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Media World: What's wrong with Paris Hilton selling her story?

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I don't blame Paris Hilton and her family for trying to sell their story.

After all, why should multinational conglomerates be the only ones who get rich off her misfortune? Why shouldn't the supposedly stupid blond heiress get a piece of the action?

Brian Montopoli wonders on CBS Corp's (NYSE: CBS) PublicEye blog whether paying for an interview with Hilton would be the worst thing in the world.

"Why don't they just pay for these interviews and then disclose that they've done so to their audience? " he writes. "Wouldn't that ultimately be more journalistically honest -- and even, on this skewed scale, more ethical."

Good point.

The flap over whether NBC outbid Walt Disney Co.'s (NYSE: DIS) ABC for an interview with Hilton following her release from jail underscores the competitive pressures in network television and the media in general.

TV networks regularly wine and dine interview subjects, pay to fly them to New York, put them up in the finest hotels and introduce them to a celebrity or two.

Is there really much of a difference between paying their expenses and writing someone a check?

Not really.

Though respectable news organizations all cringe at the thought of paying for a story, as the media environment becomes more competitive, the question is going to keep coming up. Even reporters at prominent news organizations including the New York Times have been criticized for giving money to interview subjects.

I don't know whether the U.S. media will resemble the U.K. newspapers that routinely pay for exclusive interviews. That isn't such a far-fetched notion since it's easier than ever for people to avoid the press.

Rosie O'Donnell and other celebrities address their fans on their blogs. Professional athletes and coaches are paid big bucks to tell their stories on radio and television shows.

What's in it for these people to talk to reporters?

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

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Last updated: November 22, 2009: 03:06 PM

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