Is There a Difference Between Tina Fey and Katie Couric? Policing the Boundaries Between News and Entertainment

Abstract

The range of fiction extends all the way from complete hallucinations to the scientist's perfectly self-conscious use of a schematic model, or his decision that for his particular problem accuracy beyond a certain number of decimal places is not important. A work of fiction may have almost any degree of Fidelity, and so long as the degree of Fidelity can be taken into account, fiction is not misleading. In fact, human culture is very largely the selection, the rearrangement, the tracing of patterns upon, and the stylizing of, what William James called “the random irradiations and re-settlements of our ideas.” The alternative to the use of fictions is direct exposure to the ebb and flow of sensation. That is not a real alternative… – Walter Lippmann, Public Opinion , 1922 A federal judge yesterday sharply questioned an assertion by the Obama administration that former Vice President Richard B. Cheney's statements to a special prosecutor about the Valerie Plame case must be kept secret, partly so they do not become fodder for Cheney's political enemies or late-night commentary on “The Daily Show.” – R. Jeffrey Smith, Washington Post , June 19, 2009 The Strange Media Odyssey of Sarah Palin On August 29, 2008, Republican presidential candidate John McCain announced that the little-known, first-term governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin, would be his running mate. The photogenic, former beauty queen's acceptance speech at the convention, her formal introduction to the nation, drew 37.2 million television viewers, only around 1 million less than for the acceptance speeches by Barack Obama and John McCain and far more than any other speech at either convention (Hechtkopf ). Given the degree to which Palin's selection was a surprise and her lack of a record in national politics, there was great uncertainty in the media over how to tell her story. Initially, the media narrative followed along the lines suggested by decades of political communication research. Following their profession's definition of nonpartisanship and balance, journalists relied on “reliable sources” – primarily spokespersons for both parties – to define the range of opinions about Palin.