[Nodrog]

Originally Posted by All Systems Go

I think this is true, but given the problems in society, would anyone even stop on the page if the celebrity news wasn't there as well?

Yeah, probably. I dont think people have any real reason for reading newspapers (or watching TV news) other than some vague guilt relating to 'keeping informed about the world' , and the desire to pass time. If youre sitting on a train bored or on your lunch-break, youll read pretty much anything regardless of whether its celebrity gossip, the latest scientific research, or a report on an election in some country youll have forgotten about 10 minutes later. The internet is quite bad when it comes to encouraging this sort of behavior too, and the passive commodification of information is maybe just a result of having so much of it available.

I saw a video clip of David Dimbleby (it might have been his brother, Jonathan), interviewing Rupert Murdoch. In the video Murdoch criticises the BBC for following the same meothds of manipulation his papers use. In this particular instance he called the BBC for putting that particular show on after a more 'low brow' show in the hope to attract more viewers.

That sounds interesting, is it on youtube? Its definitely not just a problem with 'low-brow' tabloids and it applies equally to pretty much all forms of media really. If anything, the tabloids are more honest since they dont have any pretence at being more than titty pictures and scandal.

It can't help that those who work for universities are also required to publish x number of papers a year which can have a detrimental effect on quality.

There arent usually formal requirements, but publication records are generally a major factor when it comes to promotions/new jobs, which is why youll often find people putting out as many papers as possible.