Words: Cameron Rhodes (he/him)
CW: Death, online harassment, racism
Liam Payne’s death sent shockwaves throughout the world. The former One Direction singer was announced dead on the 16th October after falling off his hotel balcony, with drugs being found in his system. The way that it has been handled across social media has been hugely invasive and undoubtedly a huge breach of Payne and his family’s privacy. In particular, American outlet TMZ’s coverage has been ravenous, posting pictures of his body with no respect or permission from Payne’s family. It was also reported by Payne’s sister that she found out about his death through a news alert, rather than being privately informed through authorities. His son’s mother, Cheryl Tweedy, shared her thoughts on the coverage of Payne’s death, calling the reports ‘abhorrent’. This is a stark example of the insatiable nature of investigative journalism, with the deaths of real people being exploited for a quick headline and a paycheck, holding no regard for the sensitivity of these issues or the wishes of families.
Our culture celebrates and vilifies celebrities equally, and in their fame they seem to transcend beyond the human. This perceived inhumanity of famous people makes them easily exploitable in their deaths. They are unable to respond to vicious articles w hile predatory news outlets scavenge views and rack up the clicks off their legacies. While being in the limelight will obviously subject celebrities to more scrutiny, the removal of privacy and respect when it comes to death is undeniably despicable. Social media has amplified this breakdown of privacy; it gives a platform to everyone, meaning inevitable hate is left under posts for the family of the deceased to see.
Maybe it’s us, consumers of media, who create this feeding frenzy, hungry for every last morsel of our favourite (and least favourite) celebrities. Whether it be paparazzi images or private “tea” about their lives, we often speculate and gossip without considering the consequences. Female celebrities especially are subject to incredible criticism, placed under a microscope for the public to analyse their every flaw. Evident in the reporting preceding and following the deaths of Princess Diana and Amy Winehouse. Newspapers like The Sun and Daily Mail have become notorious for tasteless headlines, bordering on offensive. A Daily Mail article came out only three days after Amy Winehouse’s death, titled Genius, but Amy’s life was not one to admire, featuring two images of the singer side-by-side in what is meant to clearly be an unflattering comparison. The fact that this article came out only three days following Winehouse’s death is a stark example of the parasitic nature of investigative journalism. What gives these writers the right to make such insensitive comments after such a horrific event? The potential lack of empathy in journalism is astounding, and it is clear that there is no reporting too insensitive in the dehumanising landscape of the tabloid.
The film Nightcrawler stars Jake Gyllenhal as a reporter who listens to a police scanner and arrives at crime scenes to report on deaths before the police have a chance to inform families. This film was released in 2014, and time and time again, the film’s events mirror reality, especially with the recent death of Liam Payne. The toxic culture behind these photos seems everpresent. No matter how many activists and family members decry the immorality of publishing and sharing them, these images will remain posted and in print, in the hopes of satiating each and every ‘fan’ of these celebrities.
Investigative journalism has always had predatory tendencies, but on a positive note it is good to see more and more people calling out reporters for these issues. From Chappell Roan to Billie Eilish, it is important that celebrities take a stand, going against norms and risking backlash in order to prove a very important point. Social media as a space is always going to be unregulated—people are able to hide behind their profile pictures and type anything—but we are finally starting to see consequences for these sorts of actions. For example, last year a man was jailed after sending a racist tweet targeting footballer Michael Obafemi. It is impossible to arrest every troll or police every single comment, but it does feel as though online hate crimes are finally being considered as a genuine threat. We can only hope that the abhorrent harassment celebrities face might be treated in the same manner. Although these hungry journalists will never be satiated, we are starting to find ways to protest their bottomless appetites, critiquing their content and creating a more liveable environment for famous people to reside in as humans, rather than perfect pedestaled statues.
Links:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DBRq_Q2IfMG/?hl=en&img_index=1
https://www.instagram.com/p/DBYusoXKU0q/?img_index=1
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2018741/Amy-Winehouse-dead-Genius-life-admire.html
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-65136836
