There is ongoing debate about the credibility of celebrity news and their utility, especially as some major news organizations recently upped their celebrity coverage (think of Associated Press and Britney Spears). At the Future of Journalism conference organized by the Guardian was brought forth the idea that "celebrity is a cultural currency that fulfils a role."

Understanding the way why celebrity news are of importance seems to be hard for some, especially when teamed with paparazzi photos and gossip. Meanwhile, others, like Popbitch Camilla Wright creator , accept it to be a "defining part of our culture that won't go away."

Mo Tkacik, feature editor of the "girly" Jezebel blog, showed disbelief over the way that photos of celebrities like Britney could be printed with ludicrous titles.

Like with 'hard' news, newspapers and web sites are facing the question of whether they should publish a celebrity article or not, keeping in mind that publishing it might get them more readers.

"The rule is we follow not who they are but what they have done. They shouldn't just appear because they are famous, but if they say something funny or interesting. It's a qualitative judgment," said Hugh Muir, the Guardian's diary writer.

Muir also added that she wished that people who read the Guardian would be "interested in the whole spectrum of life-not just politicians."

According to Wright, people are still interested in celebrity news but the format in which they are presented changes.

James Robinson, editor of Observer, mentioned Daily Mail's strategy of publishing articles online that are different from the print version. That site has brought a significant number of traffic through its celebrity photo gallery. Wright said some sites have "complex routes" to these galleries, which may discourage viewers.

Marina Hyde, the Guardian's columnist, thinks that "journalists have become lazy" and that the best stories are those that require "getting out and digging" and not solely going to events planned by publicists.

Readers are worried that their newspaper will feature more show business articles than issues like Darfur or China. The Guardian writes that even if "academics" read the paper, they "might be just as guilty of a sneaky five minutes" about the latest Brangelina update.

As Chicago Tribune's Tim McNulty recently said, "For features, I want reviews and criticism and real substance but also utility." Like Tkacik, most editors however, seem to share the view that "there's no utility" to celebrities.

In a world where newspapers are getting shorter, the question of celebrity news is conflict-ridden.

Source: The Guardian