Written by Applefadila
The entertainment industry often brings fame to those involved in it. For example, the actors involved in Hollywood movies are often under the spotlights and gain instant popularity. Thus, reporters would always lay eyes on their latest stories, and the most favorite are their relationship stories.
Taking a couple of examples (whereby they were a couple themselves); let us talk about A-List actors, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie who are also well-known as “Brangelina”. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt began their romance on the set of “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” but Angelina was reported saying she did not chase the male actor because he was married to “her best friend”. She also told Vogue magazine she never wanted to ruin Pitt’s marriage to actress Jennifer Aniston, but it just happened that way (FoxNews). However, as the saying goes “the sky is not always blue”, after being married for 2 years and 12 years of relationship, and six children later, their bond broken.
It was only in July 2015, that the InTouch Magazine started to report on the marriage of the lovebirds that was hitting rock bottom. It was first reported on July 6, 2016 that Brad Pitt was alleged to have had enough with Angelina Jolie because she was always controlling him since the first day they had relationship together. The July 6 cover of In Touch Magazine’s headline reads, “Brad And Angelina Shocker: Divorce Announcement – How It All Went Wrong After 10 Years” also talked about what could have possibly gone wrong only after just one year the couple exchanged their vows (Austin).
However, only in the second half of the year 2016 that the news of Brangelina’s actual divorce started to circulate on the Western media. In July 2015, an article made headlines by InTouch Magazine stated Jolie has gotten furious that her husband of two years had reunited with his ex, Jennifer Aniston following the death of her mother. The actor was said to contact his ex to show his sympathy but Angelina did not take that in a good light (Sitzer). The headline was exactly a year after the magazine’s first revelation on the couple’s shaky marriage in July 2015.
Following the shocking news by InTouch magazine, our local newspaper in its spread and also online portal reported with the headline “Tangguh Cerai Kerana Filem” on how Brangelina decided to postpone their divorce due to their then on-going movie together, “By The Sea” in which they play as a romantic couple (Utusan Online: Gareet Dawum). Utusan Online on September 22, 2016 with the title “Brad Pitt Berang Jolie Fail Cerai” reported on Brad Pitt’s anger towards Jolie’s allegation that he neglected their children that caused her to file for divorce. (Utusan Online).
As this is the new media era, the emergence of blogs and websites especially on local and international gossips had caused a shift on the citizens’ preference in gaining information, whereby they now make as “netizens” which are the crowd of people who seek and search for information online. A famous local entertainment website, BeautifulNara, did not miss the chance to report on the sensational issue of Brangelina’s broken bond.
Quoted from the website which reads “Dunia hiburan antarabangsa hari ini dikejutkan dengan berita Angelina Jolie yang telah memfailkan penceraian terhadap suaminya, Brad Pitt. Pasangan Hollywood yang terkenal ini telah pun berkahwin sejak tahun 2014 (namun telah bersama lebih kurang 10 tahun) dan memiliki 6 orang anak termasuk 3 orang anak angkat” (BeautifulNara.com).
Translation:
“The international entertainment world today was shocked over the news that Angelina Jolie has filed for a divorce from her husband Brad Pitt. The well-known couple has been married since 2014 but has been staying together for 10 years. The couple has six children 3 of whom are their biological ones”.
On the other hand, local newspaper, Harian Metro through their online portal, MyMetro published an article titled “Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt bercerai” on 20th September, 2016 which stated “Angelina Jolie fail perceraian daripada suaminya Brad Pitt selepas 2 tahun berkahwin secara rasmi. Dia juga dilaporkan menuntut hak penjagaan terhadap enam anak mereka, lapor portal berita selebriti TMZ, hari ini. TMZ mendakwa, Angelina, 41, memfailkan tuntutan cerai di mahkamah pada Isnin lalu atas alasan tiada persefahaman dengan tarikh perpisahan dinyatakan bermula 15 September lalu” (MyMetro).
Translated as “Angelina Jolie has filed for a divorce from her husband Brad Pitt after being officially married for 2 years. Angelina was also reported to file for custody over their six children- TMZ celebrity news reported today. Angelina, 41, filed for a divorce on last Monday on the grounds of lack of understanding and the date is alleged to start from15 September 2016”.
There are some examples of reports from the western media on Brangelina’s split issue. Inside Edition interviewed Jolie’s father, who is also an actor on his daughter’s divorce. It was clearly seen from the tabloid’s action that it tried to gain more readers by doing “something more” which is by interviewing someone apart from the couple in concern.
It was made headlines with the title “Jon Voight On Daughter Angelina Jolie’s Divorce From Brad Pitt: ‘Say A Little Prayer”. According to the 77-year-old actor he was saddened by the news. He thought that something very serious must have happened for Pitt to make a decision like she did. Moreover, it also quoted from TMZ that Jolie does not want Pitt to have any physical custody of their kids, only legal custody because Jolie “was extremely upset with his methods” of parenting (Inside Edition).
Some media outlets had also become a bit extreme when they reported on cheating allegations involving both Pitt and Jolie. As an instance, ITechPost published an article titled “Reason Of Divorce: Angelina Jolie Cheating On Brad Pitt”. Even though further in the article, it had stated that the cheating allegation on Jolie was untrue, however the way the reporter put the words in headlines showed that it was not a question, but rather a statement. The absence of the “?” mark also indicates a voiced-out statement. This is a form of a negative reporting whereby they use direct and sensational words in headlines to allure readers to click on the posts or to read them. The words used in the headlines sometimes contribute to defamation, because they are often put in a manner which is confusing to the public or even carry multiple meanings and contain innuendos.
Quoted from the said website (ITechPost),
“A new report said that Angelina Jolie was unfaithful to Brad Pitt. Prior to her first divorce filing, Angelina Jolie is accused of having extramarital affairs with a billionaire while still married with Brad Pitt. The report also said that she’s now dating the billionaire”.
It did not stop there. Pitt was also accused on having an affair. They also stated, based from an unreliable report, the investigator to Pitt’s affair was even hired by Jolie herself.
“Through the months the two has faced with allegations of having an affair between Pitt and his Allied co-star, Marion Cotillard. So when Angelina filed the divorce, people tend to blame Brad Pitt for what happened. In one report said that Pitt and Cotillard’s affair had been confirmed by an investigator hired by Angelina.”
Apart from that, the western media also has the tendency to twist the issues in concern. Instead of focusing on the issue of the couple’s divorce, some media tried to take advantage by exaggerating on other issues and twisting them to make the posts or reports more likeable. The Hollywood Gossip with the title “Brad Pitt’s Sons: You’re a Disappointment as a Father!” stated
Brad Pitt is not, perhaps, making the familial progress that he hopes.
It further stated, Pitt is slammed for being a “disappointment” in his sons’ eyes, and it also stated “it doesn’t get much bleaker than that”. Reports have emerged that Brad Pitt had an opportunity to take his sons to a Sublime/Offspring concert, but backed out at the last minute, leaving them heartbroken and devastated. Pax and Maddox, Brangelina’s two eldest boys, were said to be “crushed” when their dad pulled out of their concert plans last-minute. The report also claimed that the boys are not taking things between their estranged parents well at all (The Hollywood Gossip; Sarah Taylor).
A question to put in first; how is it relevant that the breaking of promise to go to a concert constitute to a major disappointment? Plus, the words used in the headlines show as if they were uttered by the children themselves while by right, they did not say anything. It was just the way of the media, and in this case, The Hollywood Gossip, to twist the issue, and manipulate the usage of words in the headlines or articles so as to become more controversial in nature. Moreover, in this case, Pitt was undergoing investigation with the Federal Bureau Investigation (FBI) and DCFS regarding child abuse allegation placed against him arising from his argument from their first (adopted) child, Maddox. However, an official press-release statement by the FBI had proven that Pitt did not abuse his child and that such allegations against him were cleared (US Weekly; Sierra M & Evan R.).
Hence, when The Hollywood Life published the article with such headlines, it added more “commercial value” on it, and obviously people or readerss had high tendencies to click on the post just because they thought that Pitt might really be a bad father after all. This type of reporting does not follow the journalist’s Code of Ethics. Such writing styles have a very high tendency to ignite defamation, and they may face the risk of being brought to court for civil offences.
