Sprewell Brouhaha Typical Media Hype

Howard Rosenberg has written one of his best columns, pointing out that the news media almost always take an incident, issue or occurrence and inflate its actual importance into what they believe will be a more newsworthy story (“Breaking Down the Sprewell News Spree,” Dec. 15).

Having worked with the media for 33 years, I know how celebrityhood, sensationalism and disaster are reported out of proportion to their real significance.

For several years, I was in charge of public relations for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and saw firsthand how a misguided individual (Robert Opel) can “streak” across the stage and gain national prominence, how a Latino woman (Maria Cruz) can dress up as an Indian and deliver Marlon Brando’s opinion on the mistreatment of Native Americans, and how George C. Scott can gain notoriety for disdaining the recognition of his peers.

How much more important it is for national and international events to be placed in an accurate context than is the case for the hype-driven entertainment industry. Rosenberg has said it well.

MARTIN M. COOPER

Cooper Communications

Woodland Hills