I’m feeling emotionally exhausted, and I haven’t done even a tiny fraction of what Dacia, Ren, Amanda, all the BNG folks, and more have been handling with grace for the past two days. I can’t imagine the constant interviews, last-minutes radio spots with angry callers, TV crews showing up at your apartment… well, okay, I can imagine it, and the thought leaves me feeling drained!
And now, we see that the NY Times has exposed the escort previously known as Kristen.
Real smart move there, credible, authentic, trustworthy, high-and-mighty MSM.
All the news that’s fit to print, right? You fucking assholes.
Look, it’s not that I’m surprised. I’m not surprised in the least; this is what sells papers, air time, ad space… duh. And yet MSM people continue to look us in the face and declare that it’s bloggers who are unconcerned with actual discussion, presenting facts, equal time… how can they say that with a straight face?? Meanwhile this shit could actually destroy this young woman’s life. You know that, right, NY Times? But you don’t give a shit. You want to break a good story. You won’t give a second thought to this actual person whose life you have put in real danger. You’ll forget about her by next week.
And like I said, I’m not surprised. All media outlets want to break a good story… sensational is good… I get it. You don’t have to tell me. They don’t care… no shock there.
But I wish it weren’t this way. Maybe this is the nasty side of capitalism (which I generally think isn’t so bad)? Or maybe it has nothing to do with capitalism - it’s just the way media works. I’m inclined to go with the latter, but as an eternal optimist (often at my peril), I have to believe that it doesn’t have to work that way. It can change. Everything can.
Right?
Edit: Or, as Amanda succinctly put it, “Notice how there doesn’t seem to be a single ethical quibble in outing this young woman who obviously has another career in the works.”
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7 Responses to "I’m not surprised, but I’m still angry"
“if it bleeds, it leads”
I feel really awful for her. Not only is she going to be dealing with the shame and scorn of the public, but she’ll be a target for the poeple disappointed in Spitzer’s fall. Nobody deserves to go through that.
As soon as I saw her face on the news, my heart sunk. I apologize if this is too much, but FUCK the “established” media. Fuck them right in their overly righteous ears.
Oh, it’s not too much, Russell. Don’t you know whose blog you’re on? ;)
While I think that I understand why this upsets you, it’s worth noting that this is, for the moment at least, bolstering, rather than injuring, that other career:
http://www.alleyinsider.com/2008/3/amie_street_s_new_star_ashley_alexandra_dupre
In response to the bleed/lead cliche, I’d offer, “There’s no bad press”, especially if what you’re after is celebrity.
I followed links from GR’s comment … this may actually be a boost to her singing career, albeit temporarily. She seemed like she talked to the NYT willingly, but was that already after her face/ID was leaked? I’ve been neck-deep in a new job the past week and haven’t been keeping up.
“Kristen’s” outing in the New York Times and the paparazzi’s stalking of Britney Spears seem kind of on the same level to me … the people *reading this shit*, and buying the papers, eat it up. So the papers cater to them.
Is it immoral? Sure … speaking as someone who’s worked in the MSM too … I also think it’s exploitation sticking a camera in the face of someone who’s kids/spouse/whoever has just been killed, but the public demands the “whole” story.
“this shit could actually destroy this young woman’s life … But you don’t give a shit … You want to break a good story. You won’t give a second thought to this actual person whose life you have put in real danger.”
This is exactly how I feel about the identities of ANY “sex offender” being put in the papers, online, etc. Luckily, her home address hasn’t been leaked, AFAIK …
[...] basis. What’s the NY Times’ motivation for leading with an inflammatory headline and putting someone’s life in danger? To make more money, of course. And is that problematic? YES, of course. (If you don’t know [...]
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