A Love/Hate Relationship

A magazine virtually cannot survive without advertising as it makes up 54 percent of the total revenue of an average magazine. But there are certain guidelines set out by the American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) that advertisers are required to follow. However, the one that deters me from flipping through a magazine the most are advertising inserts. These are produced and created by the advertisers and comes bounded into the magazine. Inserts differ to normal advertising because it is often printed on different paper to the rest of the magazine. Advertisers are increasingly using this form of advertising to capture the attention of readers particularly because both Generation X and Y are so invovled in the media world.

The most common type of advertising inserts is perfume or cologne ads that have scented samples. These forms of ads are highly successful because they enable the advertiser and the reader to establish an interactive relationship. It forces the reader to feel the need to sniff the sample particularly because the smell jumps out at you when you open up the magazine. I personally think it is a clever way to advertise a product. It differs itself from other advertising making the ad more successful in achieving its goal to appeal to readers.

However when I am reading through a magazine such as November’s issue of Vanity Fair all I want to read are the articles. But each time I flip a page, I end up flipping a whole section of them all because of these inserts. As previously mentioned, it is made from different paper, usually a lot thicker than the rest of the pages of the magazine and so they act almost like page dividers. In some ways it is convenient to have them there because they act as book marks for the magazine but generally they are just irritating.

Similarly, I share the same love/hate relationship with outserts. It is another method of advertising. This is preprinted advertising which can also include editorial material. The most common one are subscription cards. Those are the ones that are constantly slipping out in between the pages of the magazine each time you flip through them. This form of advertising is definitely eye capturing as each time it falls out it also screams ‘look at me’ engaging the reader to at least pick it up and look at the advertisement.

At times, advertising can be the most irritating thing of a magazine but in most cases, they are clever and innovative inventions that does exactly what advertisers want them to do – capture the reader’s attention.

Eating Disorder or Editing Disorder?

Unlike the rush of writing for daily newspapers, magazine authors have the blessing, or perhaps the curse, of time. A monthly periodical often starts a story up to six months in advance, gathering an overwhelming amount of initial research, background information and an assorted array of quotations from several sources. Much like a reality T.V. show, there is often far more footage available than can be broadcast, so editing cuts it all down to fit within the desired story. But, in the magazine world of “show don’t tell” the words of the author must act as the footage and it is the skilled writer’s job to find an angle and really sculpt out a story.

And in order for magazines to keep up and keep readership in this celebrity-obsessed nation, the line between serious journalism and tabloid reporting becomes blurred and the guidelines for newsworthiness inevitably broadens to cover the trials and tribulations of today’s biggest stars.

Vanity Fair magazine in particular is a magazine that straddles genres in an industry where most publications have a much clearer niche market. Not quite The New Yorker, not exactly Time, but not People or UsWeekly and with more literary content than Harper’s Bazaar or Vogue, Vanity Fair mixes business with pleasure covering stories from politics to celebrities, from the latest fashions to historical profiles.

Look up “Vanity Fair” on Wikipedia and you will find that the January 2006 Lindsay Lohan cover issue and interview is featured as one of the most controversial articles and issues in the magazine's history.

The controversy, at its most simplistic form, is a matter of semantics. The dispute and cross-fire allegations all stem from the phrase:

“I was making myself sick.”

To inteviewer and writer, Evgenia Peretz, this phrase meant Lindsay Lohan admitted that she had lost a great deal of weight due to an eating disorder, specifically bulimia. “Making myself sick,” to Peretz translated to Lohan sticking her finger down her throat and purging.

Now, in the context of the Peretz’ story, that angle is plausible, but when Lohan immediately contested the reports upon the publication’s release, the readers were left to question what Lohan literally meant, or if Peretz placed the quote where she wanted it, to fit the story she wanted to tell and essentially did take Lohan’s words out of context.

According to a an e-mail by Lohan to Teen People magazine, following the Vanity Fair article, she denied having bulimia and said, "The words that I gave to the writer for Vanity Fair were misused and misconstrued, and I'm appalled with the way it was done. Aside from (the writer's) lies and changing of my words, I am blessed to have this job and wonderful family that I do.”

