Mariane Pearl: "Celebrities Are Doing The Work That Journalists Are Not"

Mariane Pearl, the widow of murdered Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, spoke out against the media establishment Thursday evening at a party hosted by Glamour to toast the book debut of her collected reporting for the magazine, In Search of Hope. In a critique of the WSJ and a public blinded by tabloid drama, she told Radar: "I think the Wall Street Journal has one person covering Africa." If celebrities like Angelina Jolie, who wrote the forward to Pearl's book, are drawing attention to issues it's because, as she put it: "Celebrities are doing the work that journalists are not. We can't afford to be cynical about that.'"

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Comments

[realitytrumpsbull]

11:47 AM on 11/04/2007

No, celebrities are trying to spin up the
Hollywood propaganda factory and putting little
things in their movies to try and hype things
along. So's Bill Gates. Ah, rich people...

[SheilaCasey]

10:24 AM on 11/03/2007

9/11 was an inside job. Why don't you know this? The corporate media have too much to lose if the truth gets out.

Even Arianna Huffington, who is rabidly against the Iraq war, hasn't touched this with a ten foot pole. Investigate, Arianna!

The slide show at http://www.ae911truth.net/ppt/
is a good place to start.

[skyfish]

08:39 AM on 11/03/2007

Before you get on all fours to pray to Brangelina, read Brendan O'Neill's account of the duo's hideous behavior in Namibia- in Spikedonline.
Who do these people think they are?

[neogejo]

10:34 PM on 11/02/2007

This is true and at the same time pathetic.
Celebrities are bringing awareness to the American public much more than jounalists.
It is more evident now, that the "media" is in bed with this administration. The "right wing" cries of the "liberal media", but it scarcley exists. The "liberal media" is a fabrication of the right that the media perpetuates. It's like this; If it is said enough, then it becomes truth.
We all know that today's journalists are easy on this administration. They do not ask the questions that they should ask. So, when a celebrity brings light to a subject it gets play.
And that's good. They have clout. They should use it. More power to them. I may have something to say, but if George Clooney says it gets in the papers. Good for him.
The media, as a whole, should be ashamed of what they gave up. They gave up their power. For what? No one with half a brain believes what they say.

[givral]

06:46 PM on 11/02/2007

this is the book on mariane pearl. the security chief of the u.s. consulate in karachi worked without cease (and risked his own neck) trying to find danny -- and she trashed him. the wall street journal moved heaven and earth trying to rescue danny -- and she trashed them. then she tried to collect from the 9/11 families survivors fund. now she trashes her husband's profession. i rest my case.

[ndem]

06:43 PM on 11/02/2007

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have statistics, know the facts, are living and meeting with people "on the ground" in hard hit parts of the world. Pitt's dedication to New Orleans and Jolie's speaking out intelligently on a variety of important issues do not at all come off as ego driven...as they have said in the past, they know they have the media's attention for a moment in time and they are using it wisely. That others should do as much!

[ljsfolly]

04:34 PM on 11/02/2007

The media is controled by those who own them. As the corporations and less individuals own the big media there is musch more restraint of what gets to the news/media in general. As it has been said the truth is not as important as the story you can get them to read. We honestly would never know names like darfur and somalia if celebs have not fought to get the names in the news. Sad world it is we still have little media now on Burma when so many are fighting for freedom there also. There is no real news in the US anymore. I liked Michael Moore on CNN but they have gotten to him too.

[RedRooster]

04:02 PM on 11/02/2007

Mariane Pearl is a beautiful human being.

Nothing shines as brightly.

[Ginzaman]

03:28 PM on 11/02/2007

True, celebs cab draw attention to important issues. Now, what does it say when instead of having reporters we have network news star anchors reporting from corporate global headquarters in New York and hosting SNL? Screw real reporting. All that matters is money and power.

[Beatitudes]

02:51 PM on 11/02/2007

Thus the love/hate relationship America has with celebrities. But I think it is true about the print and TV journalists abdicating their responsibilities. That why Bush railed against the bloggers...that were the news is being posted and researched - like here on Huffington. Now I also have to say that celebrities like Bradd Pitt are also picking up where over elected officials have been sinfully neglectful. Mr. Pitt has help fund The Make It Right program to rebuild houses for the people of New Orleans - specifically the 9Th Ward. How much are you doing to help anywhere else in the world?

Lyn LeJeune- The Beatitudes Network- Rebuilding the Public Libraries of New Orleans at www.beatitudesinneworleans.blogspot.com

[OckhamsElectricRazor]

01:47 PM on 11/02/2007

Journalist have BECOME celebrities. Multi-millionaires living in their bubbles of luxury reporting to the public on what to buy.

[escobar]

01:25 PM on 11/02/2007

Journalists are in the pocket of their bosses...like Murdoch, Podhoritz, or Kristol.
They make good money as propagandists, or hope to.
They suck up to the highest bidder.
They are determined not to end up teaching English at an inner city junior high.

[Ihaveadream]

12:50 PM on 11/02/2007

I have to give Vanity Fair magazine credit for hiring real journalists to find the details and report them. Yes, there's a lot of celebrity fawning and crap, but that sells magazines. There is a serious side in every issue. Take a look at this month's article , "The People vs. the Profiteers"

http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2007/11/halliburton200711

[Macready]

12:49 PM on 11/02/2007

Marianne Pearl is correct celebrities are " doing the work that journalists are not. We can't afford to be cynical about that.'"

Celebrities also did a lot to help the victims of Katrina . . . more than Homeland Security did . . . and don't forget the celebrites who are working for international charities.

[Ihaveadream]

12:44 PM on 11/02/2007

In the days before the big "shock & awe" over Iraq, in March 2003, I was listening to NPR. At the time, the collective "press" had gone apeshit (a technical term) over the guy who claimed he had come up with the "shock & awe" and turned him into a celebrity - his 15 minutes as they say. NPR was discussing journalism. I can't remember who the man they were interviewing was, but he said that journalism had been replaced by interviewing "talking heads" and self proclaimed "experts". Even the newspapers didn't want to pay for the time, effort and money it takes to dig into details, connect the dots and basically be the muckrakers we expect them to be. Example - the Watergate expose by the WAPO. It also takes gutsy editors like Bradley.