ABSTRACT
The exponential rise of celebrity news coverage cannot be reduced to the peripheral so-called ‘soft news’ agenda; it is now a fundamental part of daily news planning. Despite the numerous images of stars walking along the red carpet for a film premiere and clips from seemingly cosy interviews in the green room, broadcast journalists increasingly find themselves having to negotiate a number of constraints placed upon them by the minders and public relations entourages that accompany celebrities. This not only affects the way journalists gather and produce their news items but can present a distorted image to audiences that interviewing celebrities must be the easiest and most glamorous job in journalism.