With her name and fame on her side, Lohan, publicly called out a journalist and challenged her credibility and the world paid equal, if not more attention to the negative press surrounding Peretz as they did to the original piece in question. So is this a case where Lohan should have watched her mouth? Or where Peretz should have watched her pen? And what can a journalist do to keep from getting into this "he said/she said" mess?

Lucky for Peretz she had an established, dignified publication behind her. Vanity Fair stuck by the story and the author, realeasing the counter statement, "Evgenia Peretz is one of our most reliable reporters," the magazine said. "Every word Lindsay Lohan told her is on tape. Vanity Fair stands by the story."

But because the alleged “recorded” interview has yet to be heard by the public and Lohan not only did not sue and has since reconciled with the magazine, the truth of this matter remains as ambiguous as the “out of context” concept itself. And as the magazine industry continues in the hyper coverage of high profile people, not only will more public relations specialists be needed for hire, more and more of them will surely be claiming that the not-so-flattering coverage of their clients was, in their opinion, “taken out of context.”

On Tabloids and Gossip Magazines: Are They Violating Stars' Privacies?

Gossip -- let's face it: ever since high school, it's been a trend. Who's going out with who, that girl from your Spanish class had a fling with the most popular guy in school..But admit it, you only spend four years in high school. When you go off to college, you start a fresh new life.

For our stars from Hollywood (or better yet, from all over the world), it's for life. Or sometimes, it depends on how long they stay famous. Sure, people will eventually forgive their mistakes, embarrassment, and gossip after some time has passed. But really, do we ever forget?

Who has forgotten that controversial photo of Demi Moore naked and pregnant on the cover of Vanity Fair's August 1991 issue? Who will ever forget how High School Musical's Vanessa Hudgens's sixteen-year-old body looked like nude all over the internet? People forgive; But a lot don't forget.

Celebrities play big roles on screen. We love them, we hate them, and we want to know all about them. Reality check please! Stars are humans too! They make mistakes and make wrong decisions. When they do, the whole country (if not the every household with any kind of media) know about it.

Let's get back to the high school scene. How would you feel if you were overpopular and had a good reputation and then suddenly, somebody spreads a nasty rumor about you? You would possibly feel angry, devastated, upset, and you would do whatever it takes to crush the person who did such thing to you.

Exposes and the exploitation of celebrity lives (some of which are not real or true) may be considered libel and/or slander. According to the Media Law Resource Center website, "Libel and slander are legal claims for false statements of fact about a person that are printed, broadcast, spoken or otherwise communicated to others. Libel generally refers to statements or visual depictions in written or other permanent form, while slander refers to verbal statements and gestures. The term defamation is often used to encompass both libel and slander.

In order for the person about whom a statement is made to recover for libel, the false statement must be defamatory, meaning that it actually harms the reputation of the other person, as opposed to being merely insulting or offensive."

A good example of this is last year's $20M lawsuit pop star princess Britney Spears filed against Us Weekly, claiming that the celebrity magazine published a false story reporting that she and her [then-]husband, Kevin Federline, made a sex tape and were worried about its release. According to the lawsuit, the article was published Oct. 17 in the magazine's "Hot Stuff" column and claimed that Spears and her husband feared the release of a secret sex tape, which they had viewed with their estate planning lawyers. Source.

Other than libel and slander and all that stuff, isn't it obvious that these tabloids are violating a lot of famous people's privacies? Letting the whole world know a well-known actress is pregnant should be none of our business, right? We shouldn't care where Lindsay Lohan parties and obtains a drink when she was underage or which rehabilitation center Mary Kate Olsen went to for her recovery from anorexia. Those are simply none of our business. But the big question is, why can't we keep our hands off of those silly tabloid magazines?

Here are the nation's top 7 tabloids, just in case you want to check out the latest gossip:

1. National Enquirer
2. Star Magazine
3. Weekly World News
4. New York Post
5. The Mirror
6. New York Daily News
7. Tabloid