"The Paper" by Aaron Matthews, rewritten.

“The Paper” by Aaron Matthews

Tabloids are taking over! Newspapers companies are going through drastic decline; people are more interested in tabloids than “hard news.”

With all the tabloid magazines out there, it is difficult to resist from reading about celebrities and what new marriage occurred the night before. “US” magazine, “People” magazine and many other tabloidy magazines manages to grab attention. After reading about Britney Spears on the front cover of a newspaper, Aaron Matthews, director of the documentary “The Paper” stated, “That was news and it was kind of depressing.” With Anna Nicole Smith on the cover of every nationwide newspaper for months, it is difficult to set the standards for the news that really counts.

Tabloid sales have been on the increase as newspaper sales have been on the decline. With “The New York Times” reporting of a 3.5 percent sales cut and “The Boston Globe” reporting a 6.7 percent sales cut, as stated in a “New York Times” article; it is safe to say that tabloids are getting the best of it. “I’m all for entertainment, I’m into all that stuff just as much as the next person,” said Matthews; but how far can it go? Matthews did not fail to mention that although he does have a love for sports and celebrity news, he said, “Newspapers should be fulfilling their obligation to be a watchdog. The more they report about Anna Nicole Smith, the less I know about news that really matters.” So what news really matters? Matthews said he would rather read about schools that his children are attending and politics than about Britney’s next hand. The news that really matters is the news that affects you in everyday life.

Matthews manages to relate the issue of what news really matters to his documentary “The Paper.” He said that his inspiration to make such a documentary came from his amazement with news these days and the fact that anything fit as a story. This documentary about “The Daily Collegian” in Pennsylvania State University shows how difficult it is to make a decision on what to publish; on what be pass as “hard news.” In a specific scene, two characters decide it would be a good idea to add a relationship column to the newspaper. By adding this column, they are tying to attract a younger audience, similar to the tabloid’s incentive. If college newspapers have reached a point in which politics, fires and deaths are not enough; this affect will begin to show on nationwide newspapers as well. Where can one draw the line and decide what news is worth printing.

“Less news is devoted to things that actually affect your life,” said Matthews. On the recent covers of magazines, there were pictures of Jennifer Aniston and her “war” with Angelina Jolie. How much does this really matter? Although it may be entertaining, these people are just like everyone else; so what affect does this news really have on us? Hillary Clinton and Barak Obama are running for presidency; that is news that will affect us, terrorists attack a school a school in Israel; that is news that will affect us.