Will Gore- The Independent:
Unfortunately so, journalists are too busy trying to meet the requirements of their readers- ignoring any morals and laws that are in place to regulate the potential, underestimated harm that words can do. Words can often go off on a tandem, bringing hysteria and virtual anarchy to social media. Journalists are too busy, that some (not all) are skimming past and ignoring the facts: that their words become a canon for future journalism. Everyone is entitled to their opinion on matters, but their opinion on people, written down in either print or online, read by the masses and absorbed by some (not all) people into believing that they could be right, is becoming all too common in an industry of dog eat dog. Personally attacking people is now a journalistic norm that has evolved from comment/opinion writing, and has been greatly encouraged through the access of online platforms for citizen journalism. It's when professional journalism becomes too brutal and in in this case, too embarrassing to read. The question is: when did journalism get so arrogant?
A budding journalist myself, and also being pretty opinionated, it would seem a shock to some that I believe journalism is not regulated enough. It would seem like a dream to write a column in a magazine or regularly write on an online blog, getting paid for simply stating my opinion. But I would never make personal remarks about someone, for example their looks, when they aren't there to stand up for themselves and for thousands to read. Online and in print, opinion writing needs to draw a line between personal bullying and professionally stating an educated and carefully evaluated opinion. Sometimes provoking a reaction is taken too far. Journalism in some publications have great success on their opinion columns, but the words used can be highly offensive and blatantly rude. Take this article for example.
Her success is undoubtable. Her success also depends on filming her life which means just being herself. An easy job some may say, getting paid for filming your everyday activities, but not everyone could do that and be liked- I don't even think I could. Becoming a digital ambassador for the charity Mind and achieving a book deal with Penguin, Zoella is leading the YouTube parade. None of this would have been achieved without her blog and YouTube channel where she has gained a loyal following of 6 million followers, which to me, is pretty frightening! That's a lot of people! Therefore, her success is due to her likeable personality, so how can someone skim past that and attack her looks. Making fun of her enormous eyes and calling her a "startled bird" is only feeding our corrupted norm of noticing flaws in people. Journalists forget that people will only consume this idea and habit, and adopt it in their own everyday norms. And for journalists who are the most educated on the impact of media, should know that personal attacking can only escalate, as demonstrated in this journalists follow-up article.
The journalist said that she "expected a backlash". The backlash that she did receive was indeed, very extreme, ranging from abusive tweets to threatening hate mail. I don't think she expected backlash on such a massive scale but why wouldn't she? Attacking Zoella's fandom is like attacking One Direction's- it is a teenage, global affair. It would be ignorant to not know that you will receive extreme threats when you insult one's teenage idol's looks. I understand the power of social media is unfortunately and overwhelmingly scary, how many opinionated minds of all ages have the freedom to say anything within a few seconds for absolutely anyone around the world to see it. But it is ignorant to not understand the audience you are addressing your 'opinion' to, and not expect the threats that unfortunately come with it.
The YouTube platform is one that has grown so vast in the last 5 years- making it's own tribe of online celebrities. YouTube culture, in particular, is one that is becoming so popular that it has gained a hysterical following (e.g. chasing people down the streets- not cool). But to me, it is a slight relief that many young teenagers are idolising YouTube stars for simply being themselves and advising their viewers, as close to the truth as you can get in the media, on anything from dealing with anxiety to what beauty products are the best to get. It makes a nice change from idolising 'celebrities' for doing nothing. The journalist did think it was ridiculous how Zoella and many other YouTuber's are recommending young girls on how to improve their appearance, but the fact is, that's what their viewers want. And in modern-day journalism, young women are being taught that looks are important, and unfortunately for you, your choice of words in the article show you are also contributing to this idea, that good looks are important- or you will be penalised in the media for them, regardless of your success.
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