ABSTRACT
This chapter pays attention to the mediated nature of celebrity in general and of celebrity philanthropy and activism in particular. It first explores the nature and specifics of celebrity journalism and the key values, selection criteria and routines that underpin it, illustrated with two case studies of which celebrities make it into the news with what topics and what aspects of their lives. Next, it focusses on news regarding celebrity philanthropy and activism and the selection criteria that apply there, again illustrated with a case study. Subsequently, the chapter introduces how mediated communication about celebrity crucially revolves around stories or narratives, not just about the celebrities, but about the world at large. It elaborates on how this can be studied by means of an inductive, qualitative framing analysis. The final section takes a look at audiences and how they deal with celebrity news and stories, bringing their own relationship with the celebrity, interaction with peers and personal experiences to the interpretation of celebrity coverage.
