Jezebel
Over on Portƒolio.com, Jeff Bercovici writes about Asra Nomani, a former Wall Street Journal reporter and People contributor who thinks that responsible news organizations must lay off Britney Spears because she is mentally ill. "By exploiting Spears' moment of vulnerability, media companies have crossed the line of basic moral decency," wrote Ms. Nomani in an op-ed for the LA Times. Ms. Nomani, whose brother has been diagnosed with schizo-affective disorder, suggests People, Page Six and everyone just stop. "Time Warner Inc., News Corp. and others should halt all coverage of Spears until she is healthy. Let's leave Britney and her family alone."
Ms. Nomani has also told her editor at People that she will no longer write for the magazine. Bercovici talked to Larry Hackett, the managing editor of the weekly magazine, who says not covering something is not what the press does: "I don't know of any examples where the media unilaterally says 'We will not cover this because we feel it's invasive.' I just don't know of any case where that's happened and where it's worked out."
He continues: "I think the story she's going through is something we can cover responsibly, at least at this stage, without knowingly and unquestionably contributing to her mental illness." And today, People.com has a story called "The Britney Effect: The Impact a Year After Her Buzz Cut," which revisits the salon where the pop star shaved her head, as well as the tattoo parlor she visited after her buzz cut. Invasive? Maybe not. But newsworthy?
Britney Spears, Mental Illness and the Tabloids [Portƒolio]
The Britney Effect: The Impact a Year After Her Buzz Cut [People]
Comments
Short answer: yes.
The media should leave Britney alone only when Britney starts leaving the media alone. Mental illness or no, her paparazzi-informing antics are fair game.
Not so much newsworthy in my opinion. I feel bad for Brit Brit sometimes, but mainly I just wish the media would stop covering her because I'm sick of it.
They (yes, the ubiquitous they) will never lay off while there are still people out there gagging for information about the latest celeb scandal. Blame the consumer for creating the demand.
I would really, really love it if that would happen.
It's about as likely as Jezebel not running papparazzi shots of children, I'm afraid.
This is another two minds thing. One part of me says that given the rough treatment mental disorders get in society, this constant attention to Britney is just fanning the flames. The other part of me thinks that people should be made aware of these issues, and that they have to be treated seriously.
Mind you, the circus that has become Britney makes it hard to treat the actual issue of her mental disorder(s) seriously.
I dunno. It's pretty well agreed that a lot of her really bizarre behavior is for the press, yes? (driving around to nowhere, just so the paps will follow her). altho I agree she's obviously unwell and it's really not fair or kind to exploit it... what would she do if the spotlight was turned off? part of me thinks she'd get MORE bizarre...
@BiscuitDoughJones: The problem is, how much of her reaching out to the paps is part of her disorder? Are they merely fueling her mental fire?
@BiscuitDoughJones: Yeah. They have a sick twisted symbiotic relationship going on, for sure. I wonder what would happen if she seriously told em to bugger off? I doubt they'd listen. Then it could get scary, even more so than now. I'm guessing they feel entitled to her now. Ick.
Agreed. But can we also add that I am sick and tired of seeing and hearing about her as supporting evidence for a cessation? Granted, she was never interesting enough to warrant the kind of coverage she received in the first place.
i can think of a million things more newsworthy than what britney buys at the kwik-e-mart or if lindsay's boobies are real. but those million things do not sell $4.95/issue tabloids.
It's a tricky one. There's a way things are done in our celeb-obsessed culture: if you're sick/going to rehab etc, your people put out a press statement announcing it - and from then on, there's a line that is identifiable, and should not be crossed. The problem with Britney, and with Amy to some degree, is that it's just gone on and on and on, without any confirmation of anything, so it's easy for us to assume - rightly or wrongly - that maybe they just want attention.
I love celebrity gossip. I read the websites, buy the magazines, watch the channels, etc.
I am officially tired of Britney Spears' antics, and I skip any media coverage. I'm sure I am not the only person who feels this way.
@BiscuitDoughJones: Agreed.
But then again, feeding into her illness (Media/Paps, I'm looking at YOU) is like paying two homeless guys to beat the crap out of each other. Just 'cause they're there and willing to participate, doesn't mean you should find entertainment in it and it doesn't make it right, yo.
@BiscuitDoughJones: & that, my friend, is the mitigating circumstance that Ms. Nomani (and others who advocate for leaving her alone) is failing to acknowledge.
BTW: I miss that heart-accented BDJ icon!
Huh. I can think of tons of shit the media doesn't cover. Unfortch Britney ain't one of those things.
