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Alright, celebrity weddings always attract the media’s attention, and I’ve no doubt that the seemingly impromptu nature of Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg’s marriage to long-term girlfriend Priscilla Chan enhanced the newsworthiness of what would still have been an interesting event under normal circumstances. What is in my opinion more than slightly obtuse, however, is the way in which so many of our most popular news providers have predicted – albeit in a subtle manner – that this marriage will eventually end in divorce. As the headline of this post suggests, this should not actually surprise anyone. Earlier this year, several news providers (incorrectly) stated that Facebook is now responsible for a third of all divorce applications in the UK. Take this information into consideration and it becomes abundantly clear why the media are intent on inserting the words ‘divorce’ and ‘pre-nup’ into as many headlines  relating to the billionaire’s wedding as possible. Each of these articles strongly imply, of course, that this marriage, as vast amount of money is involved, is more likely to end in divorce; a glib and crass assessment. No one can blame the other divorced billionaires or the divorce lawyers who’ve come out and stated that Zuckerberg will be trouble if he doesn’t have a pre-nup or that marrying Chan just one day after Facebook having been launched on the American stock market was a ‘smart legal move’. These individuals could do with the free publicity after all, and aren’t exactly renowned for their morality. Journalists and editors are no longer well-known for their dedication to ethics either, but I can’t help but feel like more scrupulous behaviour was required on their part when news of these comments came in; that a deaf ear should have been turned to the divorce lawyers and divorce billionaires. Why? Well, let’s consider the increasingly hegemonic discourse that such stories are creating. Thanks to the growth of such stories, it would seem that none of the world’s richest can marry without at least one, if not several sources suggesting their spouse has an ulterior and sinister motive.  Is it not reasonable to suggest that such stories could discourage many individuals from marrying their partners if there is a significant or even moderate disparity in their respective incomes? This is not to suggest that all couples should be encouraged to marry á la Sir Paul Coleridge, rather that the media should not discourage individuals that want to marry their partner from doing so because they fear the consequences of divorce.