On Sunday August 28, 2008 big-screen funny man Owen Wilson, 38, attempted suicide in his home. Wilson has always been known for his hilarious on-screen personality in such movies as Wedding Crashers, Zoolander, and many more. After this incident, obviously there is a much darker side to Owen Wilson. On Sunday afternoon Santa Monica police responded to a call from Wilson’s California home, and he was immediately taken to the hospital. After his emergency hospitalization and recovery, production on his two upcoming films was postponed causing havoc to the studios.
While examining various mainstream media articles I found the coverage to be very similar. I read through articles from TIME Magazine, E! Online, MTV, Variety Magazine, ABC News, and the New York Post. All of the articles held Wilson in a positive light rather than from a negative perspective. Even though Wilson’s suicide attempt was a shock to many, the mainstream coverage did not try to bash him or put him down. Most articles had an encouraging tone to them and the hope that he would get better. Many of the mainstream articles were accompanied by Wilson’s immediate statement, “ I respectfully ask that the media allow me to receive care and heal in private during this difficult time.” Although the comment was short and sweet, it does get right to the point and surprisingly most mainstream media outlets respected Wilson’s desires in this desperate time. Also, one central theme of the articles was his recent break up with actress Kate Hudson as a possible reason for the suicide attempt. When it comes to the issue of quotes in these articles, there really were not that many. Almost all of the articles were accompanied by Wilson’s statement and some quoted Wilson’s friends, but that was about it. All in all, it is pretty obvious that the major media outlets have respect for Wilson and were not out to exploit his unfortunate incident, but to do their job and relay information.
The Blog coverage was very similar to the mainstream coverage, still positive and encouraging. I examined PerezHilton, The Superficial, PopSugar, and Damn I’m Cute when looking at blog coverage on Owen Wilson’s suicide attmept. All of the blogs were favorable towards Wilson but were more gossipy than the mainstream articles. The Blogs were emphasizing more the drama side of the suicide attempt than the health side, and focused on his recent break-up and drug abuse. This particular incident was such a surprise that the coverage did not have to be outlandish and rude to attract attention because audiences were shocked the incident even happened.
Surprisingly the blog coverage was very similar to the mainstream media coverage. Many times the blog coverage and the mainstream media tell the story in very different ways. Owen Wilson is such a well-liked celebrity, so his coverage on this sad incident was mostly positive and encouraging. One difference between the two was in the writing, the content was similar but the tone of the blogs was more casual. Another difference between the two is the blogs placed more focus on the break-up between him and Kate Hudson, and reasons why he might have committed suicide than just the plain facts.
I firmly believe Owen Wilson and his publicist did an excellent job in this crisis. Most of the coverage for such a negative incident was pretty positive. Since it was such a serious incident I believe everything was done correctly. If I was Wilson’s publicist I do not think I would have done anything differently, I believe they handled the situation in a classy, respectful way. Obviously Wilson and his publicist did a pretty great job because Wilson is still a well-respected celebrity and this incident did not affect his reputation.
Blog Articles
Mainstream Media Articles
http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1657561,00.html
http://www.eonline.com/news/article/index.jsp?uuid=627fa316-b5d8-483e-b337-6598b481ac0f
http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1568417/story.jhtml
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117970956.html?categoryid=1236&cs=1&query=owen wilson+suicide
http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/story?id=3526977
http://www.nypost.com/seven/08282007/news/nationalnews/owen_in_suicide_attempt.htm
Blog Articles
http://perezhilton.com/category/owen-wilson/page/2/
http://thesuperficial.com/2007/08/owen_wilson_attempts_suicide.php
http://www.damnimcute.com/the-juicy/owen-wilson-slashed-wrists-over-kate-hudson/
