1 00:00:00,840 --> 00:00:04,040 Speaker 1: Hello, everybody. Have you ever been followed around by a 2 00:00:04,080 --> 00:00:06,680 Speaker 1: person to the camera taking pictures of you and your 3 00:00:06,720 --> 00:00:09,440 Speaker 1: family and your children, and then publishing them in a 4 00:00:09,520 --> 00:00:13,920 Speaker 1: newspaper or a weekly rag. Well, that happens to people, 5 00:00:14,040 --> 00:00:16,279 Speaker 1: doesn't happen to me, Probably doesn't happen to you. But 6 00:00:16,320 --> 00:00:18,720 Speaker 1: we're the lucky ones. But if you're celebrity, and I 7 00:00:18,800 --> 00:00:21,000 Speaker 1: know you kind of sign up for this. It's not 8 00:00:21,040 --> 00:00:24,200 Speaker 1: great to be followed around by tabloid photographers and be 9 00:00:24,320 --> 00:00:27,960 Speaker 1: splashed across those tabloid magazines. And this is all about 10 00:00:28,160 --> 00:00:39,159 Speaker 1: tabloid's from how tabloid's work. Welcome to Stuff You Should Know, 11 00:00:39,479 --> 00:00:47,960 Speaker 1: a production of I Heart Radio. Hey, and welcome to 12 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:52,440 Speaker 1: the podcast. I'm Josh Clark. There's Charles W. Chuck Bryant uh, 13 00:00:52,479 --> 00:00:55,000 Speaker 1: and this is Stuff you should Know. It's a podcast. 14 00:00:55,080 --> 00:00:59,960 Speaker 1: It's audio only, um, but coming soon it will also 15 00:01:00,120 --> 00:01:04,720 Speaker 1: include smells. Oh yeah, smell a vision, not vision, smellow 16 00:01:05,720 --> 00:01:10,039 Speaker 1: sound smell. It will just called it Smellow rama be 17 00:01:10,120 --> 00:01:14,120 Speaker 1: and grumpy people today. I'm not grumpy. You're grumpy. I'm grumpy. Jerry. 18 00:01:14,360 --> 00:01:17,160 Speaker 1: Jerry's grumpy. I'm fine. Y'all were grumping at each other 19 00:01:17,160 --> 00:01:19,039 Speaker 1: when I came in here. No, Jerry was mad at 20 00:01:19,040 --> 00:01:21,640 Speaker 1: me for being mad at her, which doesn't count. It's 21 00:01:21,680 --> 00:01:24,560 Speaker 1: just everyone's grumpy. It's such a grumpy day. I'm not grumpy. 22 00:01:24,560 --> 00:01:33,160 Speaker 1: It's just head legitimate. Everyone's scripy. So chuck. Yes, I 23 00:01:33,200 --> 00:01:36,360 Speaker 1: want to tell you about a great American hero, William 24 00:01:36,440 --> 00:01:43,560 Speaker 1: kat No okay uh. Many years ago, in the wilds 25 00:01:43,640 --> 00:01:49,040 Speaker 1: of I wish I could remember where he was found Mississippi, 26 00:01:50,440 --> 00:01:55,960 Speaker 1: a little guy known as bat Boy was captured. He 27 00:01:56,080 --> 00:01:58,760 Speaker 1: was caught on a rooftop during a flood in Mississippi, 28 00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:02,240 Speaker 1: and the authorities seized him and UM took him into 29 00:02:02,280 --> 00:02:04,600 Speaker 1: their care. He became a ward of the state. That 30 00:02:04,640 --> 00:02:06,800 Speaker 1: makes sense because bat boys are known to go to 31 00:02:06,880 --> 00:02:11,720 Speaker 1: higher ground during flooding. Yeah, and he did, true to form. 32 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:15,320 Speaker 1: Uh so uh. Bat Boy at first he didn't like 33 00:02:15,440 --> 00:02:19,920 Speaker 1: this captivity UM, but eventually he kind of became something 34 00:02:19,960 --> 00:02:25,359 Speaker 1: of a patriot by UM volunteering to go search for 35 00:02:25,520 --> 00:02:30,440 Speaker 1: Osama bin Laden and his Al Qaeda operatives UM in 36 00:02:30,480 --> 00:02:34,200 Speaker 1: the caves of Afghanistan. The reason bat Boy was so 37 00:02:34,240 --> 00:02:37,400 Speaker 1: good at it is because he was raising caves half 38 00:02:37,400 --> 00:02:41,639 Speaker 1: bat half boy names UM. He wasn't able to find 39 00:02:41,720 --> 00:02:44,720 Speaker 1: Bin laden, but he still returned to the U S 40 00:02:44,760 --> 00:02:48,240 Speaker 1: a hero after a long, long flight because he just 41 00:02:48,240 --> 00:02:52,360 Speaker 1: flew himself. Of course. And we know of bat boys 42 00:02:52,400 --> 00:02:57,400 Speaker 1: exploits thanks to a little newspaper known as The Weekly 43 00:02:57,600 --> 00:03:01,640 Speaker 1: World News. Have you heard of this? Two things? I 44 00:03:01,720 --> 00:03:04,600 Speaker 1: used to subscribe to The Weekly World. Yeah, for like 45 00:03:04,639 --> 00:03:06,320 Speaker 1: a year in high school, me and my buddy rad 46 00:03:06,360 --> 00:03:12,600 Speaker 1: did because it was fun Radcliffe, Radford. And two. I 47 00:03:12,600 --> 00:03:17,240 Speaker 1: didn't realize that bat Boy they continued his exploits. I 48 00:03:17,280 --> 00:03:19,440 Speaker 1: think bat Boy sold a lot of papers for well, 49 00:03:19,440 --> 00:03:20,920 Speaker 1: I knew he did, but I didn't know. I didn't 50 00:03:20,919 --> 00:03:22,720 Speaker 1: know they kept it up. That's awesome. I'm glad to 51 00:03:22,760 --> 00:03:26,359 Speaker 1: know that he was fighting the terrorists. Yes he did, 52 00:03:26,480 --> 00:03:29,200 Speaker 1: he tried to. I don't know if he was successful. 53 00:03:29,280 --> 00:03:33,799 Speaker 1: At least he went equipped more than with just a sword. Um. 54 00:03:33,840 --> 00:03:37,280 Speaker 1: But yeah, so bat Boy was a prominent character, I guess. 55 00:03:37,360 --> 00:03:41,880 Speaker 1: And The Week, which also bills itself as the world's 56 00:03:41,880 --> 00:03:49,400 Speaker 1: only reliable newspaper. Yeah, that little tagline or whatever. That's great. Yeah, 57 00:03:49,680 --> 00:03:53,080 Speaker 1: it's not around anymore in print. Yeah, I think I 58 00:03:53,160 --> 00:03:55,320 Speaker 1: remember a bit shutting down and being sort of sad 59 00:03:55,400 --> 00:03:57,520 Speaker 1: it's online, I guess. Yeah. In two thousand and eight, 60 00:03:57,520 --> 00:04:01,560 Speaker 1: it moved too and moved online. Yeah, so really every 61 00:04:01,680 --> 00:04:06,200 Speaker 1: aspect of that story from this outrageous UM claim that 62 00:04:06,240 --> 00:04:09,000 Speaker 1: the bat Boy was captured and sent to Afghanistan, to 63 00:04:09,600 --> 00:04:14,040 Speaker 1: UM calling itself tongue in cheek, the World's most reliable, 64 00:04:14,040 --> 00:04:17,240 Speaker 1: the world's only reliable newspaper to it's shutting down and 65 00:04:17,279 --> 00:04:20,960 Speaker 1: going online because of massive profit losses after being purchased 66 00:04:20,960 --> 00:04:25,520 Speaker 1: by this huge conglomerate of tabloid papers. The Weekly World 67 00:04:25,520 --> 00:04:30,479 Speaker 1: News is a perfect analogy for the course of tabloids 68 00:04:30,520 --> 00:04:33,760 Speaker 1: over the last like twenty years as a whole. Yeah, 69 00:04:34,000 --> 00:04:36,960 Speaker 1: and we're gonna dig into that. Um. I think it's funny. 70 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:38,880 Speaker 1: I never because I didn't know the little tagline, but 71 00:04:38,920 --> 00:04:41,599 Speaker 1: I guess they figured if we're just going to be 72 00:04:41,640 --> 00:04:43,880 Speaker 1: making up stories, because the Weekly World News, for those 73 00:04:43,920 --> 00:04:46,440 Speaker 1: of you who haven't read it, isn't just a tabloid, 74 00:04:46,600 --> 00:04:50,599 Speaker 1: I mean, it's like it's it's fan fiction. I mean, 75 00:04:50,640 --> 00:04:54,720 Speaker 1: it's completely ridiculous. They don't pretend. But that's why it's 76 00:04:54,760 --> 00:04:58,080 Speaker 1: funny that they said that the only reliable thing. They said, well, 77 00:04:58,120 --> 00:04:59,719 Speaker 1: we might as well just say that in the thing, 78 00:05:00,040 --> 00:05:02,880 Speaker 1: get it. Yes, And one of their apparently one of 79 00:05:02,880 --> 00:05:05,320 Speaker 1: their editors is quoted as saying, I could only find 80 00:05:05,360 --> 00:05:07,240 Speaker 1: one source for this quote, so I don't know how 81 00:05:07,839 --> 00:05:09,679 Speaker 1: true it is. It could be made up, which would 82 00:05:09,680 --> 00:05:12,240 Speaker 1: be kind of like this apropos meta parody of the 83 00:05:12,279 --> 00:05:17,440 Speaker 1: whole thing. But um, he said, if our if our 84 00:05:17,480 --> 00:05:22,000 Speaker 1: readers are informed, it's usually by accident. Really, so they 85 00:05:22,040 --> 00:05:24,960 Speaker 1: were well aware. That's great and it is an extreme example. 