Prime Time 7, Coursebook plus Semester Self-checks

7 Paparazzi The tabloid press Gossip about celebrities is often published in tabloid newspapers, magazines or TV-shows – typically popular in style and dominated by sensational stories. a) Look at the three quotes below and comment on them. • What do we learn about the tabloid media? • What do we learn about the people who read tabloids? • Why do the people quoted get in touch with the tabloid media? “In the last 15 or 20 years, I’ve watched the British press simply go to hell. There seems to be no limit, no depths to which the tabloids won’t sink. I don’t know who these people are but they’re little pigs.” John Le Carré (* 1931, British writer) “People who read the tabloids deserve to be lied to.” Jerry Seinfeld (* 1954, US actor, comedian and author) “I’ve finally learned how to say, ‘No comment.’ To appear in the tabloids is a real learning curve and a steep one at that. You had better learn quick or you get burned.” Ben Affleck (* 1972, US actor and director) b) Bring a copy of a tabloid newspaper or magazine to class and demonstrate the features of tabloid media. You may also print out an article from a tabloid internet page. Consider the following points: • structure of the article • layout/design • content of the article • language Reading: Paparazzi a) Read the text about paparazzi below and add a suitable headline for each paragraph. Paparazzi: Who are they and what do they do? Paparazzi are photographers who take candid pictures of celebrities, usually when they are in private. Thus paparazzi are different from professional or press photographers because they never take staged photos. The goal for any paparazzo is to get the ultimate picture that no one else will get. Depending on whether they are freelance photographers or work for an agency, the paparazzi will then sell the pictures to the highest bidder: a tabloid newspaper, a magazine or a website. There are no laws prohibiting paparazzi from taking pictures in public places or stopping them from following celebrities and taking photos. However, there are laws that protect certain individuals. For instance, child protection legislation stops inappropriate pictures of anyone under 16 from being published. Laws on the invasion of privacy also stop paparazzi from taking pictures of celebrities in their homes – even if they take the picture from a public space. Celebrities are known as public figures, which means that the paparazzi are allowed to take pictures of them without their permission. A public figure is anyone who has achieved fame, become relatively well known, and whose life is seen as public interest. Political figures and anyone involved in a news story can be seen as public figures, too. 1  Word bank Newspapers and magazines advertising • broadsheet • correspondent • daily • edition • editor • editorial • gossip column • headline • issue • journalist • libel • magazine • monthly • newsagents • newsstand • to publish • reporter • sensational • tabloids W 2  5 10 100 Celebrities Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv