Wedding Day News- Who Cares?
Patrick Edmonds
Courtesy of Simon ShawGood News is Bad News and Bad News is Good News. If this is not a saying, it should be. Yes, most mainstream news outlets- papers, websites, news shows, etc.- rely almost entirely on the tragedy of others to sell their papers, increase their hits, and improve their viewership. So much so that the same people who buy these papers, visit these sites, and watch these news shows, and are inundated with the relentless maladies of much of the misfortunate world, actually demand a quiet respite of some cheer, fortune, and good old-fashioned positivity. Essentially, they desire personal interest pieces that will warm their hearts and improve their image of humankind.
Well, the Philadelphia Inquirer’s and Philadelphia Daily News’ online news outlet, Philly.com, which is no stranger to exploiting others’ grief, has heeded the calls of their sensitive readership this past year. On the site, recurring stories have appeared of the most joyful and blissful occasion known to modern society- No, not stories of Wing Bowl. Rather, they are stories of local Philadelphians’ weddings, and all the excitement, surprise, chaos, grandeur, and incomparable euphoria that occurs on this day. Not enticed? Don’t fret, because the stories aren’t simply about the big days themselves, but also detail how the couples met, when and where they fell in love, and include an assortment of other quirky anecdotes. The pieces are true tour de forces of romance, love, and of course, journalism. Still not intrigued?
Well if not, then do not worry because all that means is that you are a perfectly healthy, emotionally well-balanced human being, because the undisputable truth is that these stories of romance, love, and wedding day elation are really not that interesting and certainly shouldn’t be considered news. And the reason I know this is because I recently married, had a wedding, and celebrated with countless (252 actually) friends and family.
To be clear, I loved every minute of my wedding. From the awkward smiles for the cameras, to the awkward handshakes with people I’ve never met, to the awkward first dance where friends and family stared awkwardly as my wife and I twirled awkwardly to Sam Cooke’s “You Send Me”. Did I mention my wedding was awkward? Sincerely though, I loved my wedding, and although it may seem arrogant, everyone else seemed to as well. Great food, abundant liquor, and great music. What’s not to love? However, I, and others, loved my wedding so much because it was my wedding and all the guests knew me, my wife, or both of us. But as wonderful as our wedding was and as much as others enjoyed it, it certainly wasn’t newsworthy and neither is anyone else’s.
Take Rachel Sisson and Rohan Sarin for instance. Their photo makes them seem decent enough. They’re diverse, Rachel being Caucasian and Rohan being Indian, and therefore slightly unique as an interracial couple. However, superficial appearances aside, which is actually more than I care to know about them (Sorry Rachel and Rohan), does their tale of early affection, romantic courtship, and eventually exciting wedding really constitute as news? Moreover, should I as an avid news’ reader be forced to enjoy their smiling faces amidst the other News features of Eagles’ highlights, Penn State Scandal updates, Political developments, or Entertainment gossip? The answer to both questions is a resounding “NO!”
I don’t mean to sound too much like a Wedding Scrooge. It’s simply that such blatant efforts to placate the News reading populace of the Philadelphia region with such frivolous stories of irrelevant occurrences throughout the region because it won’t upset them, and may even make them happy, reflects a significant decline in journalistic integrity. Aside from journalistic standards, I have to question a person’s individual principles for wanting to share something that is usually reserved for the closest friends and family with so many strangers. The idea that a recently married and extremely innocuous couple would want to trumpet their personal romance to tens of thousands of absolute strangers reeks of gross lionization and self-absorption of a near Kardashian level. Such behavior conveys another slip down the slope of Reality TV syndrome and promotes its ever detrimental narcissistic and delusional tendencies that are plaguing so many Americans today.
I remember when all the formalities of cake cutting, first dances, speeches, table greeting, and glass tapping were concluded and my wife and I were finally able to just breathe and truly celebrate how excited and happy we were. We both ran to the dance floor and proceeded to dance with as many guests as possible, stopping occasionally to enjoy a drink or two. You couldn’t have wiped the smiles from our faces we were so ecstatic. The evening was beautiful. It was a fairytale night that we’ll never forget. But as memorable as it was, it certainly wasn’t news.
Reader Comments (2)
It is news to me. Who the heck would marry Patrick Edmonds? I'll come back with a more serious reply when I am done crying.
What a scoop by By Kellie Patrick Gates. I should have known to stop when she began the article with "Hello there", but instead I subjected myself to that embarrassingly sappy and cheesy Rachel-Rohan story. I guess it's more palatable for the readership than the likely real story for a couple that got together in college --they got drunk, hooked up, and one happened to contact the other after. Sorry, maybe it's my cynicism, but crap like that angers me.