What day is the whole country excitedly discussing the health condition of the world-famous figure skater Roman Kostomarov. Neither journalists nor commentators on the Internet hesitate to discuss both the details of the treatment and other intimate, personal details of the athlete’s life.
We have seen this more than once: actress Anastasia Zavorotnyuk, formerly Zhanna Friske. Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of stars in a difficult state of health have become the center of public debate. And honestly, it’s scary to watch.
Once, in the television show “Scandal School”, a well-known journalist for a long time argued to Tatyana Tolstaya and Avdotya Smirnova that such a picture is the norm for tabloid journalism. There is a public demand for the fried facts and details of famous people’s lives – there is a journalistic response. Everything seems fair.
A short time later, by a twist of fate, this journalist was beaten with rebar in the courtyard of the house, and the whole country discussed the details of his medical condition. The plot would look like a brilliant artistic discovery if it weren’t true.
I think the first and main reason is what happened: the lay person does not understand that the helpless person in the hospital is alive and is no different from him, the layman. For housewife Antonina Sergeyevna, neither Kostomarov nor Zavorotnyuk is a picture, pixels on the screen, creatures from a parallel universe.
In this parallel universe – another life sparkling with limousines and movies, Antonina automatically removes responsibility for any discussion, any intervention from her. A seriously ill star in the mind of a simple spectator is no different from the hero of a Hollywood movie in general, they are equally absent in his reality.
The author of this column is very lucky – in my circle there are both the most ordinary people and really famous people. And I want to assure the reader that fame doesn’t make everyone immune to thick-skinned expressions.
On the contrary, actors or, for example, singers often have increased empathy and increased sensitivity. And when you don’t even discuss the medical details, but write a rude comment on some social network that tries to offend someone, you might offend them. He is defenseless.
We townspeople are a large crowd, and not a single artist is protected from the flow of ideas, from negativity. And this flow, believe me, is destructive.
Any sane person can imagine how you would feel if you were rude, for example, on a tram. Or even better, personal life discussed in a public place. This is at least a permanently impaired mood.
Now try to imagine hundreds and thousands of people being rude and arguing. It is very difficult to live with, believe me.
As for journalists, here as someone with a degree in journalism, I have a clear idea: there is always a choice. You can either remain human or complete the editorial task. You can refuse! Fortunately we do not live in a backward African country and there are many ways to make money here. It need not at all be contrary to one’s own conscience or basic ideas of morality.
In general, tabloid journalism should work with what’s of interest to the crowd, according to the laws of the genre. But when the news focuses on fried facts, assumptions, and rumors, it’s not news. And journalism ceases to be journalism when it inflates the details of the disease, when it affects, among other things, the patient himself, and certainly his relatives.
I want journalists to remember that.
Of course, it is unlikely that I will change anything with this text, but if at least one person thinks about it and refuses to enjoy the details of someone else’s life, then everything is not in vain.
The author expresses his personal opinion, which may not coincide with the editors’ position.