Anna Nicole Smith: Infamous in death as in life…

A life that resembled a Hollywood movie ended on February eight in room 128 of the Seminole Hard Rock Café and Casino in Florida. As the lifeless body of former Playmate Anna Nicole Smith,39, was transported out of the hotel to Memorial Regional hospital, the US cable networks were there to capture every moment for the world to see.

The circumstances of her death still unknown, Anna Nicole Smith saga became the daily staple for avid viewers of U.S cable networks.

For two days following her death CNN, MSNBC and Fox News ranked her tragic death as ‘serious’ news devoting vast amounts of airtime to the events that had led to her demise. The Project for Excellence in Journalism (an organisation that gathers daily figures of media coverage) revealed that the Smith story was the number one news item on the cable channels for a week.

Some believe the coverage of Smith’s story to be riveting others argue that it is just another example of a celebrity-obsessed media. In an interview with Reuters, media writer for The New Yorker Ken Auletta said: "On the day she died I switched the TV to see World War III coverage of Anna Nicole Smith…I don’t see anything about Iraq, Korea…it was one of the more depressing moments in media coverage."

As Aulette lamented on the lack of focus on ‘real’ news during the Anna Nicole Smith media storm, in a commentary piece for The Equinox Keith O’Neil also expressed his anger at the coverage. "It seems that there has been more coverage over non-news stories than legitimate news. Anna Nicole Smith’s death is a prime example. Sure, there may be mysterious parts as to how she died, but does the trial over who her father is and who gets custody need as much attention from CNN, or MSNBC as a Senate hearing?"

Despite condeming the non-stop coverage of the Anna Nicole Smith Story, NBC Nightly news could not get enough...



Her death sent the media into a feeding frenzy. While the battle raged inside the Florida courthouse over whether to bury her body in the Bahamas or Texas, 100 journalists surrounded the courthouse ready to pounce on anyone with seedy details of the titillating story. According to a Pew Research poll 35 percent of American followed the Smith Story closely and two thirds felt that the press coverage was excellent. In a blog response about Smith’s news coverage a commentator wrote: "When it comes to it, controversy sells. We love celebrity mayhem. The more controversial, the better." This may be true but is it right for news network to devote blanket coverage to a story that has little or no impact on the public.

Denise Royal of the news website NowPublic writes: "The fact that the Smith story was the top story is not the fault of the news world. Good news systems are a mirror. They hold up a reflection of the world so that people can see themselves…Do not blame the messenger." If this is true than how news networks strike a balance pandering to the audience with shocking celeb stories and serious less gripping news stories?

Al Tompkins, a former reporter and TV news director who teaches journalistic ethics at he Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida said in the Baltimore Sun: " We have an obligation to cover not just the interesting but also the important …There is no excuse for allowing this kind of salacious news to squeeze out the really important stories. Anna Nicole Smith doesn’t rise to that."


Journalist such as Roy Greenslade and Dan Gillmore, champion the fact that "the once proud networks" such as CNN are sinking deeper into tabloidism pushing ‘serious’ news to the back of agenda. Dan Gillmore writes: "CNN might survive as a National Enquirer of cable, though how it will compete with Fox for that dishonour is unclear." Jack Cafferty of CNN also added his distaced live on air as he asked his co-host, " Is Anna Nicole Smith still dead...".

On the other side of the barricades resonates the voice of those who see no reason why news networks cannot cover both serious and celebrity stories. Journalist Liza Featherstone writes: "…Why should we have to choose between gossip and ‘real’ news? We Journalists are perfectly capable of following both Anna Nicole’s autopsy report and Al Qaeda—why should we assume that the public can’t do the same? This is a valid argument but it becomes blurred when other more important stories are sidelines because sex and sleaze sells.

Justin Ritter of Net X News points out that the media should stop cashing in on the sensational stories and put more emphasis on important stories that have serious implications for all of us. "As unfortunate as it may be, Anna Nicole Smith is dead. Let’s hope the news media didn’t die with her."

The death of a celebrity is tragic, but as Ankitha Bharadwaj of Youth radio said: "Not to be rude or anything, but she wasn’t exactly Gandhi. So why are people spending days obsessing over her personal life?"