Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2019/06/06/clooneys-divorce-obamas.html
How wrong can one story be?
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How wrong can one story be?
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I’ve never clicked on one of these articles before, but I’ve always had a burning question pop in my head whenever I see it.
Can someone explain to me why anyone cares about tabloids?
If it’s as simple as, “It’s fun”, all good… but I can’t help but wonder if I’m missing something here.
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i worked at a tabloid for a brief period. they start with a photo, then just construct a fake story around it. the scandalous material and lies that could be grounds for defamation are all put quotes from vaguely identified sources such a “close friend” etc. so that the source can never be identified and challenged in court.
you’ll also notice that the stable of people they write about is very small. i was there for the brad/jennifer, paris/nicole, britney period. i can’t believe that they are still cranking out jen stories. do people even know who she is?
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Presumably regular readers of tabloids do if only due to the constant coverage.
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I miss the Weekly World News. I usually only read the headlines while standing in the grocery checkout line, but they were hilarious.
In the June 7, 1994, edition, *WWN* reported that 12 U.S. senators were aliens from other planets. The piece quoted several senators or their spokespersons humorously "confirming" the story. The Associated Press ran a follow-up piece that confirmed the tongue-in-cheek participation of Senate offices in the story. *WWN* quoted Senator Phil Gramm (R-TX) as saying he was "amazed it took you this long to find out." Charles Pelkey, the then-spokesman for Senator Alan Simpson (R-WY), told the AP: "We've got only one thing to say: Klaatu barada nikto."
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The only reason to click through to these posts is to see how many people ask why they’re here in the first place. They’re garbage compiled by a gossip writer from the Daily Mail and I don’t think you’re missing anything.
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