SOCIETY, Editorial: Baby Pictures Bring Big Bucks
By Liu Yieqing
In recent days, one of the most eyeball-catching entertainment news event in China must be the famous Hong Kong singer Faye Wong giving birth to her second baby daughter.
Ever since Faye Wong's belly grew fat, those "dedicated" paparazzi have never yielded or slackened in their efforts of updating her whereabouts. Sensational headlines along with pictures kept popping out on front pages: Pregnant Faye Sticks to Chaffy dishes; Faye Lingers in Ballroom at Midnight Disregarding her Big Belly...
Of course, her family members--both current and ex--were also not lucky enough to escape the spotlight: her ex husband committing arson before her labor; her daughter (from her ex) bitten by a dog due to the negligence of her current husband, and conflicts between daughter and husband, between ex and current husbands, and the news goes on.
Then the actual birth of the baby daughter aroused another huge fuss in the entertainment media world. Days before the delivery, rumors came out that Faye had already finished labor. As a result, her husband, her agent and people with kinship either with her or her husband, had to come out one after another to clarify matters with the press. Later, since it was confirmed that Faye would have the delivery in XX Hospital, the Paparazzi lurked inside the hospital until the doctors called the police to clear them out.
Unfortunately, paparazzi belong to one of the most dedicated group of professionals. They never slacken and they never stop. So, a little store 100 meters from the hospital instantly turned into headquarters of these dedicated practitioners. They waited there,keeping alert 24 hours a day, so as not to miss any precious pictures. Pity on their efforts and perseverance! Neither Faye nor her baby girl showed up at the hospital gate.
However, a little setback will never hurt our strong-minded paparazzi; they always manage to find ways to penetrate. Pretty soon, series of pictures of Faye's baby daughter were released, allegedly taken by a nurse in the hospital. And then another round of clarification came onstage and another rumor...and the vicious circle continued.
Such news is never really new in the entertainment circle. On the same day Faye Wong delivered her baby, famous Hollywood star Angelina Jolie also gave birth to a daughter. However, Jolie was a bit smarter; to avoid paparazzi she fled to Namibia to have the delivery. As for the precious debut pictures of hers and Brad Pitt's little baby, they sold them and donated the money to charities.
Such news definitely belongs in the realm of entertainment news, which by definition means news that will bring people enjoyment. And in most cases entertainment news involves celebrities like singers, or film stars and so on, and is related to activities in the entertainment circle. Faye Wong is definitely a famous star, but this time, she was neither issuing a new album nor performing in a vocal concert. During the whole labor incident, Faye was just a woman giving birth to her second child. It did not have much to do with entertainment at all. Then why did the media making such a huge fuss?
The answer is simple, entertainment news is not simply journalism, but to a large extent is related to commercial promotion. Entertainment news is propelled by strong monetary motivations. That's why the bid for the debut of Faye Wong's baby daughter has already gone over 500,000 Yuan--as word (or rumor) has it--and the bid is still going up.
Seriously speaking, how much news value is contained in a baby's picture? However, it doesn't seem to matter at all, as long as it's Faye Wong's daughter, or Angelina Jolie's daughter, or the babies of other famous people, it is headline news, it has tremendous news value. No matter how huge the investment, there will be even larger rewards ahead. This justifies the perseverance of those entertainment press practitioners. Motivated by huge commercial rewards, people will never quit tracking down celebrities to make big news out of trifles related to them.
In recent days, one of the most eyeball-catching entertainment news event in China must be the famous Hong Kong singer Faye Wong giving birth to her second baby daughter.
Ever since Faye Wong's belly grew fat, those "dedicated" paparazzi have never yielded or slackened in their efforts of updating her whereabouts. Sensational headlines along with pictures kept popping out on front pages: Pregnant Faye Sticks to Chaffy dishes; Faye Lingers in Ballroom at Midnight Disregarding her Big Belly...
Of course, her family members--both current and ex--were also not lucky enough to escape the spotlight: her ex husband committing arson before her labor; her daughter (from her ex) bitten by a dog due to the negligence of her current husband, and conflicts between daughter and husband, between ex and current husbands, and the news goes on.
Then the actual birth of the baby daughter aroused another huge fuss in the entertainment media world. Days before the delivery, rumors came out that Faye had already finished labor. As a result, her husband, her agent and people with kinship either with her or her husband, had to come out one after another to clarify matters with the press. Later, since it was confirmed that Faye would have the delivery in XX Hospital, the Paparazzi lurked inside the hospital until the doctors called the police to clear them out.
Unfortunately, paparazzi belong to one of the most dedicated group of professionals. They never slacken and they never stop. So, a little store 100 meters from the hospital instantly turned into headquarters of these dedicated practitioners. They waited there,keeping alert 24 hours a day, so as not to miss any precious pictures. Pity on their efforts and perseverance! Neither Faye nor her baby girl showed up at the hospital gate.
However, a little setback will never hurt our strong-minded paparazzi; they always manage to find ways to penetrate. Pretty soon, series of pictures of Faye's baby daughter were released, allegedly taken by a nurse in the hospital. And then another round of clarification came onstage and another rumor...and the vicious circle continued.
Such news is never really new in the entertainment circle. On the same day Faye Wong delivered her baby, famous Hollywood star Angelina Jolie also gave birth to a daughter. However, Jolie was a bit smarter; to avoid paparazzi she fled to Namibia to have the delivery. As for the precious debut pictures of hers and Brad Pitt's little baby, they sold them and donated the money to charities.
Such news definitely belongs in the realm of entertainment news, which by definition means news that will bring people enjoyment. And in most cases entertainment news involves celebrities like singers, or film stars and so on, and is related to activities in the entertainment circle. Faye Wong is definitely a famous star, but this time, she was neither issuing a new album nor performing in a vocal concert. During the whole labor incident, Faye was just a woman giving birth to her second child. It did not have much to do with entertainment at all. Then why did the media making such a huge fuss?
The answer is simple, entertainment news is not simply journalism, but to a large extent is related to commercial promotion. Entertainment news is propelled by strong monetary motivations. That's why the bid for the debut of Faye Wong's baby daughter has already gone over 500,000 Yuan--as word (or rumor) has it--and the bid is still going up.
Seriously speaking, how much news value is contained in a baby's picture? However, it doesn't seem to matter at all, as long as it's Faye Wong's daughter, or Angelina Jolie's daughter, or the babies of other famous people, it is headline news, it has tremendous news value. No matter how huge the investment, there will be even larger rewards ahead. This justifies the perseverance of those entertainment press practitioners. Motivated by huge commercial rewards, people will never quit tracking down celebrities to make big news out of trifles related to them.
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