The Media

[Dinah]

We just got a very brief look of the media in the 22nd century with the introduction of Gannett Brooks in "Demons" and "Terra Prime." What do you think the media would be like in the 22nd century? Would their priorities be "if it bleeds, it leads?" Would there be paparazzi? Would there be competition for news stories between networks or would there be basically one or two government-controlled networks?

And how would the media treat the story of Trip and T'Pol's relationship? Would the two commanders have to go into seclusion to avoid reporters? Would reporters go after Trip's family and friends? Would Starfleet have the right to control access to information and to their people? Could Trip and T'Pol become the Brad Pitt/Angeline Jolie or their time period?

[honeybee]

Well, I'm a journalism professor - and I think the nature of media reportage will change via technology - but the nature of what people read and what they want to hear about - would not.

I do think that the media would pursue Trip's family and pursue TnT for awhile thereafter, although given the awful nature of what happened - I think they'd keep a respectable distance. I follow how the tabloids cover various stories as part of my job, and I've recently been documenting how Marie Osmond's son's suicide has been written about in the tabloids - basically at a distance. When a sympathetic person or persons suffers a tragedy, the media will cover it but they don't want their readers to turn on them. So, they will try and balance respecting the subject's grief while getting as much information as they can.

If TnT's relationship had been revealed by something other than the creation of Elizabeth, I can imagine them be personally harassed by tabloids. But in the aftermath of Elizabeth's death, I imagine that their colleagues and Trip's family would be more heavily pursued for information.

Then, the "respectable" media outlets would cover the diplomatic/political aspects of the story.

Several months later, there would be a long form narrative article detailing the events leading up to Demons & Terra Prime and the aftermath, while an eye toward objectivity. This would appear in the 22nd Century version of "The New Yorker" or "The Atlantic".

[Silverbullet]

Believe you are right, Honybee. If the relationship is revealed through the tradgedy of a childs death the media would handle it with KId gloves. However, what would the Yellow Journalism of Terra Prime do with it? Probably try to smear TnT as long as it could before the government put a damper on it. I imagine there might be publications like the "Supermarket Trash" that holds nothing sacred and wallows in Cerap mostly made up.

I tried to imagine once TnT before Elizabeth landig on Earth and attempting to have a vacation somewhere. The media finding out about it and they would have been hounded and followed.

Good question Dinah

[Aquarius]

I pretty much agree with honeybee. This would be akin to coverage of, say our astronauts or our military. Starfleet would do its best to clamp down on anything unpleasant and probably wants very little of its crew's personal lives floating around out there, save for the occasional PR stories and things like that.

The people, though, want to know every dirty detail and TnT would be fodder for some hot speculation. Because "Inquiring Minds Want To Know," there will be investigative reporters and paparazzi who will want to expose the "true" nature of Trip and T'Pol's relationship, etc., and there would probably be camera crews camped out around Trip's parents' house, etc., looking for a statement or sound byte or whatever.

Several months later, there would be a long form narrative article detailing the events leading up to Demons & Terra Prime and the aftermath, while an eye toward objectivity. This would appear in the 22nd Century version of "The New Yorker" or "The Atlantic".

Or maybe the "Barbara Walters Special"?

[Alelou]

Someday a future Glen Beck could suggest that "infinite Diversity in infinite combination" is code language for, you know, intergalactic Marxism... Because just who WOULD control that so-called "infinite" diversity, hmmm? Could it be....THE GOVERNMENT ... or what if ... bear with him a moment, while he sketches this out on his chalkboard ... what if it's the secret forces of tyranny that are working quietly behind the scenes to come up with an "ALLIANCE" (using fingers to indicate that "alliance" is also diabolical code) of planets!!! Yes, planets!!! (He draws some planets and highly suspicious lines between them, with a dotted line looping in whatever the future's version of Acorn is...maybe Starfleet.) And who would control THAT so-called alliance of planets, he wonders???? Anyone we know? Or would it be anyone on Earth at all? (His eyes tear up, and he ducks his head, trying to regain emotional control) Friends, this truly could be the end of democracy on Earth as we know it ... unless...[insert plug for whatever funky isolationist movement the future Glen Beck is pushing].

[honeybee]

I agree, Alelou, the Terra Prime friendly - media would couch all of their criticism of TnT with "patriotism" and "a desire to protect humans and Vulcans" - I ie - we're exposing this relationship for their own good - so that they will see that we just care about them and don't want them producing freak children or destroying their own lives.

And I agree there are probably 22nd Century analogs of Brad and Angie (we know they still make movies) that the tabloids would be most concerned with covering. TnT would occasionally get press - but Starfleet would manage their images and whatever "situations" arose from their relationship.

I can imagine that Starfleet might arrange a friendly interview for them with a sympathetic, respectable outlet. I can see TnT hating it, but doing it because they would believe it would deflect some of the more scuzzy tabloids and the fair and balanced Terra Prime reporters.

The first test tube baby got loads of publicity, but then settled into her life. People Magazine and other outlets occasionally checked in with her. If TnT had a child that lived, it would probably be something like that. But unlike many celebrities, I doubt TnT, once settled down, would not give the media much to write about.

[Aquarius]

Oh, I agree that TnT would try to keep as much of their personal lives on the down-low as possible. But I don't think that'll keep the media from trying. Sure, all things blow over eventually, they always do. But their lives are going to be a heartbeat away from being a media circus for a while.

[Dinah]

Quite a few fanfics have Trip and T'Pol settling somewhere besides Earth. Vulcan is often their destination. The only reason I could envision Trip walking away from his family is to avoid the press, the notoriety, and possibly the dangers from fringe groups like Terra Prime. Vulcan apparently doesn't have a media presence.

