While journalism is not the first thing that comes to mind when a person thinks about Harry Potter, that does not mean journalism is completely missing from the series! In Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire, there is a tabloid journalist named Rita Skeeter who works for the Daily Prophet. Upon hearing about the students who were selected to partake in the Triwizard Tournament, she decides to go to Hogwarts to interview them. She twists the words that the interviewees have said to her and writes her articles purely to entertain the readers, even if what she is saying did not actually happen. For example, while interviewing Harry Potter, she asks insensitive questions about if Harry thinks “it was the trauma of [his] past that made [him] so keen to enter such a dangerous tournament” and about how his “parents, were they alive,” would feel about his “attitude [which] shows, at best, pathological need for attention, at worst, a psychotic death wish.” She also says numerous times that Harry is twelve in the interview, and each time Harry says that he is actually fourteen, she moves on to the next question. After asking about if it was his past that made him enter the tournament, Harry tells her that he did not actually enter it and Rita just winks at him, completely ignoring his statement. Harry also notices that Rita had written down on her notepad that Harry’s eyes were “glistening with the ghosts of [his] past,” which Harry verbally disagreed with. They had been having a simple conversation, and yet she had fabricated so much information.
Later on in the movie, Hermione visits Harry before he fights a dragon to check up on him and offer him support. She hugs him because they are good friends, and also because she is worried he may be seriously injured in the battle. Seconds into the hug, there is a flash of light, and Harry and Hermione turn to see Rita and her crew with a camera, which has just taken a picture of them. Rita then says that “if anything were to go unfortunately today, [Harry and Hermione] may even make the front page” because of their “young love” and how tragic the loss would be for them. She does everything she can in order to get an interesting story, no matter how fabricated it is. While Rita and some of the students attending Hogwarts may know that Harry and Hermione are purely friends, not everyone who reads the article would know that. Overall, Rita Skeeter is not an accurate representation of every journalist, but there are some who are similar to her. It is common for media companies to twist the words of politicians, or take statements out of context, in order to incite bigger reactions in their audiences. Keeping an open mind while consuming media, as well as comparing the same story from different publishers, can help the reader understand what truly occurred during an event.
[2 images, 4 links, 4 quotations, 498 words]
Comments