainstream media sources, like CNN, are now stepping up their coverage of Britney’s personal crisis. How does this impact your opinion of the media?