Apologies, Public or Private?

[talon]

Once again, it seems the media (I believe it is them driving this more than it is the actual public) is demanding a very public apology from a celebrity for a very private activity.

Our media has become very prudish, easily squicked out, and prone to Victorian-era hysterics over behavior and activities that a healthier media would scorn to cover except perhaps in the gossip pages or in those trashy "news" tabloids at the crocery checkout.

So Tiger Woods did what most men of fame and wealth do - he had affairs, hired prostitutes, or whatever. He owes his wife and family an apology and a lengthy bit of groveling and such.

He owes nothing to the media, to the viewing public, and certainly he owes zip to you or me. He especially does not owe any of us an apology. We weren't harmed by his actions. He didn't cheat on us and he didn't spend our family money on his extravagances.

That the media has rooted out his private life I find despicable. It's possible their invasive behavior led Woods to sneaking around. Of course, it might not have, as men of fame and wealth must be of extremely tough moral fiber (or completely oblivious) to fend off the constant flirting, temptations, and flauntings of fans trying to "get a piece" of him. That the paparazzi and the media dogged him and blew everything far outr of proportion inserting themselves into his private affairs and publicly damaging his family only makes it worse, for him, his family, the women with whom he had affairs (I haven't heard that he forced himself on them, therefore there really are no victims here, only people), and perhaps a few close friends.

The rest of us? Chopped liver. We don't matter. He doesn't owe us anything.

I believe the media owes him and his family an apology for digging and digging and digging until they found what they think is dirt, then publicly airing it over and over and over again, continuing to follow him and make unreasonable demands of him and his family.

I believe that the media owes us an apology, too, for elevating gossip rag yellow journalism to front page news of respectable newspapers. We want real, investigative journalism on important issues, and spilling dirt on celebrities doesn't qualify. Shame on the journalists who pursued this matter. Shame on the newspaper editors that put the stories on the front pages. Shame on the newspaper advertisers for supporting this sort of destructive gossipiness.

Give me back real news - tell me what's happening with our soldiers, tell me what nefarious deeds our politicians are doing, tell me what the busniess sector is doing, show me the connections between businesses and politicians, show me what's happening with the weather and natural disasters, tell me what our local community needs and what we are doing about it. Give me news, not gossip.

And for the love of all Americans, don't foist coerced apologies on us from celebrities who don't owe them to us.