There is no such thing as "responsible journalism" anymore when it comes to celebrities. Do they really think they are not part of the problem here?
I think she can be 'covered' responsibly, without adding to or fueling any of her particular issues. However, does this woman suggest there is a banner announcement when someone is diagnosed with a mental health disorder? Sorry but I don't want anyone knowing what is wrong with me, and to get all queer about it, isn't that against HIPAA anyway? The only person who can diagnose her is her physician (or whatever doctor) so anything we say is pure speculation. I'd prefer we left her alone because there is nothing newsworthy or interesting about her I need to hear/read.
Leave her be.
"I think the story she's going through is something we can cover responsibly, at least at this stage, without knowingly and unquestionably contributing to her mental illness." - come off it.
@NefariousNewt: Exactly. At what point does her current reality stop being entertaining to people?
I'm game for a media blackout simply because I'm tired of hearing about her and think all the attention is actually making her sicker. I do wonder what she would do if the paps weren't following her around. Maybe a high speed car chase, a la OJ?
@MakeMeSmile: I don't know, but it's pretty obvious she doesn't want help. If Brit or her family REALLY wanted help for her, they could get it. Easily. And not in LA were the dogs can track her. There is a limit to which you can feel sorry for someone who's creating her own hell.
Don't talk about it then Bercovici!?
The tabs and People will keep covering it as long as people will buy it, and I don't think they should stop. It's what they do. I also don't think people should buy it and I don't (although I do consume it here, which I should stop doing because it doesn't actually matter).
"Real" news orgs like the WSJ and CNN will continue to cover her as long as it sells paper/gets web hits/whatever, but I don't think they should. Isn't there something more newsworthy? Something relevant? Did Thomas Jefferson fight for a free press so I could get my Britney fix?
@MakeMeSmile: I wonder that, too. I think she might be suffering from Norma Desmond syndrome.
The day after the last "Briney: Her Mental Illness" cover on People (which included long-lens pics inside the ambulance), I received my renewal notice, and for the first time in 10 years didn't renew. I watched an interview with an L.A. police captain who talked about having to drag and beat photogs off the ambulance the second time Brit was taken to the hospital. I am just disgusted with the whole mess.
[Shit, am I going to have to go out there...she got ANOTHER puppy? Where's London? Gah.]
@BiscuitDoughJones: I disagree, because I don't think a well person would court them the way she does.
@CMG: Yep. Remember when the AP had their Paris Hilton ban? How long did that last? A week?
@myrtlebeachbum: Ain't that the truth. But then, I wonder if people could pull themselves away from stupid shit like Britney news to actually care about some of the important, unreported stories.
Yes, simply because she became boring. Crazy is only entertaining for a little while. Then it seems contrived.
@BiscuitDoughJones: That is my problem with this whole fracas! Why isn't she in treatment?!! I think Jamie and Lynn might believe that THEY can fix her.
@BAngieB: For real. If we can't stop the media coverage, can we at least ban her, Paris, etc. from buying new pets to torture?
@blondegrlz: I'm with you sister. I tried not to click on the link, but I wanted to chat with ya'll and BDJ. Loves!
Unrelated, but Britney's hair looks pretty in that picture. It's what I want my hair to look like. Guess I should shave it off and buy a wig, then?
Britney does not want to be left alone. She loves the attention. I read on Jezebel that she calls up the paparatzi when she leaves er house. She may get really sick if they all go away!
@BeAgrestic: I suspect she's so tuned into the paparazzi and the attention she gets that if they all suddenly dried up, she would certainly become desperate. She needs the publicity now -- it has become a drug to her.
@BiscuitDoughJones: Exactly. You can't leave someone alone when they're constantly throwing themselves back into your life.
@BabyKelly: You may be right, but since the paps stake out her house 24/7, she doesn't have to call them.
@BiscuitDoughJones: I know a lot of people are justifying the continuation of the media circus around her using your argument, that she's literally asking for it. But I have to disagree that just because she's begging for attention, it's appropriate to continue lavishing it on her. She obviously has some issues going on that are fueled by the constant frenzy around her. Saying it's okay for the paparazzi to continue swarming her the way they do is like saying it's okay to buy a confirmed alcoholic a truckload of booze because they are begging for it.
@BAngieB: I know, right? They planted that story about her calling them so that they could be absolved of the guilt for what they do, and it's kind of depressing how many otherwise smart people fell for it.
They don't leave anyone ELSE alone. Why should we expect them to show any trace of humanity towards Britney?