In a nutshell, it was saddening to hear that Brangelina is no longer an “item”. What are the effects of the split? Well, there goes the “perfect relationship”, “fairytale” or “beyond romantic relationship” that public once viewed Brangelina with. A majority of the people has also set Brangelina as a “relationship goal”.
Just think about this phrase; there are not any oceans without tides, and beaches without waves. Some might say their “prefect couple” is now a memory, but those who truly know life would understand that not everything is sweet in life. While some might wish for them to reconcile and rekindle their romance, some might be eager to wait for what more the entertainment industry has yet to offer? And with that, thank you and the end.
References
Austin, Amanda. Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt Divorce: Breakup Of Brangelina – Couple Agrees To Fake Marriage Until ‘By The Sea’ Movie Is Released. 27 June 2015. 9 November 2016 <http://www.celebdirtylaundry.com/2015/angelina-jolie-brad-pitt-divorce-breakup-of-brangelina-couple-agrees-to-fake-marriage-until-by-the-sea-movie-is-released/>.
BeautifulNara.com. Angelina Jolie Failkan Penceraian Terhadap Brad Pitt. 21 September 2016. 10 November 2016 <http://beautifulnara.com/angelina-jolie-failkan-penceraian-terhadap-brad-pitt/>.
CNN; Lisa R.F & Brian S. Angelina Jolie files for divorce from Brad Pitt. 2016 21 2016. 9 November 2016 <http://edition.cnn.com/2016/09/20/entertainment/angelina-jolie-brad-pitt-divorce/>.
FoxNews. Angelina Jolie Reveals How She and Brad Pitt Fell in Love. 12 December 2006. 9 November 2016 <http://www.foxnews.com/story/2006/12/12/angelina-jolie-reveals-how-and-brad-pitt-fell-in-love.html>.
Inside Edition. Jon Voight On Daughter Angelina Jolie’s Divorce From Brad Pitt: ‘Say A Little Prayer’. 20 September 2016. 10 November 2016 <http://www.insideedition.com/headlines/18764-jon-voight-speaks-out-on-daughter-angelina-jolies-divorce-from-brad-pitt>.
ITechPost. Reason Of Divorce: Angelina Jolie Cheating On Brad Pitt. 11 October 2016. 10 November 2016 <http://www.itechpost.com/articles/38964/20161011/reason-divorce-angelina-jolie-cheating-brad-pitt.htm>.
MyMetro. Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt Bercerai. 2016 September 2016. 9 November 2016 <http://www.hmetro.com.my/node/167901>.
People.com; Diana Pearl. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s Divorce: The 7 Biggest Revelations. 23 September 2016. 9 November 2016 <http://people.com/celebrity/angelina-jolie-brad-pitt-divorce-biggest-bombshells/jolie-is-seeking-sole-physical-custody-of-the-kids>.
Sitzer, Carly. Angelina Jolie Goes Nuclear After Learning Brad Pitt Was In-touch With Ex Jennifer Aniston (Exclusive). 6 July 2016. 9 November 2016 <http://www.intouchweekly.com/posts/angelina-jolie-jennifer-aniston-brad-pitt-107088>.
The Hollywood Gossip; Sarah Taylor. Brad Pitt’s Sons: You’re a Disappointment as a Father! 18 October 2016. 10 November 2016 <http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2016/10/brad-pitts-sons-youre-a-disappointment-as-a-father/>.
US Weekly; Sierra M & Evan R. FBI Releases Statement on Brad Pitt’s Child Abuse Investigation. 22 September 2016. 10 November 2016 <http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/fbi-releases-statement-on-brad-pitts-child-abuse-investigation-w441685>.
Utusan Online. Brad Pitt Bengang Jolie Fail Cerai. 22 September 2016. 9 November 2016 <https://www.utusan.com.my/berita/luar-negara/brad-pitt-berang-jolie-fail-cerai-1.385659>.
Utusan Online: Gareet Dawum. Tangguh Cerai Kerana Filem. 28 July 2015. 9 November 2016 <https://www.utusan.com.my/hiburan/tangguh-cerai-kerana-filem-1.117960>.