Celebrity Trials in the Media DVD Review
click the title above to read the full review...
Celebrity Trials in the Media DVD Review
Synopsis:
CELEBRITY TRIALS IN THE MEDIA confronts one of the most pressing issues facing
the modern television news business today -- the need to deliver big ratings
that drive advertising revenue and a new definition of news. Celebrity trials
are big business, and when the news media comes to town to cover sensational
cases, lives are changed and ethical barriers are shattered. If a celebrity is
involved, an otherwise unnoticed case of drunk driving, insider trading, rape,
or even murder gets more national and local coverage than the real news of the
day. Director Brian Malone was granted unprecedented access to the journalists
scrambling to cover the rape trial of Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bryant in 2004.
From his behind-the-scenes vantage point in the tiny town of Eagle, Colorado
where the trial took place, Malone captures a pivotal moment in the
news-gathering business -- when celebrity justice became a staple of reality
television. The same year, the child molestation trial of singer Michael Jackson
in Santa Maria, California, saw 1,800 journalists take extraordinary efforts to
report on little but the screaming throngs of fans and footage of Jackson and
his entourage entering and leaving the courthouse. In CELEBRITY TRAILS IN THE
MEDIA, notable news reporters candidly share the challenges and ethical dilemmas
that arise when the camera lights go on and the deadline to deliver a compelling
news story, nearly 24 hours/7 days a week, arrives.
Review: I'm constantly disgusted by the actions of most celebrities, especially when it involves the law and the glamorization given to their misdeeds. This great new documentary examines the ethical issue surrounding the media while covering these celebrity trials. I found this to be very informative and interesting to watch, although maybe slightly ironic. Still, a great watch.
Interest Range: Documentary