Sexy Sensationalism Case Study: The Fascination with Celebrity News and Why USA Today Caters to the Obsession by Grant Edward Boxleitner A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts School of Mass Communications College of Arts and Sciences University of South Florida Major Professor: Robert Dardenne, Ph.D. Gary Mormino, Ph.D Mike Killenberg, Ph.D. Date of Approval: April 6, 2007 Keywords: gossip, media, ethics, newspapers, competition © Copyright 2007, Grant Edward Boxleitner Table of Contents Abstract............................................................................................................................... ii Chapter One Introduction ....................................................................................................1 Justification and Limitations....................................................................................6 Historical and Cultural Context ...............................................................................9 Literature Review...................................................................................................14 Methodology..........................................................................................................25 Research Goal ........................................................................................................27 Glossary of Terms and Concepts ...........................................................................31 Chapter Two Themes and Findings of In-Depth Interviews .............................................33 Analysis of USA Today News and Life Fronts .....................................................66 Chapter Three Conclusion .................................................................................................73 References..........................................................................................................................83 Bibliography ......................................................................................................................89 Appendices.........................................................................................................................90 Appendix A: Interview with Debbie, Columnist at USA Today..........................91 Appendix B: Interview with Mary, Celebrity Reporter at USA Today .............111 Appendix C: Interview with Julie, USA Today Reporter ..................................128 Appendix D: Interview with USA Today Entertainment Reporters Blair, Monica and Bill............................................................................151 Appendix E: Interview with Todd, Photo Editor of USA Today.......................181 Appendix F: Interview with Tom, Celebrity Reporter for USA Today.............201 Appendix G: Interview with Jack, USA Today High-Ranking Editor...............217 Appendix H: Interview with usatoday.com Editors Fred and Eileen ................239 Appendix I: Interview with Chloe, Mid-Level Editor of usatoday.com..........264 Appendix J: Interview with USA Today High-Level Editor Melissa, Mid-Level Editors Tim, Veronica and Ruby ...............................292 Appendix K: Interview with USA Today Photo Editor John.............................311 Appendix L: Celebrity Content of USA Today Front Page and Life Front Page..............................................................................................343 Appendix M: Celebrity Story Presence on News Front During Sample Period ...........................................................................................425 Appendix N: Tabloid-Like Stories on Life Front During Sample Period .........428 i Sexy Sensationalism Case Study: The Fascination with Celebrity News and Why USA Today Caters to the Obsession Grant Boxleitner ABSTRACT In the digital age where newspapers compete with the Internet, cable TV and other publications for an audience, USA Today strives to stay relevant in the media with a daily dose of celebrity news. Newspapers continue to lose circulation during a time when the fascination with celebrities shows no signs of dwindling. This study explores how much celebrity news coverage USA Today gives readers, how much competition from other outlets plays a factor and whether the nation's largest newspaper is making a sacrifice of traditional forms of newspaper content in favor of celebrity coverage. The methodology for this qualitative case study is a two-fold approach. In-depth interviews with sixteen managers, editors and staffers at USA Today were conducted, using questions that gather an overview of the newspaper's celebrity news approach. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed in the findings. The second part was a one-year analysis of USA Today's main front and Life section front pages, looking for patterns of celebrity news. The study shows clear differences between USA Today and its non-newspaper competitors. USA Today's newsroom has a strong culture of journalism ethics and standards that limits the newspaper from going head to head with tabloids and celebrity magazines for the rumor and gossip stories. Among them is a strict sourcing policy that ii forbids blind or anonymous sources in celebrity coverage. Nearly all of the interviewees questioned about competition and gossip mentioned the ethical standards at the newspaper. The analysis of news fronts shows that USA Today uses the skybox in the upper right-hand corner as a way to promote its celebrity news. The majority of days, a celebrity photo and teaser were in that space, something a high-ranking editor at the newspaper said is a conscious effort to showcase celebrities. The Life front pages were loaded with celebrity news, including stories one can argue are tabloid-like in nature. Most of those interviewed at USA Today insisted they are not sacrificing other content for celebrity coverage. They say celebrity news is just part of a balance the newspaper gives readers every day. Covering celebrities heavily is a way USA Today keeps relevant in the ever-changing media landscape. USA Today can be used as a celebrity news model for other newspapers looking for techniques to keep circulation numbers from dropping. iii Chapter One Introduction USA Today has long been known for its celebrity news coverage, but in this age of Internet, cable TV and celebrity gossip magazines galore, the newspaper’s stake in this competitive battle has never been greater. Circulations of newspapers throughout the country continue to decline, yet USA Today flourishes with more than 2.3 million daily readers-- a steady increase from the 1.3 million it began with in 1983 -- and a Web site that brings in millions more, according to its company profile (Gannett Co., 2006). The features that originally set it apart--abundant colorful graphics, brief stories and a concentration on sports and celebrity--have influenced other newspapers, according to the answers.com’s definition of USA Today. USA Today founder Al Neuharth says the newspaper when it began in 1982 "had to be different, in appearance and content. Wrapped in color. Four sections. Everything organized and in a fixed place. Short, easy- to-read stories. Lots of them. Heavy use of graphics and charts. Heavy emphasis on sports, TV, weather" (Neaharth, 1989, p. 130). Many of USA Today's innovations have been copied, and now, according to Neuharth, anywhere in the country, newspapers have the color, the graphics and are no longer gray and dull (Pleasants, 2003, p. 36). Shortly after the newspaper's inception, media analyst John Morton wrote USA Today was widely imitated, a success with readers and pushed other newspapers into "rethinking their traditional stodgy, haphazard makeup." (Prichard, 1987, p. 315). The nation's newspaper, with its branding, carved out a niche of covering celebrities and 1 is widely available. But with its celebrity coverage, is USA Today actually competing with tabloids and Web sites, willing to drop its journalistic standards in the name of attracting readers caught up in the celebrity obsession? Why does it willingly dish out a steady dose of celebrity news, and how does it attempt to stand apart? And how much of a sacrifice are staffers making to the traditional objectives of a newspaper? This case study is a behind-the-scenes look into USA Today’s approach to covering celebrity news, offering rare insight into how and why the nation’s newspaper covers the stars. In-depth, taped interviews collected from editors, reporters and managers in all facets of the newspaper--writing, photography and online--lend academic insight into how newspaper editors make such decisions. To augment the interviews, a yearlong analysis of USA Today’s main news front page and Life section front page was conducted, its data yielding certain patterns and adding to the examination of celebrity news coverage at USA Today. Celebrity coverage used to be limited mostly to outlets such as big-city tabloids, People magazine, the National Enquirer and Entertainment Tonight (American Press Institute, 2005). Celebrity news rarely got mainstream news play. John Carroll, an editor at the Los Angeles Times, says the trend of covering celebrity comes as newspapers attempt to stop circulations from dropping. He says, “The public, particularly the much- sought-after young reader, has an insatiable appetite for celebrity coverage. And newspaper-owning corporations are more interested these days in responding to raw market demands, no matter how demeaning” (cited in American