News
Why Celebrities Need A Website
By Wendy Shepherd
Jul 15, 2005, 01:20 I mentioned before that PEOPLE is one of my favorite magazines. There is a reason for this. Over the years I have read other “people type” magazines that cover stories and haven’t found many that “tell the truth”. I recall that certain celebrities give PEOPLE exclusive stories and try to tell their stories to them since they trust them more than other magazines. So, I tend to buy the magazine for that reason. However, I also like the other stories about authors, artists, etc. in the magazine. I also like the fact that PEOPLE isn’t a cluttered mess. It has a nice clean layout.

I just happened to pick up a copy of another magazine recently. Both magazines covered the story of Angelina Jolie adopting a new baby. However, one magazine didn’t report the “truth”. PEOPLE told of how Angelina confirmed the news to them. Compare:

1) PEOPLE stated she was adopting a baby girl named Zahara Marley Jolie. The other magazine stated she was adopting a baby boy, no name mentioned.

2) PEOPLE stated that Angelina is adopting as a single mother. The other magazine stated Angelina and Brad Pitt were “adopting the baby together.” Actually, the statement was “They definitely are adopting a baby together and it is definitely a boy.”

These were … the main points. Oh, and I found this today…

Confronted by People’s report and a follow-up story by an Associated Press reporter in Addis Ababa, the chastened Us Weekly quickly posted a retraction on its Website.

“In some early editions of the July 18 issue, Us Weekly inaccurately reported that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were adopting a baby boy together. Her new daughter is, in fact, a girl, and while Pitt was present when Jolie signed the adoption papers, he himself was not a party to the adoption,” the statement reads.

“We learned that we had made these errors and stopped the print run in order to correct the story. However not all issues were corrected in time.”

I do like that these magazines didn’t just cover the ‘gossip’ about the adoption. I liked how they put facts about Africa and the problems it faces with so many orphans due to the AIDS crisis. My husband thinks that the adoption of these children shouldn’t cost anything so as to help them get into homes that they badly need.

The problems with the story above could be prevented in many cases. Take Britney Spears for example. Her website posted the news about her being pregnant. Nothing was considered a FACT in the case until an official announcement from the source confirmed it.

I know that many celebrities don’t want to have a website to “promote” themselves necessarily. But, they should have something for “announcements” to help keep gossip under control. Gossip will never go away, but when a celebrity wants to make sure something gets out, they can provide it through their online website for immediate dispersal and provide “facts” from the source.

I would be happy to help any celebrity get a spot on the internet to provide their news or announcements. You will find my contact information in the left bottom side of StudioMatrix.com

~Wendy Shepherd - http://www.wendyshepherd.com