@BiscuitDoughJones: I'm guessing you don't know anyone with serious mental illness. Her "antics" aren't "fair game" because they're not her antics -- it's the disease talking. With somebody as sick as that, there's nobody home. Would it be "fair game" to cover the ravings of a person with advanced Alzheimer's, or the bad behavior of a three-year-old?
@Trashtastic: This is exactly what I was talking about yesterday. The media got her hooked on the attention by putting her on a pedestal and now that they know she can't function without them, they start tearing her down.
Yeah, if you want her to DIE, leave her alone. Flashbulbs are as mother's milk to these people. They should be using Brit for research purposes because I am convinced that "camerawhore" is a mental valid disorder.
I know a paralyzed woman that agreed to be poster child for a Senator opposed to embryonic stem cell research. This woman is opposed to no research but she's addicted to attention. After she gave the speech they handed her, she was all "Wait, I take it back." There wasn't much coverage in retraction though, so she gave it up.
Camerawhores suck.
@alcibiades:@Bercovici: Please refer to my second comment, BiscuitDoughJones. If she wanted help, she could and would get it. I refuse to think she's 100% victim here. Oh, and comparing an adult woman to a 3-year-old? Enable much? She's an adult. A sick adult, but an adult who can easily afford ALL the help she needs. Until her family locks her up & throws away the key for a few years, I'm not about to throw a pity-party for her.
@Bercovici: I am bipolar and my family doesn't understand it so I'm always crazy, on drugs, drunk, or the scum of the earth whenever I have any sort of episode. I am so thankful the public doesn't get to join in their judgement of me. I never before payed any attention to Britney Spears but now I see that in so many ways we are alike and my heart hurts so badly for her.
@NefariousNewt: I don't think Britney has asked to be left alone. We're just making an assumption that it might be best for her if we did, but I would feel very diferently about this whole situation if Britney or her doctor or even her mother were to say "Please, for her health and safety, end the constant news coverage." Maybe someone has decided it's not in her best interest to shut it down.
@blondegrlz: The problem is that we don't have enough information. We only know what we hear in the popular media, and the real story is hidden (mercifully). Frankly, I don't think society should be playing psychotherapist, but when someone is so obviously in pain like this, I think we have to examine our role in it.
What are these "responsible" news organizations of which she speaks of? Last I checked, the news media only gives people entertainment, not news. It is all "panem et circenses".
@blondegrlz: You honestly think Britney's managers/ family/ clingers-on have her best interests in mind?
The girl is ill. It's not like she can snap out of it at any second and reason with the paparazzi that it's best to leave her alone. People who are mentally ill tend not to make the best decisions -- or are too paralyzed to decide at all.
@BiscuitDoughJones: You've never known an adult who needed help and wouldn't ask for it? Money isn't the issue here; she can't exactly buy true friends.
This hits too close to home, I guess. But y'all are hella callous today! What gives?
(end bleeding-heart-Britney spiel)
@NefariousNewt: so agree with you. Im tired of hearing all of these "doctors" diagnose her from what theyve heard in the media. it's sickening.. no responsible Psychiatrist would do that.
there is no good media outlet left in this country and its really killing me... its all full of "journalists" that are pretty to look at and give us ridiculous stories and sensationalism.
what ever happened to the news????? ugh. tired. sooo tired of it.
@LoveNoelG: Now see, I saw this article as justification for just that offense: "You want it bitches, here 'tis."
this again? i swear we just had this debate last month. and probably the month before.
So. Fucking. Boring.
If she stayed home, or stayed in rehab, or stayed in the hospital she would have no trouble avoiding the paps. She needs to stop parading her erratic behavior in front of them, tipping them off, dating them, inviting them into her house, asking them to drive her car, etc. Celebs who want to stay under the radar can manage it reasonably well.
@Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler: But who should have her best interests in mind? If Britney is not well enough to make her own decisions, and her "friends" are just money-hungry vultures, and her own parents are too busy dealing with the other family crisis to devote their full attention to Britney, what hope is there? I would think her doctors, whoever hired them, would be ethically obligated to make the best choices for her mental condition. Maybe tearing her out of the crazy world she created would only make things worse.
p.s. Can I see your secret files?
What's the difference between the tabs relentless coverage of Britney and the "responsible news organizations" and op-eds that cover the coverage of Britney? Hmmm, not much.
I LOVE me so Asra Nomani, though. Woman is brave.
@blondegrlz: I think I heard that Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler's files are too mixed-up to show anybody. Did you hear the Met took out the fountain where the kids got spending money? Tres saddened. :(