#2- Tabloid Journalism
Tabloid journalism. It's been around for longer than you might think. Originally the word "tabloid" just described a compact news publication but since that time the connotation has shifted towards the negative. You've likely heard the term "yellow journalism", which was the original basis for present day tabloids. Now when we hear tabloid we think of gossip inaccurate news, or just blatant lies. The modernized equivalent is click bait. As a younger person I know the outrage of clicking a link and expecting one thing but receiving another. Imagine, if you haven't done it, giving your hard earned money at someplace like a grocery store to read a juicy store involving the royal family or the Kardashians, only for it to obviously be a complete lie. As someone who isn't a huge fan of drama I can't say I've experienced this displeasure with printed press.
History of Tabloid Journalism
To summarize the article "first tabloid" was published in 1833 and was called the The New York Sun. Unlike almost all other newspapers it was sold individually for one cent instead of by subscription. The outlandish stories were widely popular among lower income citizens. One of the most notable tabloid publications is The Daily Mirror, founded in 1903 and now know simply as The Mirror. While they have tried to include more actual news in recent years the titles are usually all laughably bad and obvious click bait.
Other tabloids had wilder claims. My personal favorite's were the amusing stories back up into the early 2000's about "bat boy". No, He isn't a reject sidekick for a certain caped crusader. Bat boy was a character in the Weekly World News tabloid who was reported to be half-human and half-bat. While relatively harmless, these stories have caused a bit a stir. This is a perfect example of stories being fabricated entirely but still making decent sales. Unlike many others, stories like this aren't making damaging claims about celebrities with zero proof. There is now a website that is seemingly the "official" page which pokes fun at the publication with hilariously bad headlines.
So is there anything in place to protect the integrity of the famous people that these magazines berate? There are laws in place to stop egregious defamation. For written press the law is called libel and spoken shade is called slander. With all the numerous publications on various forms of media it's hard to keep track of all the misinformation spewed about famous individuals. The hard part about charging someone with these crimes is that the court must prove malicious intent, this is particularly difficult in the U.S. due to the constitution.
Jeff Bezos had a defamation lawsuit sent his way recently by the brother of his girlfriend. It was in connection to a story in the National Inquirer. Bezos and his head of security supposedly told journalists that the brother, Michael Sanchez, leaked explicit photos of Bezos. Sanchez claims that a number of things happened such as how Bezos and his sister kept their relationship secret based on the advice of a psychic. Another claim was that Sanchez's house was searched by the FBI. I doubt this suit will go anywhere. As it is in many cases, these situations are largely based on hearsay.
History of Tabloid Journalism
To summarize the article "first tabloid" was published in 1833 and was called the The New York Sun. Unlike almost all other newspapers it was sold individually for one cent instead of by subscription. The outlandish stories were widely popular among lower income citizens. One of the most notable tabloid publications is The Daily Mirror, founded in 1903 and now know simply as The Mirror. While they have tried to include more actual news in recent years the titles are usually all laughably bad and obvious click bait.
Other tabloids had wilder claims. My personal favorite's were the amusing stories back up into the early 2000's about "bat boy". No, He isn't a reject sidekick for a certain caped crusader. Bat boy was a character in the Weekly World News tabloid who was reported to be half-human and half-bat. While relatively harmless, these stories have caused a bit a stir. This is a perfect example of stories being fabricated entirely but still making decent sales. Unlike many others, stories like this aren't making damaging claims about celebrities with zero proof. There is now a website that is seemingly the "official" page which pokes fun at the publication with hilariously bad headlines.
So is there anything in place to protect the integrity of the famous people that these magazines berate? There are laws in place to stop egregious defamation. For written press the law is called libel and spoken shade is called slander. With all the numerous publications on various forms of media it's hard to keep track of all the misinformation spewed about famous individuals. The hard part about charging someone with these crimes is that the court must prove malicious intent, this is particularly difficult in the U.S. due to the constitution.
Jeff Bezos had a defamation lawsuit sent his way recently by the brother of his girlfriend. It was in connection to a story in the National Inquirer. Bezos and his head of security supposedly told journalists that the brother, Michael Sanchez, leaked explicit photos of Bezos. Sanchez claims that a number of things happened such as how Bezos and his sister kept their relationship secret based on the advice of a psychic. Another claim was that Sanchez's house was searched by the FBI. I doubt this suit will go anywhere. As it is in many cases, these situations are largely based on hearsay.
Comments
Post a Comment