On Friday, September 23, I got a taste of a different type
of journalism, a type that probably doesn’t get a lot of credit for being
journalism. Reality television producers Linda Blue, Jim Berger, Lance Heflin,
and Jonathan Murray came to the Reynolds Journalism Institute Friday. They
talked about their jobs and how they are different from a conventional ‘TV news
producer.’ Reality television is not something much talked about at the MU
School of Journalism. There was a lot of interesting conversation about
portrayals that some of the reality TV shows give off with the people that are
in them.
MTV's Real World Creator Jonathan Murray
So, if you want to talk about a reality television show that
gets a lot of ‘bad press,’ the one that obviously comes to mind is ‘Jersey Shore.’
Obviously one of the more popular TV shows out right now, ‘the Shore’ is about northeastern young adults who live the ‘surreal life.’ They’re paid to
party, drink, and have fun, something so many Americans wish they could do. Are
these kids stars, or are they enormously famous for bad reasons?
Pauly D and Vinny doing 'the fist pump.'
One of the questions asked was whether some of the reality
TV shows today give specific nationalities bad images. To that, they basically said,
of course some of these reality TV shows make some races look bad. What
most critics say about these series are true, but is it really the producer’s
fault they look bad? To this, I would say no. Just like any other situation,
it’s not the journalist’s fault a person’s looks bad on TV. If the ‘Jersey
Shore’ cast really didn’t want to look bad on TV, they probably wouldn’t do
half the crazy stuff they do. They also however…wouldn’t be getting paid.
That’s probably the biggest reason why the creators of the
show shouldn’t be blamed for the bad press. It doesn’t seem to bother
‘Snooki,’ ‘Deena,’ ‘Pauly D,’ or ‘The Situation,’ that they portray Italian-Americans in what seem think is a bad light.
They’re making $100,000 a show. Look at their ratings. ‘Jersey Shore’ still
earned a 3.5 rating last week in the 18-49 demo. Why in the world would MTV
ever cut off a show like that? It might be the dumbest business decision ever
made.
While the reality TV producers who spoke to us Friday may not know how to solve the world’s
debt crisis, they know how to get into a person’s mind. They know how to get
people to keep coming back. That’s a skill that most people do not have, and a
person who can do it is an asset to your team. So, do the producers deserve
criticism for portraying sectors of the population in a bad way? No, because
even though they’re not the ones doing it. Plus, they're very intelligent people who are still
laughing all the way to the bank.
$$$
So what do you think? Am I right or wrong about the
producers? Leave me a comment.
I disagree slightly, although I also agree with what you're saying. I think targeting one small group of a race the way jersey shore is targeted toward Italians can be a little risky because people form generalizations of that race. In this case those are negative stereotypes. However, I think the focus is more on the jersey shore and the way people live there than on Italians. Remember, most of the cast is not Italian, although that is assumed. So really, Jersey shore is great because of the lifestyle they lead at the shore, not because they are Italian.
ReplyDeleteVery good point Allison. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI feel like I have a unique view on this issue. I am Italian American and had the opportunity to work with the Jersey Shore cast on an after show during my internship at MTV. I am a fan of The Shore with the exception of the use of the term "guido," which is a slur however commonly used in that part of the country. The Shore cast were extremely professional and nice when I worked with them. But their personalities were pretty much exactly like they were on television. They are aware that they are famous for partying. They love it. Wouldn't we all? I agree with you Ketz, the producers are just doing their job. And doing it well. This season of the Shore had the highest ratings in MTV history.
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