rangerBlog - July 10th, 2007

05:10 pm - The Greatest Show on Earth

So I'm reading my headlines (through AOL because I'm a whore) when a piece of entertainment news (which I don't usually read) catches my eye. It's this AP story about Beyonce Knowles visiting 2 fans hurt by fireworks at her concert. (Minor burns and they'll be fine.)

Now, I'm deeply suspicious of reporting in general- perception of reality is after all, now a commodity, but this article paints a wonderful picture. The only quoted witness is the nurse on duty who mentions the visit was unannounced and low-key. This is contrasted with a gruff 'no comment' from the group representing Knowles, creating an impression they're displeased it could hurt them in a future lawsuit that Knowles felt a responsibility owed to her injured fans.

As i see it, there are two possibilities:
1) An entertainment reporter following up on a non-serious fireworks injury at a concert stumbled into a heartwarming story about Knowles making a (fairly long) visit to two fans who were hurt at her concert. She made the visit even though it could be interpreted as a sign of guilt if they decided to sue because it was the right thing to do (cue no-comment from the representatives) and the public wasn't supposed to know about the visit because she didn't want to turn it into a photo op...
2) Beyonce Knowles has the greatest Publicist currently alive on the planet today, able to plant a feelgood story so deftly that it came off like they were actually trying to suppress it- and do so through the AP where it would receive maximum pickup and minimum redrafting, with an almost nonexistent chance it would be being rewritten to show her in a negative light.

Beyonce Knowles publicists are Nicole Perez and Alan Nierob. My hat is off to them! Just... wow.

Current Mood: amused