‘This is not how cancer looks’: Celebrity diagnosis and death in the tabloid media

Abstract

Jade Goody was publicly diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2008, and prior to her death in 2009 she remained a permanent presence in the celebrity and tabloid press. And although popular commentary refers to the ‘Jade Effect’ whereby young women, who otherwise would not have gone for testing, are seeking out cervical screening programs after the death of Jade Goody, it is important that we understand the ways in which tabloid readers engage with celebrity news stories. With this in mind this article draws on focus group discussions with young female OK! readers to explore the ways in which they make use of, find comfort in, or take umbrage at the news coverage of celebrity illness, concluding that readers were at best frustrated and at worst angered by a lack of authenticity and candid imagery, which is surprising given the ‘airbrushed’ and ‘orchestrated’ nature of their chosen publication.

The Social Construction of Death

“…Recognising limitations in existing empirical media reception research on Goody's illness and dying, the research project (Ashton and Feasey, 2013) this chapter draws on employed a grounded theory approach Dey, 1999) to move beyond 'preconception and conjecture' and address how coverage of Goody's death intersects with how individuals make sense of their health concerns (see Andrews, 2012, on the compatibility of social constructionism and grounded theory). The influence of symbolic interactionism on grounded theory was evident in this research with the concern for exploring interpretative processes, personal actions and responses based on social meanings.…”

“…This chapter draws on analysis from focus group research conducted between May 2010 and January 2012 consisting of 107 participants across 32 groups in London, Cardiff and the South West of the United Kingdom (see Ashton and Feasey, 2013). As Buckingham (2009, p. 644) notes, 'the focus group is a very specific kind of communicative situation' that with 'skillful interviewing can help researchers gain access to at least some of the "repertoire of discourses" that are available to participants'.…”

“…Focus groups were recorded, transcribed and coded to identify key themes and significant frames of reference as they emerged from participants. A coding scheme for analysis emerged during the focus group data rather than through the interview categories or any pre-conceptualisations and the following themes were identified: 'ordinary celebrity'; 'health attitudes and actions'; 'connections with personal experiences'; 'public understandings'; and 'imagery' (see Ashton and Feasey, 2013). For Eldridge et al (1997, p. 165):…”

“…Goody was a celebrity, but ordinary in terms of 'achievements' and 'talent' (Rojek, 2001). Her ordinariness was the basis for securing invested audiences and she only ever played herself (Ashton and Feasey, 2013). Carpentier and Hannot's (2009) discussion of the identities of 'ordinary people' is instructive for understanding Goody's status as ordinary and celebrity.…”

“…It was the everyday and ordinary that defined coverage of Goody in Big Brother , in the Living with ... Jade documentary series (Kavka and West, 2010), and in her relationship with OK! magazine (Ashton and Feasey, 2013).…”