86 00:05:25,000 --> 00:05:27,599 Speaker 1: But there are there are some aspects of the weekly 87 00:05:27,600 --> 00:05:29,599 Speaker 1: World News that do fit the bill of the of 88 00:05:29,640 --> 00:05:33,120 Speaker 1: a standard tabure. Um. So I mean, let's talk about it. 89 00:05:33,120 --> 00:05:36,400 Speaker 1: What is a tabloid? Well, Um, should we start at 90 00:05:36,400 --> 00:05:38,120 Speaker 1: the beginning or should we just talk about a little 91 00:05:38,120 --> 00:05:39,640 Speaker 1: bit then do the history? Do you want to do 92 00:05:39,680 --> 00:05:42,160 Speaker 1: the history first? Man, Yeah, let's do the history first, 93 00:05:42,200 --> 00:05:47,039 Speaker 1: because positive that we don't practice. So I did see, Um, 94 00:05:47,120 --> 00:05:50,280 Speaker 1: there was one slight error. This is an ed Grabanowski article, 95 00:05:50,279 --> 00:05:53,080 Speaker 1: which are always great. But did you see this other 96 00:05:53,080 --> 00:05:57,560 Speaker 1: etymology for the word tabloid with the pill company No um. 97 00:05:57,640 --> 00:06:02,440 Speaker 1: In the late eighteen hundreds, apparently, um Burrows, Welcome and 98 00:06:02,480 --> 00:06:06,920 Speaker 1: Company was a pharmaceutical company in England. They produced at 99 00:06:06,960 --> 00:06:09,840 Speaker 1: the time like medicines were all like BC powder and 100 00:06:09,880 --> 00:06:13,039 Speaker 1: good he's powdered. They all powdered, and he I think 101 00:06:13,120 --> 00:06:16,000 Speaker 1: was the first one to make into to a pill 102 00:06:16,080 --> 00:06:19,160 Speaker 1: by compressing the powder, and he called it a tabloid 103 00:06:19,560 --> 00:06:24,520 Speaker 1: of cocaine. Yeah, it probably was. And um that that 104 00:06:24,600 --> 00:06:28,640 Speaker 1: word became to mean anything figuratively, that was a small 105 00:06:28,720 --> 00:06:33,080 Speaker 1: dose of anything. So the word tabloid actually became came 106 00:06:33,440 --> 00:06:39,240 Speaker 1: before I believe about ten years before the shrunken newspaper, uh, 107 00:06:39,320 --> 00:06:42,120 Speaker 1: the physical newspaper shrinking. Well, it still works. It's like 108 00:06:42,240 --> 00:06:46,560 Speaker 1: the origin of life on Earth comes from another planet, 109 00:06:46,560 --> 00:06:49,440 Speaker 1: but really, where did the origin of life begin? Right? 110 00:06:49,480 --> 00:06:51,839 Speaker 1: It doesn't answer the question. It's the same thing like, okay, 111 00:06:51,880 --> 00:06:55,680 Speaker 1: so maybe that's the origin of the word tabloid. Then 112 00:06:55,800 --> 00:07:01,360 Speaker 1: it was associated with newspapers that the tabloid paper um 113 00:07:01,520 --> 00:07:05,560 Speaker 1: is printed on a smaller, more compact version of the 114 00:07:05,680 --> 00:07:10,560 Speaker 1: normal newspaper newsprint called a broadsheet. Right, so the tabloid 115 00:07:10,600 --> 00:07:14,000 Speaker 1: is a smaller, more compact version the broadsheet is longer 116 00:07:14,040 --> 00:07:18,200 Speaker 1: and wider um and then the tabloid were usually printed 117 00:07:18,360 --> 00:07:22,600 Speaker 1: on the smaller paper, hence the word. Yeah. So at 118 00:07:22,640 --> 00:07:25,480 Speaker 1: first it was a pill, then it became the size 119 00:07:25,480 --> 00:07:28,240 Speaker 1: of the paper, and then later on it just became 120 00:07:29,080 --> 00:07:33,360 Speaker 1: um the style of the paper and size, but really 121 00:07:33,360 --> 00:07:36,680 Speaker 1: the style. But tabloids, as were explaining them, are basically 122 00:07:36,720 --> 00:07:41,120 Speaker 1: like um. They are also commonly referred to as rags 123 00:07:41,480 --> 00:07:47,560 Speaker 1: as UM gutter public. Yeah, they're gossip sheets, whatever it's 124 00:07:47,720 --> 00:07:52,520 Speaker 1: it's basically it's a it's a uh, slightly shifty, underhanded 125 00:07:53,160 --> 00:07:57,640 Speaker 1: newspaper and um tabloids. One of the ways that they 126 00:07:57,680 --> 00:08:00,840 Speaker 1: exist and always have existed is in compare us into 127 00:08:01,240 --> 00:08:06,360 Speaker 1: a quote, legitimate newspapers. So like originally newspapers that say, 128 00:08:06,400 --> 00:08:11,680 Speaker 1: like the beginning the early nineteenth century, they were extremely stuffy, 129 00:08:11,720 --> 00:08:15,680 Speaker 1: they were extremely expensive. They were like six cents per 130 00:08:16,160 --> 00:08:18,440 Speaker 1: which was like half a day's pay for the average labor. 131 00:08:18,680 --> 00:08:20,600 Speaker 1: Really dry. Man. If you ever read these old New 132 00:08:20,680 --> 00:08:24,960 Speaker 1: York Times articles, there's like they just really just you know, 133 00:08:25,840 --> 00:08:28,240 Speaker 1: they lay out the facts and then say the end 134 00:08:28,600 --> 00:08:31,480 Speaker 1: exactly like the AP used to do until a few 135 00:08:31,600 --> 00:08:34,079 Speaker 1: years ago. The AP always did that. It was sort 136 00:08:34,080 --> 00:08:38,160 Speaker 1: of straight who, what, when, how, where and why the 137 00:08:38,240 --> 00:08:42,840 Speaker 1: old journalistic pyramid exactly and then like maybe a quote 138 00:08:42,880 --> 00:08:46,880 Speaker 1: in there and that was it. UM. And so out 139 00:08:46,920 --> 00:08:49,120 Speaker 1: of this I guess kind of boredom and a need 140 00:08:49,240 --> 00:08:51,760 Speaker 1: for the working class to be able to, you know, 141 00:08:51,840 --> 00:08:54,480 Speaker 1: get their news too, because I couldn't afford it came. 142 00:08:54,520 --> 00:08:57,720 Speaker 1: The predecessors were tabloids called the penny press, so they 143 00:08:57,720 --> 00:09:02,120 Speaker 1: were cheaper, and they also did something different. They took 144 00:09:02,720 --> 00:09:07,760 Speaker 1: stories from just these boring facts, political stories, business stories, 145 00:09:07,800 --> 00:09:11,319 Speaker 1: that kind of thing, and started working on human interest stories. 146 00:09:12,160 --> 00:09:15,160 Speaker 1: And they changed the style of writing sentences for shorter paragraphs, 147 00:09:15,160 --> 00:09:19,559 Speaker 1: for shorter way more emotion. It was. It was designed 148 00:09:19,600 --> 00:09:22,880 Speaker 1: for that, like listen to the triumph of this family 149 00:09:23,040 --> 00:09:25,840 Speaker 1: over their evil landlord or whatever kind of what we 150 00:09:25,880 --> 00:09:30,040 Speaker 1: see now in mainstream newspapers. Exactly. Yes, a lot, a 151 00:09:30,040 --> 00:09:34,320 Speaker 1: lot of our mainstream UM media owes quite a bit 152 00:09:34,360 --> 00:09:37,160 Speaker 1: to the evolution of tabloids. And there's actually a point 153 00:09:37,200 --> 00:09:39,600 Speaker 1: where it kind of spread. Finally it made a jump. 154 00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:42,400 Speaker 1: But you can see throughout the history of tabloids and 155 00:09:42,400 --> 00:09:46,280 Speaker 1: newspapers this interplay where tabloids almost kind of break ground, 156 00:09:46,960 --> 00:09:48,960 Speaker 1: take a bunch of heat and flak for it, and 157 00:09:48,960 --> 00:09:52,440 Speaker 1: then newspapers like latch onto what they're doing. After after 158 00:09:52,520 --> 00:09:55,680 Speaker 1: it becomes co opted in normal behind the guys of 159 00:09:55,880 --> 00:09:59,920 Speaker 1: you know, we're the upstanding publication exactly just the sky 160 00:10:01,000 --> 00:10:05,400 Speaker 1: right I'm discussed by it all. Um. Yellow journalism came 161 00:10:05,400 --> 00:10:07,880 Speaker 1: about in the era of William Randolph Hurst with his 162 00:10:07,920 --> 00:10:11,240 Speaker 1: New York Journal later called The New York Journal American, 163 00:10:11,960 --> 00:10:15,760 Speaker 1: and he was the first person in the United States, 164 00:10:15,800 --> 00:10:17,960 Speaker 1: at least, because I think in England it even started 165 00:10:17,960 --> 00:10:21,320 Speaker 1: out before us. But I'm not mistaken. In England, I 166 00:10:21,360 --> 00:10:23,240 Speaker 1: think they were kind of like the birth of some 167 00:10:23,320 --> 00:10:28,319 Speaker 1: of the more tabloid style writing. But in America William 168 00:10:28,400 --> 00:10:31,720 Speaker 1: Randolph Hurst did with all of a sudden he started 169 00:10:31,720 --> 00:10:36,040 Speaker 1: doing some celebrity stuff and some murderer and little sensational 170 00:10:36,120 --> 00:10:38,520 Speaker 1: gore here and there, and he found that it sold 171 00:10:38,520 --> 00:10:42,360 Speaker 1: really well up until the Depression, when nothing sold really well. 172 00:10:43,360 --> 00:10:47,240 Speaker 1: Um pick up after the Depression when a very uh 173 00:10:47,559 --> 00:10:53,880 Speaker 1: monumental figure in tabloid history named Janetta Janetoso Pope or 174 00:10:54,000 --> 00:10:57,960 Speaker 1: Gene Pope Gene Pope jr. Um, He bought a Hurst 175 00:10:58,000 --> 00:11:00,600 Speaker 1: paper called The New York and Choir for seventy five grand, 176 00:11:01,520 --> 00:11:06,880 Speaker 1: changed it to tabloid size, started uh printing you know, 177 00:11:07,600 --> 00:11:10,719 Speaker 1: you know, stuff that he he figured people like to 178 00:11:10,720 --> 00:11:13,400 Speaker 1: stare at a car crash, So he was actually inspired 179 00:11:13,480 --> 00:11:17,760 Speaker 1: literally by seeing people like jockeying to see the blood 180 00:11:17,760 --> 00:11:19,560 Speaker 1: and the gore in a car crash and thought, wow, 181 00:11:19,640 --> 00:11:23,120 Speaker 1: people really are disgusting and crazy, so I'm going to 182 00:11:23,200 --> 00:11:25,440 Speaker 1: give them what they want. And he did remember the 183 00:11:25,480 --> 00:11:29,920 Speaker 1: crime scene photography episode we talked about we gi um 184 00:11:30,080 --> 00:11:32,480 Speaker 1: he he and he sold a lot of stuff to 185 