Publicity given only to negative news

Caitie Beth Shauck, Promotions Manager
January 3, 2010
Filed under Opinion

As I wait in line to check out at Target, I am bombarded by the headlines in People, Us, Star, and every other tabloid, proclaiming the latest celebrity scandal.

Now, I am the first to admit that I love to read about the lives of celebrities, whether it is hearing about Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen’s new baby boy or finding out the details of Kevin Jonas’s wedding.

However, I am sick and tired of the negative news that every celebrity media outlet seems to dwell on.  It seems that for the last three weeks all any magazine has talked about are Tiger Woods’s extramarital affairs.  While I am sorry that his wife has to deal with these issues, I honestly could not care less. 

I would much rather spend my time reading about celebrities who are actually doing some kind of good in the world.  However, I do not mean hearing about the millions of dollars that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are donating to the countries where one of their thirty-seven kids is from. 

I want to hear about the celebrities who are quietly going out and doing charitable work because it is the right thing to do.  For example, Hayden Panettiere made headlines in 2007 when she worked to end whale-hunting.  Similarly, Leonardo DiCaprio is an advocate for environmental issues.  The Black Eyed Peas started their own foundation—The Peapod Foundation—to unite people through music. 

These are the types of stories that I want to read about.  Instead of learning about the mistakes of famous people who are obviously not worthy of my respect, I would rather read about the celebrities who are using their position to make a change in the world.  These are the people who should be making headlines.

Caitie Beth Shauck can be reached for comment at cshauck@jcpatriot.com