With celebrity journalism, negotiating access can be akin to playing tug of war. The profile might be pegged to a celebrity's new project, whether a film, album or some sort of charitable undertaking.
In such a case, his or her team might grant access on the basis of that project being the article's central focus. The journalist, however, might prefer to use the project as a jumping-off point to examine the celebrity's contributions to society, reports The Washington Post.
As when writing about any subject wielding a great deal of power โ social influence, in this case โ the journalist's ultimate goal is to paint a fair and accurate portrait.
Sometimes that means including details the celebrity might consider unflattering or too personal, but which the journalist deems vital to a truthful and meaningful story. That last bit is where there can be a disconnect between the two points of view, most recently highlighted by one of the most influential pop stars in American history.
In a lengthy Instagram post Thursday morning, Madonna expressed how upset she was by a New York Times Magazine cover story titled "Madonna at Sixty," published days before the release of her upcoming album, "Madame X." She wrote that the piece, which centers on how she has navigated the pop-music world she helped shape years ago, fixates on her age and "makes me feel raped." (She also uses this analogy in the story, after which writer Vanessa Grigoriadis wonders whether to tell her that "women these days were trying not to use that word metaphorically." On Instagram, Madonna stated that, as a rape survivor, she is "allowed to use that analogy.")