00:11:32,559 --> 00:11:35,560 Speaker 1: Jeane Pope. Um, he printed a lot of his like 186 00:11:35,600 --> 00:11:40,839 Speaker 1: gory crimes photos. What's his name, right, Lewis Felig, I think, 187 00:11:41,000 --> 00:11:45,600 Speaker 1: but he went by W E G EIGI Interesting. Yeah, 188 00:11:45,760 --> 00:11:49,280 Speaker 1: so I said it again. Um yeah, I was cueing 189 00:11:49,400 --> 00:11:52,640 Speaker 1: like the Executive Orders episode how many times, like I'll 190 00:11:52,760 --> 00:11:57,360 Speaker 1: bunch you know why because it was super interesting. Um. 191 00:11:57,400 --> 00:12:00,280 Speaker 1: So he starts selling a lot of papers um, based 192 00:12:00,280 --> 00:12:04,559 Speaker 1: on this new style. And then a guy named Rupert Murdoch, 193 00:12:04,720 --> 00:12:08,120 Speaker 1: who you may have heard of, who saw or prove 194 00:12:08,280 --> 00:12:11,920 Speaker 1: that you could actually have pretty wide circulation um, and 195 00:12:12,000 --> 00:12:15,400 Speaker 1: began selling News of the World in England millions of 196 00:12:15,440 --> 00:12:20,040 Speaker 1: copies sex scandals. And then the Pope said, you know what, 197 00:12:20,120 --> 00:12:22,120 Speaker 1: if he can sell millions and millions of copies, so 198 00:12:22,160 --> 00:12:27,679 Speaker 1: can I let me changed the name to the National Enquirer. Boom, Right, 199 00:12:27,960 --> 00:12:30,840 Speaker 1: the National Enquirer was born. But um, the Inquirer is 200 00:12:30,880 --> 00:12:33,599 Speaker 1: we know it still wasn't born yet. It was the 201 00:12:33,720 --> 00:12:38,840 Speaker 1: thing they were crazy headlines about, like interracial sex and 202 00:12:39,000 --> 00:12:44,360 Speaker 1: lesbianism and like horrible acts of violence, posthumous violence. There 203 00:12:44,440 --> 00:12:47,880 Speaker 1: is this one headline um about a team ripping the 204 00:12:47,920 --> 00:12:50,200 Speaker 1: head off of a corpse to get at its gold teeth, 205 00:12:50,679 --> 00:12:53,640 Speaker 1: and always with the gory crime scene photos like the 206 00:12:53,679 --> 00:12:56,520 Speaker 1: pulp comics we're doing too. Yeah, very much. It was 207 00:12:56,559 --> 00:12:59,880 Speaker 1: just very tawdry. It's um, I mean if the stuff 208 00:13:00,120 --> 00:13:02,679 Speaker 1: uh and the inquiry today is tawdry, it's this was 209 00:13:02,760 --> 00:13:06,560 Speaker 1: just like it's not fathom model. But the reason it's 210 00:13:06,600 --> 00:13:09,800 Speaker 1: not is again because of Gene Pope. So he had 211 00:13:09,800 --> 00:13:14,040 Speaker 1: a lot of competition U and not just he, but 212 00:13:14,200 --> 00:13:16,440 Speaker 1: the whole industry was facing a big problem in that 213 00:13:16,480 --> 00:13:20,760 Speaker 1: news stands were starting to dry. So Jane Pope came 214 00:13:20,840 --> 00:13:24,360 Speaker 1: up with an idea. He's like supermarkets. Everybody goes to supermarkets. 215 00:13:24,360 --> 00:13:26,040 Speaker 1: I need to get in there now. I stand in 216 00:13:26,040 --> 00:13:28,440 Speaker 1: the line at the checkout stand, right. But he knew 217 00:13:28,480 --> 00:13:31,640 Speaker 1: like there was no way that any any respectable supermarket 218 00:13:31,679 --> 00:13:35,360 Speaker 1: was going to sell his tabloid, his rag that the required. 219 00:13:36,040 --> 00:13:39,760 Speaker 1: So he cleaned the thing up right, he um added 220 00:13:39,840 --> 00:13:42,800 Speaker 1: way more. He took a queue from Rupert Rupert Murdoch 221 00:13:42,920 --> 00:13:45,280 Speaker 1: and his News of the World, and um added way 222 00:13:45,320 --> 00:13:51,000 Speaker 1: more celebrity stuff sex scandals, but nothing tawdry like you know, um, 223 00:13:51,520 --> 00:13:54,320 Speaker 1: this stuff he was talking about before that was just 224 00:13:54,440 --> 00:13:58,160 Speaker 1: really it was more like a like a the Senator 225 00:13:58,240 --> 00:14:02,080 Speaker 1: got caught with somebody or whatever. Um. And there's this 226 00:14:02,160 --> 00:14:06,679 Speaker 1: guy named James Walcutt. He wrote for the for Vanity Fair, 227 00:14:07,120 --> 00:14:09,599 Speaker 1: and he wrote this article called us Confidential. It was 228 00:14:09,640 --> 00:14:12,320 Speaker 1: in the June two thousand two issue of Vanity Fair. 229 00:14:12,400 --> 00:14:16,360 Speaker 1: It was about this and about that transition going from 230 00:14:16,480 --> 00:14:21,120 Speaker 1: you know, the crime scene photography to um astrology overnight 231 00:14:21,200 --> 00:14:24,600 Speaker 1: so he could get into supermarkets. Uh, he said. Um, 232 00:14:24,680 --> 00:14:28,120 Speaker 1: the Inquirer's staff was aghast. It was like asking an 233 00:14:28,120 --> 00:14:32,160 Speaker 1: experienced team of grave robbers to take up gardening. So 234 00:14:32,240 --> 00:14:34,960 Speaker 1: that's pretty much how the Inquirer's staff took. We got 235 00:14:34,960 --> 00:14:37,040 Speaker 1: to clean up our acts and start writing about astrology 236 00:14:37,080 --> 00:14:39,920 Speaker 1: and celebrity sex scanals. And it wasn't even cleaning up 237 00:14:39,920 --> 00:14:42,280 Speaker 1: attacked that much. It's not like you said, we're going 238 00:14:42,320 --> 00:14:45,800 Speaker 1: to become the you know, New York Times. No, but 239 00:14:46,000 --> 00:14:48,240 Speaker 1: that's why they're there. Yeah, that's why when you stand 240 00:14:48,240 --> 00:14:51,160 Speaker 1: in line at a supermarket checkout line. It's because in 241 00:14:51,240 --> 00:14:54,000 Speaker 1: the nineteen sixties Jeane Pope was like, we got to 242 00:14:54,040 --> 00:14:56,960 Speaker 1: get in the supermarkets. I think people either read these 243 00:14:57,040 --> 00:15:00,840 Speaker 1: or they don't. Like I don't think anyone dabbles in tabloids, 244 00:15:01,840 --> 00:15:03,520 Speaker 1: you know what I'm saying. It's kind of like soap operas, 245 00:15:04,200 --> 00:15:05,760 Speaker 1: Like no one just says like, let me watch a 246 00:15:05,800 --> 00:15:08,160 Speaker 1: little bit of Days of Our Lives, Like you're either 247 00:15:08,200 --> 00:15:10,360 Speaker 1: hooked on this stuff or not. I agree with that, 248 00:15:10,400 --> 00:15:13,200 Speaker 1: but I think a lot of people are guilty of 249 00:15:13,200 --> 00:15:15,240 Speaker 1: picking up the tabloid and thumbing through it and then 250 00:15:15,240 --> 00:15:17,880 Speaker 1: not buying it in the supermarket checkout line. Well, now 251 00:15:17,880 --> 00:15:19,640 Speaker 1: you know what they do now, and of course we're 252 00:15:19,640 --> 00:15:21,160 Speaker 1: going to get to this, might as well bring it up. 253 00:15:21,200 --> 00:15:25,520 Speaker 1: They look at People magazine and US Weekly because they 254 00:15:25,680 --> 00:15:28,280 Speaker 1: have nicked from tabloids as well and become a quote 255 00:15:28,360 --> 00:15:32,480 Speaker 1: unquote respectable thing to pick up and read. Even now, 256 00:15:32,680 --> 00:15:35,560 Speaker 1: come on, do you ever read a People magazine? I have. 257 00:15:36,680 --> 00:15:39,320 Speaker 1: It's sort of tabloid at times, it is, and um 258 00:15:39,400 --> 00:15:42,600 Speaker 1: actually you can thank the Star for that. Um Star 259 00:15:42,840 --> 00:15:48,640 Speaker 1: used to be a tabloid sheet tabloid, right, and it 260 00:15:48,680 --> 00:15:51,200 Speaker 1: went over to the glossy format at some point. I 261 00:15:51,200 --> 00:15:54,440 Speaker 1: think that may be the late nineties, and um it, 262 00:15:54,880 --> 00:16:00,440 Speaker 1: it married those two things, glossyful magazine format with tabloid, 263 00:16:00,880 --> 00:16:03,720 Speaker 1: and it was enough of his success that people was like, well, 264 00:16:03,920 --> 00:16:06,160 Speaker 1: we've already got the glossy magazine part. Let's just start 265 00:16:06,200 --> 00:16:08,640 Speaker 1: doing the tabloid thing. Yeah, I mean what people have, 266 00:16:09,160 --> 00:16:11,880 Speaker 1: I mean legitimate articles still, but and they're not like 267 00:16:11,960 --> 00:16:14,800 Speaker 1: making stuff up, but they've definitely gone way into the 268 00:16:15,400 --> 00:16:19,000 Speaker 1: you know, look at the cellulite on the beach in 269 00:16:19,120 --> 00:16:22,080 Speaker 1: Malibu and look at this person, and look at that person, 270 00:16:22,320 --> 00:16:25,920 Speaker 1: and who wore it better? Plastics versus asters? Yeah, exactly, 271 00:16:25,920 --> 00:16:28,600 Speaker 1: stuff like that, who wore it better? I know somebody 272 00:16:28,640 --> 00:16:31,480 Speaker 1: who's been reading people. Yeah, when they have the two 273 00:16:31,520 --> 00:16:34,360 Speaker 1: ladies with the same dress, so mean, especially when it's 274 00:16:34,360 --> 00:16:37,600 Speaker 1: like eight two to eight teens now, I know, especially 275 00:16:37,640 --> 00:16:42,360 Speaker 1: when it's like, you know, it's just means. Sometimes I'm 276 00:16:42,360 --> 00:16:44,400 Speaker 1: gonna start wearing hockey jerseys and they'll be like, a 277 00:16:44,400 --> 00:16:47,640 Speaker 1: who were it better? Kevin Smith or podcaster Chuck Bryant. 