We know about the Vulcan Compound and Mr. Velik, Trip's teacher. Are there enough Vulcans on Earth, so that Trip and T'Pol wouldn't stand out? Is there any place on Earth where they could go and blend in?

[bluetiger]

In my story Scandal I had Terra Prime using the press to convince the public that Trip had an affair. I've seen media darlings taken down, it seems, just to have a story that day.

[Transwarp]

Great topic!

Many things have progressed in the 22nd century. Apparently the human race has finally reached the point where the whole planet is finally at peace, and humans realize they are just one of many sentient species. Racism is no more, and I believe even Terra Prime's violent xenophobia is representative of a tiny fringe element of kooks. Humanity only recently recovered from a long and brutal conflict (Eugenics war), which probably turned previous social orders upside down and taught the survivors grim lessons in the Things That Really Matter.

Given all that, is it too hard to believe that maybe 'Inquiring Minds DON'T Want To Know?' Maybe people have learned to give their neighbors a little space? Maybe they have learned that Holo-Star Rock Dashing's private life is just that--private? Maybe 22nd century journalist's have learned something from the excesses of the past, and realize that the 'people's right to know' does not trump a citizen's right to privacy. Perhaps the supermarket tabloids did not survive humanity's leap to the stars. Perhaps journalists were in the thick of the action throughout the Romulan war, and Starfleet didn't have to be concerned that a correspondent would leak information learned about an upcoming operation just to get an exclusive scoop.

Call me an optimist, but humans CAN learn from the past. One of the central premises of the Star Trek universe is that we DID.

[Silverbullet]

CAN. but would we? Yellow Journalism is still around after hundreds of years. It got it's name in the past. Scumbag ournalism and checkbook jounalism is still rampart today. I have an idea it wouldn't die out. It is a cruious part of Human nature that likes dirt, especialy if it is Dirt about the Famous or Rich. Little people want to drag down the Famous and give them feet of clay. To turn Heros in to goats.

Look at how many have garned fame by sleazy methods concerning the famous. Not goi g to name names but waatch my eyes.

TnT being the first interspecies Couple would be fodder for these types. I cannot see Humanity changing so much that Scumbags would disappear.

I am a realist. The supermarket Tabloids just replaced Magazines of the same ilk of decades ago. Same trashy innuendo meant to drag down someone. Those magazines got the Hell sued out of them and many went Bankrupt from paying for losing Lawsuits. Just as the Supermarket Tabloids of today.

[Aikiweezie]

Great discussion!

I've thought about this myself. Great opportunity for stories, here!

I do think that the dark sides of human nature can never be fully eradicated. Unfortunately the seeds of racism, xenophobia, intolerence will always be with us and all the ugly things that go with them (war, etc.) can still pop up every now and then. I remember either Trip or Archer telling someone that "War and hunger had been done away with," on Earth. That sounds a bit naive to me. All it takes is a few wackos on either side, left or right, to get something ugly in motion again.

BUT - As Transwarp said, one of the thing I also love most about Star Trek was their optimism.

One thing that will NEVER change, in my opinion, about humans, is our curiosity about new and different things. And Trip & T'Pol as a couple is a different thing. I think there would be interest from the public. And I think that Staarfleet and/or Trip & T'Pol would be put into some uncomfortable situations because of their relationship and the Terra Prime/Elizabeth incident.

[Asso]

Great discussion!

I've thought about this myself. Great opportunity for stories, here!

I do think that the dark sides of human nature can never be fully eradicated. Unfortunately the seeds of racism, xenophobia, intolerence will always be with us and all the ugly things that go with them (war, etc.) can still pop up every now and then. I remember either Trip or Archer telling someone that "War and hunger had been done away with," on Earth. That sounds a bit naive to me. All it takes is a few wackos on either side, left or right, to get something ugly in motion again.

BUT - As Transwarp said, one of the thing I also love most about Star Trek was their optimism.

One thing that will NEVER change, in my opinion, about humans, is our curiosity about new and different things. And Trip & T'Pol as a couple is a different thing. I think there would be interest from the public. And I think that Staarfleet and/or Trip & T'Pol would be put into some uncomfortable situations because of their relationship and the Terra Prime/Elizabeth incident.

That mirrors my thoughts.

[panyasan]

In the last 30 years the media has become more and more focussed on selling the news, to get that one quote to get the headlines. I know journalists (in my own country) how regret the constant pressure of scoring news. You need to get good ratings (no good ratings, no money) but on the other hand you want to inform the audience as good as possible.
I don't think that will change. So I figure that also in Trip and T'Pol age news is news and ratings are ratings, so news about them will be in every news channel or news paper. There are also going to be journalists who want a good informed story of Trip and T'Pol.
In a story I am developing I have on one hand the media blowing up the news and being interested in neat, attention getting head lines - on the other hand my OC is a very serious journalist from the National Science Review that founds out the real truth.

[Alelou]

As long as we have freedom of speech, which I hope is forever, we will always have people pushing their agendas by any means they can think of. I would hope, though, that the people of Earth are more educated in general in the future and a little less likely to fall for fallacious arguments.

However, even the most rational human will turn tribal if he feels his tribe is under threat. After the Xindi attack, there's NO WAY everyone on Earth would remain calm and accepting of aliens. Terra Prime or its equivalent is an inevitable political development.

I also think that celebrity gossip outlets will never die. Humans are just too interested in each other. The worst excesses might be curbed, but that's about it.