Blinded by Headlines: What Lays Underneath by Blair

As a typical 21^st century teenager, I rely on the Internet as a primary source for information on news regarding the outside world. Not only are we dependent on technology, but we also rely on celebrity magazines in order to stay current on all the hot celebrity gossip and national news. According to many, they rely on these magazines in order to stay “in the know.” Can these magazines be considered a staple of American culture? I may not an expert on all these magazines, but I consider People Magazine to be by far the most popular. As a subscriber to this magazine, I have learned how to read and examine its data and in my personal opinion, I believe it is the most reliable.

While investigating this topic, the constant thought that ran through my mind was “how exactly IS a news source deemed reliable?” Although I could not find an answer to that question, I decided to try and figure out the answer on my own. Many times when I peruse the magazine shelves at the grocery store, my attention is immediately caught by the numerous headlines such as “Angelina Can’t Take Brad Anymore,” “Obama Reaches a Breaking Point,” and, “He Cheated on Me.” In fact, it is hard for me to trust these magazines simply because the headlines are so extreme. This makes me wonder where exactly do magazines get their data. I know the majority of People’s data is from interviews, but what about other magazines such as Star and OK?

I chose to examine other teenager’s perspectives on celebrity magazines by creating a survey. Out of 100 responses from high school girls from my school, 52% said they most enjoyed reading People, 10% preferred US Weekly, and 1% favored either Star, InTouch, or OK! Then there were 35% of girls who did not read any of these magazines. Then, when asked which magazine was the most reliable, 54% said People, 4% said US Weekly, 2% said InTouch, none said Star or OK!, and 40% did not know. Like me, most students preferred reading People Magazine and believed that it was the most reliable. Why is this? My theory is that it is because People’s headlines are not overly dramatic. They do not merely focus on celebrity gossip but instead choose to provide information on current events as well as celebrity’s personal lives consisting of more than just who their next lover is. While it may feel as if reading a magazine is like taking a birds eye view into a reality TV show, it is important to watch what you read. Do you really want to spend your $4.99 on magazine that has the most extravagant headline or the one with the most reliable information? Think about that.