278 00:16:48,080 --> 00:16:50,480 Speaker 1: People go, I guess Kevin Smith, because I've never heard 279 00:16:50,520 --> 00:16:53,320 Speaker 1: of this other guy. It's the same guy. It's the 280 00:16:53,320 --> 00:17:26,000 Speaker 1: same dude anyway. Alright, so, um, that's pretty much the 281 00:17:26,240 --> 00:17:29,960 Speaker 1: quick history of tabloids. Yeah here in the States, at 282 00:17:30,040 --> 00:17:32,840 Speaker 1: least England. We keep mentioning England because they're they're lousy 283 00:17:32,880 --> 00:17:35,440 Speaker 1: with it. Well, they're kind of on the leading edge 284 00:17:35,440 --> 00:17:40,120 Speaker 1: of the decline of tabloids right now. Yeah, let get 285 00:17:40,160 --> 00:17:43,680 Speaker 1: to that, all right. So before we go onto tabloid 286 00:17:43,760 --> 00:17:46,680 Speaker 1: stories and how they get these stories, we should point 287 00:17:46,720 --> 00:17:51,199 Speaker 1: out that the National Choir, the Star of the Globe, 288 00:17:51,280 --> 00:17:54,320 Speaker 1: the National Examiner, and Weekly World News, we're all purchased 289 00:17:54,320 --> 00:17:58,040 Speaker 1: by American Media, Inc. Like all all of those just 290 00:17:58,119 --> 00:18:00,720 Speaker 1: snapped them all up, basically, just goout on the show. Now, 291 00:18:00,800 --> 00:18:04,160 Speaker 1: every big tabloid in the United States was purchased by 292 00:18:04,200 --> 00:18:07,920 Speaker 1: this one company. And um, yeah, I think that's never 293 00:18:07,960 --> 00:18:09,760 Speaker 1: a good thing. Or maybe that's just me being it, 294 00:18:10,040 --> 00:18:13,439 Speaker 1: you know. Well that's the funny thing, like the title 295 00:18:13,520 --> 00:18:17,720 Speaker 1: of this sidebars, they control everything you read unless you 296 00:18:17,720 --> 00:18:21,120 Speaker 1: don't read any of those things. So, um, the the 297 00:18:21,560 --> 00:18:25,080 Speaker 1: am I, actually they're the reason the Weekly World News 298 00:18:25,080 --> 00:18:27,840 Speaker 1: shut down. Um, they were like, okay, as things losing money. 299 00:18:27,960 --> 00:18:30,800 Speaker 1: Am I posted a hundred and sixty million dollar loss 300 00:18:30,800 --> 00:18:32,960 Speaker 1: in two thousand and six and was facing like a 301 00:18:33,000 --> 00:18:35,920 Speaker 1: billion dollars in debt to bad Boy had to go. Yeah, 302 00:18:36,160 --> 00:18:38,960 Speaker 1: bad Boy went to the internet. Yeah that makes sense. 303 00:18:39,040 --> 00:18:42,439 Speaker 1: That's where bad Boy belongs. So okay, let's talk about this. 304 00:18:42,560 --> 00:18:46,080 Speaker 1: What what makes a tabloid? It's not just subjective. I mean, 305 00:18:46,280 --> 00:18:48,840 Speaker 1: it's tabloids like pornographer, you know when you see it, right, 306 00:18:48,880 --> 00:18:52,680 Speaker 1: it's tough to define. That's not um entirely the case. 307 00:18:52,720 --> 00:18:57,560 Speaker 1: There are some actual, um discernible distinctions among tabloids that 308 00:18:57,600 --> 00:19:01,280 Speaker 1: make a tabloid tabloid? Agreed, So what are there? Well 309 00:19:01,480 --> 00:19:03,639 Speaker 1: Ed points out here something really important. The key to 310 00:19:03,720 --> 00:19:07,800 Speaker 1: a tabloid story is not that it be true, just 311 00:19:08,119 --> 00:19:11,639 Speaker 1: that someone has said that it's true, and they latch 312 00:19:11,680 --> 00:19:14,760 Speaker 1: onto that person. And as long as they say, you know, 313 00:19:14,840 --> 00:19:18,639 Speaker 1: attribute these quotes to this person, then they can't be 314 00:19:18,640 --> 00:19:21,720 Speaker 1: held accountable. And that person is frequently cited as an 315 00:19:21,760 --> 00:19:27,480 Speaker 1: expert and a close friend. Sure, I mean, if somebody 316 00:19:27,520 --> 00:19:30,840 Speaker 1: it's all the way you present the story, if the 317 00:19:31,040 --> 00:19:33,400 Speaker 1: if you're saying, if your whole story is all about 318 00:19:33,400 --> 00:19:36,560 Speaker 1: how this person said something, yeah, it's not really about 319 00:19:36,560 --> 00:19:38,960 Speaker 1: the story. The story is still there, but you're focusing 320 00:19:39,040 --> 00:19:41,800 Speaker 1: on this person. It's like the the rule of the 321 00:19:42,520 --> 00:19:44,880 Speaker 1: of the tabloid industry. It's kind of a trick though, 322 00:19:44,920 --> 00:19:47,440 Speaker 1: because very much you're tricking people into thinking you're reading 323 00:19:47,480 --> 00:19:51,480 Speaker 1: about a story about Brandjelina. In fact, you're reading a 324 00:19:51,480 --> 00:19:56,399 Speaker 1: story about a former made that worked for Branchlina and 325 00:19:56,520 --> 00:20:00,720 Speaker 1: what they think is true, right, Or some crazy person 326 00:20:00,760 --> 00:20:04,239 Speaker 1: who has nothing to do with bran Angelina who like 327 00:20:04,520 --> 00:20:07,680 Speaker 1: just um, maybe saw one of them in a coffee 328 00:20:07,680 --> 00:20:11,840 Speaker 1: shop and like, notice they didn't tip or something like that. Bam, 329 00:20:11,880 --> 00:20:15,960 Speaker 1: there's your story. Um. Also, like we said that, they 330 00:20:16,000 --> 00:20:18,840 Speaker 1: like to add experts, and but the experts are in 331 00:20:18,840 --> 00:20:21,520 Speaker 1: no way, shape or form qualified in a lot of ways. 332 00:20:21,960 --> 00:20:25,600 Speaker 1: They have no credentials, they're not vetted. It's more say, like, um, 333 00:20:25,680 --> 00:20:30,400 Speaker 1: the example Grabmanowski uses is like a bigfoot enthusiast, Right, 334 00:20:31,080 --> 00:20:34,840 Speaker 1: if somebody spends a lot of time, uh, searching for bigfoot, 335 00:20:34,880 --> 00:20:39,520 Speaker 1: researching bigfoot, there there's no institute out there to qualify them, 336 00:20:39,520 --> 00:20:43,320 Speaker 1: to give them credentials. But you could reasonably make a 337 00:20:43,359 --> 00:20:45,919 Speaker 1: case of this person's a big foot bigfoot expert. Right. 338 00:20:47,160 --> 00:20:49,440 Speaker 1: The thing is is like the Inquirer or the Star 339 00:20:49,640 --> 00:20:51,600 Speaker 1: or the weekly World News is not going to the 340 00:20:51,640 --> 00:20:55,240 Speaker 1: trouble of explaining that. They just say bigfoot expert so 341 00:20:55,280 --> 00:20:58,240 Speaker 1: and so says that there's a bunch of these things 342 00:20:58,280 --> 00:21:01,760 Speaker 1: out and he's seen a bunch and he's an expert exactly. 343 00:21:02,119 --> 00:21:04,960 Speaker 1: My favorite is the leading quote, like, uh, they will 344 00:21:05,000 --> 00:21:08,960 Speaker 1: get the random person who saw Angelina Jolina coffee shop 345 00:21:09,200 --> 00:21:12,320 Speaker 1: and they will say did she look that? They would 346 00:21:12,359 --> 00:21:15,959 Speaker 1: say maybe something like yeah, she looked like she looked jittery, 347 00:21:16,040 --> 00:21:18,679 Speaker 1: and they would say did she look strung out and 348 00:21:18,720 --> 00:21:23,520 Speaker 1: that she had possibly been up for days without eating. Yeah, 349 00:21:23,520 --> 00:21:24,879 Speaker 1: she sort of looked like that, And then all of 350 00:21:24,920 --> 00:21:28,160 Speaker 1: a sudden, that's the quote because witnesses say she looked 351 00:21:28,200 --> 00:21:30,080 Speaker 1: strung out and like she had not eaten for days, 352 00:21:30,920 --> 00:21:33,040 Speaker 1: and uh, all they have to do is say yes, 353 00:21:33,280 --> 00:21:36,840 Speaker 1: exactly yes, or like would you say this? And if 354 00:21:36,880 --> 00:21:40,120 Speaker 1: the prison says yes and you just said that. Another 355 00:21:40,680 --> 00:21:44,520 Speaker 1: hallmark of tabloids is making a huge deal out of 356 00:21:45,320 --> 00:21:50,280 Speaker 1: something I guess other newspapers would consider small stuff. Yeah, 357 00:21:50,400 --> 00:21:53,360 Speaker 1: and like actually looking through other newspapers to find some 358 00:21:53,840 --> 00:21:58,440 Speaker 1: quasi interesting story and then blowing it up into possibly 359 00:21:58,480 --> 00:22:02,879 Speaker 1: a front page feature. Um, just by getting into this story, 360 00:22:03,119 --> 00:22:06,920 Speaker 1: really interviewing a lot of people involved um, and then 361 00:22:06,960 --> 00:22:09,399 Speaker 1: maybe throwing an expert or something like that, and just 362 00:22:09,760 --> 00:22:12,320 Speaker 1: basically making a lot a lot of hay out of 363 00:22:12,400 --> 00:22:19,120 Speaker 1: something very um kind of negligible. UM. And this by 364 00:22:19,200 --> 00:22:21,199 Speaker 1: adding a bunch of quotes and stuff and what do 365 00:22:21,240 --> 00:22:22,720 Speaker 1: you think about this? What do you think about that? 366 00:22:22,800 --> 00:22:26,399 Speaker 1: It takes it from being about the story, right, like 367 00:22:26,480 --> 00:22:31,159 Speaker 1: a UM man saved a goat from a burning building 368 00:22:32,760 --> 00:22:35,879 Speaker 1: to what these people think about this man and his goat? 369 00:22:36,240 --> 00:22:39,359 Speaker 1: And you can do anything with that exactly the love affair, 370 00:22:39,440 --> 00:22:42,560 Speaker 1: you mean, maybe who knows? As somebody said it, then 371 00:22:42,560 --> 00:22:49,040 Speaker 1: they could conceivably report if anyone said, um. Celebrity Uh. 372 00:22:49,200 --> 00:22:51,919 Speaker 1: Celebrity news is obviously one of the biggest parts of 373 00:22:51,960 --> 00:22:56,240 Speaker 1: tabloids these days at least, and they the writers have informants, 374 00:22:56,280 --> 00:23:00,840 Speaker 1: all kinds of informants from um secure people who had 375 00:23:00,880 --> 00:23:02,719 Speaker 1: worked for them, or who worked at venues where they 376 00:23:02,760 --> 00:23:08,639 Speaker 1: might have been hairstylists, nail salon people like anyone that 377 00:23:08,680 --> 00:23:10,960 Speaker 1: can dish up dirt, and they get in the rotation 378 00:23:11,600 --> 00:23:13,960 Speaker 1: and uh, I remember we shot you ever heard of 379 00:23:14,040 --> 00:23:19,000 Speaker 1: Janet Charlton, No, you might recognize her. She was a 380 00:23:19,040 --> 00:23:24,440 Speaker 1: gossip columnist and think did stuff for TV like entertainment tonight. 381 00:23:24,480 --> 00:23:26,320 Speaker 1: But that's how she made her living. And she was 382 00:23:26,359 --> 00:23:28,680 Speaker 1: like one of the more famous ones. And we shot 383 00:23:28,680 --> 00:23:30,520 Speaker 1: a commercial at her house one time in l a 384 00:23:31,240 --> 00:23:33,920 Speaker 1: and she was there hanging out and uh, I was like, 385 00:23:34,119 --> 00:23:36,280 Speaker 1: you gotta tell me some stories. And of course she 386 00:23:36,400 --> 00:23:38,159 Speaker 1: just loved that kind of thing, and she would just 387 00:23:38,160 --> 00:23:41,560 Speaker 1: sit down and regale us with stories about Michael Douglas 388 00:23:41,560 --> 00:23:44,080 Speaker 1: and his secret sex addiction and and she was she 389 00:23:44,160 --> 00:23:46,000 Speaker 1: always said like, well, you know, my sources tell me 390 00:23:46,560 --> 00:23:49,399 Speaker 1: she had a list a rollodex of people on the 391 00:23:49,400 --> 00:23:53,040 Speaker 1: bank roll that she would pay, you know, a few 392 00:23:53,040 --> 00:23:54,800 Speaker 1: bucks if it was not a big deal, to a 393 00:23:54,840 --> 00:23:56,720 Speaker 1: lot of money, if it was a big celebrity with 394 00:23:56,760 --> 00:24:01,719 Speaker 1: big news, and it's um, that's pretty much standard. Like 395 00:24:01,800 --> 00:24:06,160 Speaker 1: you were saying. There, there's this guy named um Paul 396 00:24:06,240 --> 00:24:09,520 Speaker 1: McMullen who wrote for I think News of the World, 397 00:24:09,880 --> 00:24:13,760 Speaker 1: and um, you know Dentel Elliott. He was he was 398 00:24:14,359 --> 00:24:17,800 Speaker 1: Indiana Jones's sidekick. I can't remember his name, but the 399 00:24:17,920 --> 00:24:21,199 Speaker 1: older British guy. Okay, here's this this huge star in 400 00:24:21,320 --> 00:24:24,800 Speaker 1: Great Britain and he had a very very beloved too 401 00:24:25,280 --> 00:24:27,080 Speaker 1: and he had a daughter who was addicted to heroin 402 00:24:27,480 --> 00:24:30,520 Speaker 1: and after he died. Um, she took like a big 403 00:24:30,560 --> 00:24:33,679 Speaker 1: turn for the worst, and this cop tipped off I 404 00:24:33,720 --> 00:24:36,640 Speaker 1: think another person who in turn tipped off Paul McMullin. 405 00:24:36,680 --> 00:24:39,000 Speaker 1: But the cop got a few hundred pounds for it. 406 00:24:39,640 --> 00:24:43,400 Speaker 1: Um that this girl was like, she's kind of a prostitute, 407 00:24:43,600 --> 00:24:46,320 Speaker 1: she's so much of a heroin addict, So whatever you 408 00:24:46,359 --> 00:24:50,760 Speaker 1: want to do with that. Paul McMullin goes and like 409 00:24:50,920 --> 00:24:54,359 Speaker 1: offers to pay this this lady like drug money for 410 00:24:54,400 --> 00:24:56,520 Speaker 1: sex or whatever, and she agrees, and like all of 411 00:24:56,600 --> 00:24:59,520 Speaker 1: a sudden, he starts reporting on it. He's got photos 412 00:24:59,560 --> 00:25:02,600 Speaker 1: and everything. Well, she ended up killing herself and he 413 00:25:03,040 --> 00:25:05,439 Speaker 1: now says, like, you know, I take responsibility for that, 414 00:25:05,520 --> 00:25:10,680 Speaker 1: which is meaningless, but um yeah he The all started 415 00:25:10,720 --> 00:25:13,880 Speaker 1: with a cop knowing about this and then tipping off 416 00:25:14,480 --> 00:25:19,639 Speaker 1: the reporters. So sad cops are not immune to this 417 00:25:19,720 --> 00:25:53,359 Speaker 1: kind of thing too, believe it or not, Josh. Another 418 00:25:53,359 --> 00:25:59,159 Speaker 1: way they'll get their information is from the celebrities themselves. Um, 419 00:25:59,200 --> 00:26:01,440 Speaker 1: from what I've gathered, did you're either you fall into 420 00:26:01,440 --> 00:26:05,639 Speaker 1: three categories. You either fight fight fight the tabloids. You 421 00:26:05,720 --> 00:26:09,600 Speaker 1: either are lucky enough and are smart enough to kind 422 00:26:09,600 --> 00:26:12,920 Speaker 1: of be low profile and you're not really a subject 423 00:26:13,000 --> 00:26:15,320 Speaker 1: of table tabloids. There's a lot of big stars you've 424 00:26:15,320 --> 00:26:20,399 Speaker 1: never seen the tabloids Harrison for yeah uh. Or number 425 00:26:20,440 --> 00:26:23,960 Speaker 1: three is you play ball a little bit, which means, 426 00:26:24,760 --> 00:26:26,840 Speaker 1: you know what, I'll give you a little information here 427 00:26:26,840 --> 00:26:28,880 Speaker 1: and there. I'll leak out some stuff here and there. 428 00:26:29,359 --> 00:26:31,840 Speaker 1: If you play nice with me, I'll play ball with you. 429 00:26:32,720 --> 00:26:35,439 Speaker 1: Maybe I'll let you know, like what restaurant I'll be 430 00:26:35,440 --> 00:26:38,360 Speaker 1: coming out of one night you can photograph me. Give 431 00:26:38,400 --> 00:26:42,360 Speaker 1: you your little time and um. Sometimes the movie studios 432 00:26:42,359 --> 00:26:44,320 Speaker 1: a leak stuff to get get up a little press. 433 00:26:44,760 --> 00:26:47,200 Speaker 1: They did that a lot a lot back in the day, 434 00:26:47,520 --> 00:26:49,919 Speaker 1: but it still goes on. Yeah, it's like a symbiotic 435 00:26:49,960 --> 00:26:55,480 Speaker 1: relationship between the person who needs their star to maintain this. 436 00:26:55,680 --> 00:27:00,520 Speaker 1: It's position through things like just basically you're a star 437 00:27:00,600 --> 00:27:03,000 Speaker 1: because the public is aware of you. Yeah, no such 438 00:27:03,000 --> 00:27:04,560 Speaker 1: thing as bad pressed. Like you might be in there 439 00:27:04,600 --> 00:27:07,040 Speaker 1: for your cellulite, But what if someone picks up the 440 00:27:07,080 --> 00:27:09,280 Speaker 1: magazine they're like, oh, I wonder whatever happened to her? 441 00:27:09,560 --> 00:27:11,520 Speaker 1: I thought she was dead, And all of a sudden 442 00:27:11,520 --> 00:27:15,560 Speaker 1: they're like, she's not dead, she just has cellulite. How sad, 443 00:27:15,640 --> 00:27:18,400 Speaker 1: how sad, but at the same time I feel better 444 00:27:18,400 --> 00:27:25,960 Speaker 1: about myself exactly. Um So, I guess one of the 445 00:27:26,000 --> 00:27:30,120 Speaker 1: ways that you stay in the tabloids is through having 446 00:27:30,160 --> 00:27:32,920 Speaker 1: your picture made. As we stay here in the South, 447 00:27:33,040 --> 00:27:37,000 Speaker 1: a group of people known collectively as paparazzi, and they 448 00:27:37,200 --> 00:27:42,840 Speaker 1: actually I found out, are named after a paparazz so photographer. 449 00:27:42,920 --> 00:27:46,200 Speaker 1: You didn't know that named Paparazzo with a capital P. 450 00:27:46,359 --> 00:27:51,000 Speaker 1: He was a character in Um Fellini Fellini's ladulce Vita 451 00:27:51,080 --> 00:27:55,520 Speaker 1: that's right movie, and um apparently they were already extant, 452 00:27:55,760 --> 00:27:59,880 Speaker 1: but they got their name through this character. But even 453 00:28:00,040 --> 00:28:04,919 Speaker 1: in they weren't crazy. It wasn't until the seventies again 454 00:28:05,000 --> 00:28:08,240 Speaker 1: thanks to Jane Pope um, that they really became the 455 00:28:08,320 --> 00:28:13,159 Speaker 1: kind of reckless, relentless nuisances that we have today. And 456 00:28:13,200 --> 00:28:16,240 Speaker 1: it was all because Jeane Pope was obsessed with Jackie 457 00:28:16,280 --> 00:28:20,360 Speaker 1: Oh and Aristotle or and he would pay so much 458 00:28:20,440 --> 00:28:24,240 Speaker 1: money for anything on them that people that the photographers 459 00:28:24,240 --> 00:28:28,639 Speaker 1: were like just really really became aggressive and assertive because 460 00:28:28,640 --> 00:28:31,320 Speaker 1: of it. And they're way worse in Europe because of 461 00:28:31,400 --> 00:28:34,520 Speaker 1: Gene Pope and because they initially started doing this stuff 462 00:28:34,800 --> 00:28:38,560 Speaker 1: in Greece and in in Europe. UM, and that that 463 00:28:38,920 --> 00:28:41,200 Speaker 1: still is connected to this day, to the death of 464 00:28:41,360 --> 00:28:45,880 Speaker 1: Um Diana, Princess of Wales. They were supposedly the driver 465 00:28:45,960 --> 00:28:48,080 Speaker 1: had been drinking, but they were supposedly being chased by 466 00:28:48,280 --> 00:28:53,080 Speaker 1: paparazzi on motorcycles. Yeah, very sad, but that's all generoso 467 00:28:53,160 --> 00:28:57,280 Speaker 1: Pope jr. Um. I'll bet that guy wore huge black 468 00:28:57,400 --> 00:28:59,800 Speaker 1: glass thick ones like Robert Jernier at the end of 469 00:29:00,000 --> 00:29:04,520 Speaker 1: See you know God, that's for great Um. Supposedly Felini too, 470 00:29:04,840 --> 00:29:08,600 Speaker 1: I dug this up. Took the word from an Italian 471 00:29:08,640 --> 00:29:12,760 Speaker 1: word that described the buzzing sound of a mosquito. That's unverified, 472 00:29:12,800 --> 00:29:14,640 Speaker 1: but he said in an interview in Time magazine in 473 00:29:14,640 --> 00:29:17,200 Speaker 1: the seventies that he's like, yeah, I always just associate 474 00:29:17,200 --> 00:29:20,120 Speaker 1: it with something buzzing around you and in your way, Like, well, 475 00:29:20,240 --> 00:29:25,040 Speaker 1: that's paparazzi. Um. And there's that movie too, Paparazzi. Is 476 00:29:25,040 --> 00:29:26,840 Speaker 1: that what I was called from two thousan four? Yeah, 477 00:29:26,880 --> 00:29:29,200 Speaker 1: with the dude, uh what's his face goes back and 478 00:29:29,240 --> 00:29:32,560 Speaker 1: beats up Coalhauser. Yeah. Did you see it? No, No, 479 00:29:32,800 --> 00:29:35,560 Speaker 1: I ran across it on IMDb today. It's not bad 480 00:29:35,560 --> 00:29:38,840 Speaker 1: at all. Um. It's also it could very easily be 481 00:29:39,000 --> 00:29:45,680 Speaker 1: based on the life of Alec Baldwin. Uh yeah, sure, yeah, yeah, 482 00:29:45,800 --> 00:29:49,520 Speaker 1: because there's I think the categories you were describing, Um, 483 00:29:49,600 --> 00:29:52,440 Speaker 1: the people who are just so big that they can't 484 00:29:52,520 --> 00:29:54,920 Speaker 1: keep a low profile, but they also don't want or 485 00:29:55,120 --> 00:30:00,320 Speaker 1: need that that the tabloids on them. But I also 486 00:30:00,680 --> 00:30:03,000 Speaker 1: very much gotten the impression it's like there's a lot 487 00:30:03,040 --> 00:30:05,000 Speaker 1: of people out there who feed it to him, who wanted, 488 00:30:05,040 --> 00:30:08,120 Speaker 1: who craving, And I can't feel bad for those people 489 00:30:08,240 --> 00:30:11,920 Speaker 1: at all. Yeah, it's a it's a tough thing. And 490 00:30:11,960 --> 00:30:15,160 Speaker 1: because there are people plenty, like you're saying, like plenty 491 00:30:15,360 --> 00:30:17,480 Speaker 1: of people out there who are big stars, but you 492 00:30:17,560 --> 00:30:19,520 Speaker 1: never see anything about him in the tabloids. Is because 493 00:30:19,520 --> 00:30:21,680 Speaker 1: they just stay out of it. They stay away from it, 494 00:30:21,760 --> 00:30:24,360 Speaker 1: you know. Yeah, I'm trying to think of one. I mean, 495 00:30:24,360 --> 00:30:26,360 Speaker 1: there's so many. That's probably why I can't think of it. 496 00:30:26,400 --> 00:30:28,200 Speaker 1: But like Harrison Ford is a good example, I guess, 497 00:30:29,080 --> 00:30:31,600 Speaker 1: except when he started dating cliss to Flockhart, they were 498 00:30:31,640 --> 00:30:33,400 Speaker 1: they were in the tabloids a lot. But I also 499 00:30:33,480 --> 00:30:36,080 Speaker 1: suspect like most of that stuff was all very pleasant, 500 00:30:36,120 --> 00:30:38,560 Speaker 1: like hand holding things so yeah, but she was in 501 00:30:38,600 --> 00:30:40,760 Speaker 1: the tabloids a lot because of her weight, so that 502 00:30:40,920 --> 00:30:44,080 Speaker 1: fed into that, you know, like, maybe she'll be happy 503 00:30:44,120 --> 00:30:49,120 Speaker 1: and eat again now that she has Harrison Ford, you know, yeah, 504 00:30:49,400 --> 00:30:55,240 Speaker 1: he's just like eat this, eat that too. Here, eat 505 00:30:55,280 --> 00:30:59,440 Speaker 1: this all right, let's talk about let's talk about the law. Yeah, 506 00:30:59,520 --> 00:31:02,280 Speaker 1: because this was really interesting, I thought, because the first 507 00:31:02,280 --> 00:31:04,040 Speaker 1: thing you think with the rest of it was not 508 00:31:04,240 --> 00:31:06,520 Speaker 1: interesting at all. No, I thought. I thought this was 509 00:31:06,560 --> 00:31:08,320 Speaker 1: super interesting though, because the first thing I think of 510 00:31:08,400 --> 00:31:13,080 Speaker 1: is why aren't these people suing every day? Suing these tabloids. 511 00:31:13,160 --> 00:31:16,800 Speaker 1: Some try, some do, some have been successful for a while. 512 00:31:16,880 --> 00:31:22,320 Speaker 1: For the early tabloids, ones like um oh, what were 513 00:31:22,320 --> 00:31:24,680 Speaker 1: they called, like Confidential I think was one of the 514 00:31:24,720 --> 00:31:32,000 Speaker 1: early tabloids. Um, like the tatler Um, they're just whatever 515 00:31:32,160 --> 00:31:37,440 Speaker 1: stupid name about not about airing dirty laundry. That was 516 00:31:37,480 --> 00:31:39,840 Speaker 1: the name of some pulp tabloid in the fifties and sixties. 517 00:31:39,880 --> 00:31:42,480 Speaker 1: Dirty laundry was probably one of them, I'll bet um. 518 00:31:42,520 --> 00:31:46,680 Speaker 1: And they got away with that stuff because well, for 519 00:31:46,760 --> 00:31:51,560 Speaker 1: two reasons. This guy wrote, um uh yeah, he wrote 520 00:31:51,560 --> 00:31:54,120 Speaker 1: I watched a wild hoggy my baby, which is pretty 521 00:31:54,160 --> 00:31:57,360 Speaker 1: much this definitive history of the tabloids. And he's got 522 00:31:57,680 --> 00:32:00,280 Speaker 1: his bona fides because he was an edit her for 523 00:32:00,280 --> 00:32:03,960 Speaker 1: the National Enquirer, right. Um. And he said, there's two 524 00:32:03,960 --> 00:32:06,560 Speaker 1: reasons in the fifties and sixties. One, if you were 525 00:32:06,560 --> 00:32:09,720 Speaker 1: a legitimate star, these things were so in the gutter 526 00:32:10,280 --> 00:32:14,880 Speaker 1: that the stoop to suing them was problematic. In one, 527 00:32:15,000 --> 00:32:18,040 Speaker 1: it was the attention that lawsuit would attract because the 528 00:32:18,080 --> 00:32:20,560 Speaker 1: regular press was gonna start talking about it, would make 529 00:32:20,600 --> 00:32:23,040 Speaker 1: you look as bad as well, it would draw a 530 00:32:23,040 --> 00:32:25,680 Speaker 1: lot more attention to the original story. And then the 531 00:32:25,840 --> 00:32:27,760 Speaker 1: second thing is that even if you want that publisher 532 00:32:27,800 --> 00:32:30,400 Speaker 1: doesn't have the money to pay you, good luck. Then 533 00:32:30,520 --> 00:32:33,720 Speaker 1: Jeane Pope once again changes everything. Jeane Pope and Rupert 534 00:32:33,760 --> 00:32:37,640 Speaker 1: Murdoch all of a sudden, these things have enormous circulations. Um. 535 00:32:37,680 --> 00:32:42,320 Speaker 1: I think Jeane Pope took the Inquirer from like fifteen 536 00:32:42,400 --> 00:32:45,240 Speaker 1: thousand or a hundred thousand to five million at its 537 00:32:45,240 --> 00:32:49,280 Speaker 1: peak in the eighties. Um. And so suddenly they did 538 00:32:49,320 --> 00:32:53,280 Speaker 1: have deep pockets and things changed. And um. Carol Burnett 539 00:32:53,480 --> 00:32:55,640 Speaker 1: kind of still to this day stands as like a 540 00:32:55,680 --> 00:33:00,239 Speaker 1: bell weather for the celebrities versus the tabloids. As far 541 00:33:00,280 --> 00:33:03,160 Speaker 1: as the law goes, Yeah, she sued in uh after 542 00:33:03,320 --> 00:33:07,520 Speaker 1: nine article said, and I have to read this quote, 543 00:33:07,560 --> 00:33:10,760 Speaker 1: it's pretty good. At a Washington restaurant, a boisterous Carol 544 00:33:10,760 --> 00:33:14,400 Speaker 1: Burnett had a loud argument with another diner, Henry Kissinger. 545 00:33:15,440 --> 00:33:17,680 Speaker 1: She traped around the place, offering everyone a bite of 546 00:33:17,680 --> 00:33:20,720 Speaker 1: her dessert, and they didn't put her dessert in quotes 547 00:33:20,760 --> 00:33:24,600 Speaker 1: I would have. Uh. Carol really raised eyebrows when she 548 00:33:24,640 --> 00:33:27,520 Speaker 1: accidentally knocked a glass of wine over one diner and 549 00:33:27,560 --> 00:33:30,880 Speaker 1: started giggling instead of apologizing. So they basically said she 550 00:33:30,960 --> 00:33:38,520 Speaker 1: was blitzed at this restaurant and she yeah, he's a 551 00:33:38,520 --> 00:33:43,040 Speaker 1: big fan, probably, And she sued in one one point 552 00:33:43,080 --> 00:33:47,240 Speaker 1: six million dollars, which was and we'll find out here 553 00:33:47,240 --> 00:33:48,840 Speaker 1: in a second. This is one of the hallmarks of 554 00:33:48,880 --> 00:33:52,880 Speaker 1: their litigation settled out of court for much much less, well, 555 00:33:52,960 --> 00:33:56,800 Speaker 1: very quietly. She got a big settlement because in one 556 00:33:56,840 --> 00:34:01,040 Speaker 1: dollars one point six millions, like a hundred billion to day, 557 00:34:01,080 --> 00:34:04,680 Speaker 1: I think, uh, And then um, it was reduced by 558 00:34:04,920 --> 00:34:07,640 Speaker 1: an appeals court, which is usually step two in these 559 00:34:07,720 --> 00:34:11,080 Speaker 1: kind of suits, and then it was settled out of court. 560 00:34:11,080 --> 00:34:13,839 Speaker 1: So I would imagine for even less than that, UM, 561 00:34:14,080 --> 00:34:15,839 Speaker 1: but it was still was a big deal. It was 562 00:34:15,880 --> 00:34:18,520 Speaker 1: the first time really that like a major star was 563 00:34:18,560 --> 00:34:22,920 Speaker 1: able to win a defamation lawsuit against the tabloid. But 564 00:34:23,000 --> 00:34:25,839 Speaker 1: it was one of the I don't want to say 565 00:34:25,840 --> 00:34:27,200 Speaker 1: it was one of the only times. It was one 566 00:34:27,239 --> 00:34:30,480 Speaker 1: of the very few times, especially if you are going 567 00:34:30,600 --> 00:34:33,000 Speaker 1: on the premise of all the people who want to 568 00:34:33,040 --> 00:34:36,240 Speaker 1: sue the tabloids and don't actually bring a suit because 569 00:34:36,280 --> 00:34:40,879 Speaker 1: things have changed now now the tabloids have these reputations 570 00:34:40,920 --> 00:34:44,919 Speaker 1: for being extremely fearsome litigators, where like, if you want 571 00:34:44,920 --> 00:34:48,000 Speaker 1: to sue them, you thought that story that ticked you 572 00:34:48,080 --> 00:34:50,680 Speaker 1: off was bad, They're going to get anything they can 573 00:34:50,800 --> 00:34:52,320 Speaker 1: and they're going to do it through the courts. So 574 00:34:52,480 --> 00:34:57,239 Speaker 1: like when Aretha Franklin or no um oh Elsa Taylor, Yes, 575 00:34:57,640 --> 00:35:01,080 Speaker 1: when she tried to sue I think the Inquirer, or 576 00:35:01,080 --> 00:35:04,319 Speaker 1: when she did see the Inquirer, the Inquirer's lawyers tried 577 00:35:04,360 --> 00:35:07,200 Speaker 1: to subpoena all of her medical records for the past 578 00:35:07,239 --> 00:35:09,880 Speaker 1: thirty years. So they go after everything. They try to 579 00:35:10,000 --> 00:35:12,360 Speaker 1: drag your life into the spotlight to make it like 580 00:35:12,520 --> 00:35:15,160 Speaker 1: really not worth your while to sue them. Yet it's 581 00:35:15,200 --> 00:35:17,600 Speaker 1: the celebrity attorney that was interviewed for this awesome New 582 00:35:17,680 --> 00:35:24,000 Speaker 1: York Times article. H Vincent Chifo, Everyone's Italian um. Everybody 583 00:35:24,040 --> 00:35:27,799 Speaker 1: has Italian said that it's basically he calls it the 584 00:35:27,800 --> 00:35:31,600 Speaker 1: scorpion defense, which is, uh, you don't attack a scorpion 585 00:35:31,640 --> 00:35:35,440 Speaker 1: because you will get stung. Um. Aside from not the 586 00:35:36,080 --> 00:35:39,879 Speaker 1: not the most complex analogy, I like it. No, it's 587 00:35:39,880 --> 00:35:43,360 Speaker 1: pretty straightforward. I guess do they need to be complex? 588 00:35:43,719 --> 00:35:46,080 Speaker 1: But you can call it. That's the snake analogy, that's 589 00:35:46,120 --> 00:35:48,840 Speaker 1: the spider analogy, that's the two year old analogy. Oh, like, 590 00:35:48,920 --> 00:35:50,640 Speaker 1: don't mess with the two year old. You'll get thrown 591 00:35:50,719 --> 00:35:55,359 Speaker 1: up on or been pooped on. That's what they should use. 592 00:35:55,360 --> 00:35:57,759 Speaker 1: Because the scorpion can only do one thing. To year 593 00:35:57,760 --> 00:36:00,120 Speaker 1: old can humiliate you in a number of ways. Have 594 00:36:00,239 --> 00:36:02,000 Speaker 1: you ever heard So there's this whole thing that like 595 00:36:02,040 --> 00:36:05,359 Speaker 1: scorpions commit suicide if you set them on fire by 596 00:36:05,480 --> 00:36:09,719 Speaker 1: stinging themselves. Really and apparently there's a lot of like 597 00:36:09,800 --> 00:36:12,440 Speaker 1: YouTube videos out there people like doing this with scorpions, 598 00:36:12,480 --> 00:36:14,759 Speaker 1: like sting them on fire, and then the scorpion will 599 00:36:14,760 --> 00:36:17,400 Speaker 1: like jump about and like sting itself and eventually die. Well, 600 00:36:17,440 --> 00:36:19,360 Speaker 1: I'll be trying to put the fire out. They found 601 00:36:19,360 --> 00:36:23,520 Speaker 1: that this, They found that that scorpions are almost entirely 602 00:36:23,760 --> 00:36:28,200 Speaker 1: immune to their own venom, and that really all this 603 00:36:28,280 --> 00:36:31,200 Speaker 1: is just a reaction of being burned alive. They're like 604 00:36:31,280 --> 00:36:33,680 Speaker 1: trying to like they're flailing about, and one of the 605 00:36:33,760 --> 00:36:36,440 Speaker 1: flails is like they're they're stingers moving and sometimes it 606 00:36:36,520 --> 00:36:39,520 Speaker 1: stings itself. So it appears to dumb kids who set 607 00:36:39,600 --> 00:36:43,200 Speaker 1: scorpions on fire that scorpions committing suicide terrible. Isn't that awful? 608 00:36:43,480 --> 00:36:47,720 Speaker 1: That's a great tangent though, thanks me, all right, don't 609 00:36:47,760 --> 00:36:51,439 Speaker 1: burn animals or insects of any kind, kids, It's just mean. 610 00:36:51,640 --> 00:36:55,640 Speaker 1: That's exactly means setting yourself up for being a sociopath 611 00:36:55,719 --> 00:36:59,440 Speaker 1: later in life. Also, legally, speaking with tabloids, Um, you 612 00:36:59,560 --> 00:37:02,799 Speaker 1: have to prove malice. Yeah, that's the big one. Not 613 00:37:02,920 --> 00:37:05,879 Speaker 1: only that what they printed was false, but that they 614 00:37:06,040 --> 00:37:10,480 Speaker 1: knowingly printed information they knew was false. Because it's got 615 00:37:10,480 --> 00:37:13,360 Speaker 1: to be libelous. It can't just be maliciously libelous. They 616 00:37:13,640 --> 00:37:15,600 Speaker 1: just printed a rumor about me that wasn't true. It's 617 00:37:15,640 --> 00:37:19,600 Speaker 1: got to have malice behind it. Libel is printed, slander 618 00:37:19,680 --> 00:37:22,640 Speaker 1: is stated with your mouth. These are the two differences 619 00:37:23,680 --> 00:37:25,799 Speaker 1: or I guess you could blink it out with your eyes. 620 00:37:26,480 --> 00:37:31,960 Speaker 1: That's true. Um, So, basically the scorpion defense and then 621 00:37:32,280 --> 00:37:35,600 Speaker 1: the delays. The first thing they're gonna do is start 622 00:37:36,040 --> 00:37:39,000 Speaker 1: filing motions to delay, to delay, to spend a lot 623 00:37:39,080 --> 00:37:41,040 Speaker 1: of money, a lot of money. So and if you 624 00:37:41,040 --> 00:37:45,319 Speaker 1: think about it, there's nothing to really gain here necessarily. Well, yeah, 625 00:37:45,440 --> 00:37:48,000 Speaker 1: it's your reputation. So a star who has a bunch 626 00:37:48,000 --> 00:37:49,600 Speaker 1: of money says, I have a bunch of money, and 627 00:37:49,640 --> 00:37:51,319 Speaker 1: I'm really mad at these guys, and i want to 628 00:37:51,360 --> 00:37:54,279 Speaker 1: teach them a lesson, So I'm going to soothe them, 629 00:37:54,320 --> 00:37:58,400 Speaker 1: and that they Basically the first tactic is the tabloids 630 00:37:58,400 --> 00:38:00,960 Speaker 1: trying to make it not worth your all, that you'll 631 00:38:01,040 --> 00:38:03,960 Speaker 1: drop it because you don't really need this money. You're 632 00:38:04,000 --> 00:38:07,719 Speaker 1: looking for a judgment and hopefully you'll get bored. Well 633 00:38:07,760 --> 00:38:10,600 Speaker 1: in the tabloids don't care. Even if they drag this 634 00:38:10,640 --> 00:38:14,560 Speaker 1: thing out in print a retraction six months later, no 635 00:38:14,600 --> 00:38:18,319 Speaker 1: one remembers. No one reads retractions or cares about retractions. Well, 636 00:38:18,400 --> 00:38:21,040 Speaker 1: six months later, that's a it's a well put because 637 00:38:21,040 --> 00:38:23,759 Speaker 1: apparently part of the judgment of some of these and 638 00:38:23,760 --> 00:38:27,040 Speaker 1: in successful suits is that you can't write about um 639 00:38:27,200 --> 00:38:29,319 Speaker 1: the star for a said amount of time. Yeah, they'll 640 00:38:29,320 --> 00:38:31,799 Speaker 1: like cut a deal sometimes and say, you know what, 641 00:38:31,920 --> 00:38:34,480 Speaker 1: I'll drop the lawsuit, just give me a break for 642 00:38:34,520 --> 00:38:37,000 Speaker 1: the next year. And then they put on their calendar 643 00:38:37,600 --> 00:38:42,319 Speaker 1: Tom Cruise one year from now, set reminder to start 644 00:38:42,400 --> 00:38:47,160 Speaker 1: effing with him again and UM. Another way that tabloids 645 00:38:47,200 --> 00:38:52,720 Speaker 1: stay out of court is most of their UM articles 646 00:38:52,719 --> 00:38:56,880 Speaker 1: are read screened by an attorney or attorneys. They have 647 00:38:56,920 --> 00:39:00,439 Speaker 1: a retainer, so each article it's printed and it comes 648 00:39:00,440 --> 00:39:07,080 Speaker 1: to this this implicit um stamp of approval from a 649 00:39:07,160 --> 00:39:11,560 Speaker 1: legal expert. Yea, you you really don't have a case 650 00:39:11,600 --> 00:39:13,680 Speaker 1: if you want to sue against this. Yeah, they want to. 651 00:39:13,760 --> 00:39:15,480 Speaker 1: They want to walk right up to the line of 652 00:39:15,520 --> 00:39:18,399 Speaker 1: libel and stop there. And they're pretty good, and you're 653 00:39:18,400 --> 00:39:20,440 Speaker 1: in ate on it, and then you're in ate on it, 654 00:39:20,440 --> 00:39:22,400 Speaker 1: and I imagine the writers are really good at it, 655 00:39:23,000 --> 00:39:25,960 Speaker 1: and then as backup, they have their own attorneys that 656 00:39:26,000 --> 00:39:28,600 Speaker 1: are even better at it, and so they're like, yeah, 657 00:39:28,840 --> 00:39:32,040 Speaker 1: this is not libelous, prove it, spend spend half a 658 00:39:32,080 --> 00:39:34,759 Speaker 1: million dollars trying to prove this, and some people do, 659 00:39:35,560 --> 00:39:39,480 Speaker 1: like Aretha Franklin. I think settled Tom Cruise Schwarzenegger and 660 00:39:39,880 --> 00:39:45,600 Speaker 1: Katie Kate Cruise and one did she win because Katie 661 00:39:45,600 --> 00:39:50,799 Speaker 1: Holmes just filed in March. She is she settled for 662 00:39:50,840 --> 00:39:54,680 Speaker 1: a donation to her charity unless she has done it twice. 663 00:39:55,160 --> 00:39:57,279 Speaker 1: She did it just this past March. She filed suit 664 00:39:57,320 --> 00:40:01,280 Speaker 1: against him for this one cover um like, yeah, bags 665 00:40:01,360 --> 00:40:03,680 Speaker 1: under her eyes and they're like Katie's drug problem why 666 00:40:03,719 --> 00:40:08,759 Speaker 1: she won't leave Tom? All this? And I also the 667 00:40:08,920 --> 00:40:14,440 Speaker 1: article kind of goes after Scientology and um, well, based 668 00:40:14,480 --> 00:40:17,479 Speaker 1: on that list Nicole kid meant Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes. 669 00:40:17,560 --> 00:40:21,000 Speaker 1: It makes you wonder, like, huh, I wonder how how 670 00:40:21,080 --> 00:40:26,840 Speaker 1: much Scientology encourages suing for defamation and articles that also include, 671 00:40:27,440 --> 00:40:30,879 Speaker 1: you know, stuff against Scientology because Travolta just had the big, 672 00:40:32,840 --> 00:40:40,200 Speaker 1: little supposed tawdry affairs here in Georgia. And then I 673 00:40:40,200 --> 00:40:45,000 Speaker 1: guess another homework that's not really in um it's not 674 00:40:45,040 --> 00:40:47,960 Speaker 1: really in the article, but I think you can make 675 00:40:48,000 --> 00:40:53,640 Speaker 1: a pretty strong case is that sometimes a lot of 676 00:40:53,640 --> 00:40:58,520 Speaker 1: times the tabloid gets things right. Yeah, but the the 677 00:40:58,560 --> 00:41:02,080 Speaker 1: way that they do it often is very much unethical 678 00:41:02,120 --> 00:41:05,600 Speaker 1: and immoral as far as um the standards of the 679 00:41:05,600 --> 00:41:09,040 Speaker 1: press is concerned and that's what Rupert what's been going 680 00:41:09,040 --> 00:41:13,480 Speaker 1: on with Rupert Murdoch like UM Parliament, like a parliamentary 681 00:41:14,120 --> 00:41:17,759 Speaker 1: UM panel basically said you're not fit to run news 682 00:41:17,840 --> 00:41:21,080 Speaker 1: corps any longer because this scandal is so huge. With 683 00:41:21,120 --> 00:41:25,400 Speaker 1: the phone hacking scandal UM where we I can't remember 684 00:41:25,440 --> 00:41:27,120 Speaker 1: what episode we talked about it in, but there was 685 00:41:27,160 --> 00:41:29,600 Speaker 1: the girl who was kidnapped and like the News of 686 00:41:29,640 --> 00:41:35,560 Speaker 1: the World writers were hacking into her UM voicemail and 687 00:41:35,600 --> 00:41:37,680 Speaker 1: then deleting them and so the police thought she was 688 00:41:37,680 --> 00:41:40,080 Speaker 1: still alive and it was possibly affecting the course of 689 00:41:40,120 --> 00:41:46,359 Speaker 1: the investigation. They they identified four thousand celebrities, athletes, politicians, 690 00:41:46,440 --> 00:41:51,080 Speaker 1: people of note UM who were whose emails were hacked 691 00:41:51,280 --> 00:41:54,760 Speaker 1: four thousands, and then another thousand that had likely been hacked. 692 00:41:55,120 --> 00:41:57,840 Speaker 1: Some people have already sued in one like CNA Miller, 693 00:41:58,280 --> 00:42:02,880 Speaker 1: Steve Coogan of UM for our Party people and Tristan 694 00:42:03,040 --> 00:42:08,120 Speaker 1: Shandy UM. Some people have already won. But for the 695 00:42:08,160 --> 00:42:11,200 Speaker 1: most part it's UM. These people aren't gonna get any 696 00:42:12,040 --> 00:42:14,920 Speaker 1: any damage is awarded. It's basically just no. News of 697 00:42:14,960 --> 00:42:17,880 Speaker 1: the World is shut down now. But it was out 698 00:42:17,880 --> 00:42:20,680 Speaker 1: of hand and now they're they're showing that they were 699 00:42:20,680 --> 00:42:24,040 Speaker 1: also hacking email, which great Britain has this kind of 700 00:42:24,120 --> 00:42:28,480 Speaker 1: um this this computer theft law now which makes email 701 00:42:28,480 --> 00:42:31,200 Speaker 1: hacking way worse than phote and hacking. So if that 702 00:42:31,280 --> 00:42:33,239 Speaker 1: opens up to be a big thing, there's people are 703 00:42:33,280 --> 00:42:36,360 Speaker 1: actually gonna start doing time for it. Yeah, that's what 704 00:42:36,440 --> 00:42:38,319 Speaker 1: I say. But like I was saying, sometimes they get 705 00:42:38,360 --> 00:42:42,760 Speaker 1: things right. They do um. Over the years, we'll mention 706 00:42:42,800 --> 00:42:46,440 Speaker 1: a few O. J. Simpson case the National Enquiry, and 707 00:42:46,480 --> 00:42:49,879 Speaker 1: it seems like it's generally the Inquirer that that sort 708 00:42:49,880 --> 00:42:54,239 Speaker 1: of scoops the legit ones. It's never like the Star. Yes, 709 00:42:54,480 --> 00:42:58,640 Speaker 1: you know, so the National Enquirer scooped in the O J. Trial, 710 00:42:59,760 --> 00:43:03,920 Speaker 1: the uh story about his shoes, the Bruno Molly's. Yeah, 711 00:43:03,960 --> 00:43:06,839 Speaker 1: they scooped the story of the dealer that sold him 712 00:43:06,880 --> 00:43:10,759 Speaker 1: a knife similar to the murder weapon. I guess knife 713 00:43:10,800 --> 00:43:13,360 Speaker 1: dealers the way they scooped the shoe story. Remember there 714 00:43:13,360 --> 00:43:16,120 Speaker 1: were bloody footprints. I thought this was awesome. They really 715 00:43:16,160 --> 00:43:20,319 Speaker 1: went to town to because there was a Bruno Molly 716 00:43:20,320 --> 00:43:23,319 Speaker 1: bloody footprint at the scene. And O. J. Simpson said, 717 00:43:23,320 --> 00:43:25,440 Speaker 1: I don't, I don't. I've never owned a pair of 718 00:43:25,440 --> 00:43:30,440 Speaker 1: shoes like that, and they went back and found footage 719 00:43:30,480 --> 00:43:34,400 Speaker 1: of him from like wearing them on the field, like 720 00:43:34,440 --> 00:43:39,319 Speaker 1: reporting yeah, and proved that yes, indeed he did have 721 00:43:39,400 --> 00:43:43,399 Speaker 1: those shoes. And he's like, oh those shoes right, yeah. Uh. 722 00:43:43,480 --> 00:43:46,640 Speaker 1: Bill Cosby's kid Ennis. Remember when he was killed. The 723 00:43:46,680 --> 00:43:50,400 Speaker 1: inquiry offered a hundred thousand dollar reward for information, and 724 00:43:50,440 --> 00:43:54,000 Speaker 1: that actually led to somebody coming forward and giving the 725 00:43:54,040 --> 00:43:57,200 Speaker 1: information that led to the capturing of the killer. That's right, 726 00:43:57,840 --> 00:44:03,160 Speaker 1: Jesse Jackson's illegitimate child. Yeah. In two thousand one, he 727 00:44:03,480 --> 00:44:06,920 Speaker 1: Um came out and was like, oh, yeah, I guess 728 00:44:07,200 --> 00:44:11,680 Speaker 1: he found out it's true. Yes, Gary Hart when he 729 00:44:11,719 --> 00:44:14,960 Speaker 1: was running for president, I remember this well. He was 730 00:44:15,040 --> 00:44:18,160 Speaker 1: on the monkey business down in Miami with what was 731 00:44:18,160 --> 00:44:21,840 Speaker 1: her name, Donna Rice. UM's a funny photo when you 732 00:44:21,880 --> 00:44:24,640 Speaker 1: look at it now. He I haven't seen it. I 733 00:44:24,680 --> 00:44:26,759 Speaker 1: don't think. She's just like sitting on his lap and 734 00:44:26,800 --> 00:44:28,360 Speaker 1: he's just got a big grin on his face and 735 00:44:28,360 --> 00:44:30,840 Speaker 1: he's got a T shirt that says monkey shines grew 736 00:44:30,920 --> 00:44:33,920 Speaker 1: And it was it was all over the place at 737 00:44:33,920 --> 00:44:35,880 Speaker 1: the time, but he dropped out of the race. It 738 00:44:35,920 --> 00:44:40,040 Speaker 1: was because of this this Um picture in the inquiry, 739 00:44:40,040 --> 00:44:44,239 Speaker 1: they scooped everybody on it and Russia Limball, Yeah, my 740 00:44:44,280 --> 00:44:48,880 Speaker 1: favorite drug addict that was exposed, Rush Limball. