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Angelina Jolie, journalist, in the Washington Post

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by Alma, Feb 28, 2007.

  1. Inky_Wretch

    Inky_Wretch Well-Known Member

    Do they give out Oscars for humanitarian reasons? I know they do for lifetime achievement in the industry, but do they for charity work?
     
  2. Sportsbruh

    Sportsbruh Member

    and your point?
     
  3. Dave Kindred

    Dave Kindred Member

    I know what you mean, and we don't know that she didn't literally write it....but if not, it's still "by" her the way Dubya's State of the Union is "by" him.....
     
  4. jgmacg

    jgmacg Guest

     
  5. EE94

    EE94 Guest

    why do you assume she didn't write it?
    She's got more on the ball than Britney Spears and the like. It's not inconceivable she could string a few words together.
     
  6. Elliotte Friedman

    Elliotte Friedman Moderator Staff Member

    1. How much editing do you think was done? Do you think she wrote it, spoke it out loud and somebody wrote it, or just put her name on it? Note the repeated use of "I." Did you read that as a smoke screen?

    I would think she wrote it/told it to someone who wrote it for her. I know when Wayne Gretzky used to "write" a weekly column in The National Post, it was spoken to another columnist who acted as stenographer. However, that's not to say that she didn't have enormous influence. She is passionate about this issue and is one or two IQ points above, say, Paris Hilton.


    2. Regardless of that, do you take this seriously as a column? She's been to Darfur, much less Africa, more times than most journalists, she must know what goes on there, I'm sure she's baby-fed all the handy stats...yet...still...she's an actor. And she's this actor. Does it matter?

    I don't think the general public looks at her as "this actor" in a negative way. Maybe, years ago when she was making out with her brother at The Academy Awards or exchanging vials of blood with Billy Bob Thornton, people would roll their eyes or laugh. But Jolie has gained real credibility by (properly) adopting children out of poverty and charity work. People now see her as someone with something intelligent to say.


    3. What gain does the Washington Post get from running this? What credibility, if any does it lose?

    Well, it is Angelina Jolie. People will be curious. It doesn't lose any credibility because 1) the author has much of it on this issue, and 2) no one is going to disagree that the people of Darfur need help, even if they're not going to do anything about it.

    4. Would you run it if you were an editor? Sean Penn took out an ad. He paid for his words, whether he wrote them or not. Not Jolie.

    Yes, I would. She's been there and the piece does not read like it's written in crayon.

    5. Do you think it's any good?

    If I was editing it, I would have told Jolie and her ghostwriter that it's missing something: the passion I would expect from her on this issue. Too many statistics, not enough emotion. I don't want to read numbers I can google, I want to read what she sees and what she feels.
     
  7. Flying Headbutt

    Flying Headbutt Moderator Staff Member

    Elliotte, do you think she might have toned down the passion to be taken more seriously? I thought it was a pretty boring read, though I agree with pretty much all she says on the issue. But her tone may have been taken that way to seperate hersel from the Susan Sarandon-types who scream bloody hell with so much passion that most of society just looks at them as Hollywood nutcases living in their own world, instead of as someone who actually knows what they're speaking of.
     
  8. buckweaver

    buckweaver Active Member

    I disagree. I think the most persuasively written pieces are the ones with a little detachment, and this has some. Her passion comes through a) because she's taking the time to write/"write" this; and b) because of her aforementioned credibility on this issue.

    Seriously written celebrity columns on serious issues aren't exactly a dime a dozen. That made the piece come across even stronger.
     
  9. If I write something that's supposed to be "by" me, and I really didn't write it, I get fired. Whether it "represents" me or not.
     
  10. Elliotte Friedman

    Elliotte Friedman Moderator Staff Member

    Sorry Headbutt, I've been swamped for a couple of days and couldn't respond.

    You raise a very good point. It's possible she could have chosen this method. Either that, or the ghostwriter has never been to Darfur and couldn't paint that picture.
     
  11. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member

    If they are her thoughts, and she's signed off on it, it's fine. I mean, if I write something, and someone edits it before print, does that mean you can't honestly put my byline on it?
     
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