One running theme that seemed particularly prevalent in this section of the book is the inherently voyeuristic nature of news. Emi and Gabriel both work for media outlets, with Emi focused on televised news while Gabriel works for a newspaper. Both share a similar outlook on news, believing that, at its core, it is entertainment. Gabriel, however, is reluctant to admit that to Emi, and instead suggests that news is “the stuff of informed responsible decision making” (Yamashita 155). He holds himself apart in a way, regarding his journalism as a sort of detective’s sleuthing.
If Emi and Gabriel work for the media establishment, Buzzworm provides an outside perspective, coaxing the two to branch out from their mainstream stories to those considered to be of less worth. He works to subvert the images provided by the institutionalized news outlets, so as to expose the true conditions of the homeless. When dealing with Gabriel, this comes in the form of carefully selecting which stories to share with the journalist and ensuring that the interviewee gets to read over the final copy. With Emi, however, Buzzworm flat out usurps her news program. At first, it seems that this will lead to grievous repercussions from the channel executives, but his “telegenic” nature and interviews with the homeless population in the freeway lead to an explosion in viewing rates (Yamashita 178).
The sudden interest in Buzzworm’s show, What’s the Buzz?, could be due to a sincere interest in viewpoints of homeless individuals, but it seems most likely to me that the viewers have tuned in due to their curiosity. “News [is] the spice of life,” as Gabriel admits to himself, and this show gives viewers something just far enough removed from themselves that it is fascinating (Yamashita 155). Although Buzzworm sincerely wants to bring the voices of the underprivileged to the mainstream, the viewers are not receiving that message. Not an hour after Buzzworm claimed the airwaves, the channel already commodified his show, creating a catchy introduction and cutting his segments to fit into their timeslots. The news outlet is manipulating the show to reel in viewers who tune in like it is reality tv, just itching to get their dose of entertainment for the day.
Hannah, I really like what you said about how Buzzworm was trying to get his point across, but it wasn’t being received because viewers were just treating it like it was just another TV show, not the exposition of the homeless culture that Buzzworm was going for. The people felt removed from TV, because to them, it is entertainment, and is so different from their own lives they just treated it like watching a movie or a crime show. This is interesting because it shows how certain masses of people receive their news, sometimes not treating it as reality because it is not happening to them. The fact that the NewsNow show started to do better in ratings, and then made advertisements for lawyers and tried to make more money off the less privileged, shows how obsessed the entertainment producers are with producing whatever gets the most attention.
This is a really interesting post about voyeurism and how the media taps into that natural instinct of humans to find out what’s behind the curtain. Buzzworm to me is definitely a relay for many different people, acting as a sort of “angel” for those who are troubled, and in this section becoming the voice of those who have previously been voiceless. This reminds me of other classes I’m taking, where we are focusing of feminist and queer theory, which are historically oppressed groups that in recent years haven found their voices by analyzing and critiquing literature and film. Buzzworm acts in the same way for the homeless of L.A; he stands up for them, gets their stories on the “air waves” and desperately tries to get it right for all of them. I think this is an important aspect of this book, giving voices to those who might not be strong enough, or able, to speak themselves.
Yes, I love that moment (well, love isn’t the right word, as its kind of sad) when they turn Buzz into a kind of cartoonized product. This mutes the powerful way in which he co-opts the media and serves as a powerful reminder that however much we might think we’re co-opting the media, the media is always already co-opting us. Interesting conversation in the context of Trump, who seems to basically own media at this stage. And the more we view him as mere entertainment, the more viable he becomes–a total reversal of what might be expected! Great attention to detail in this post–well done!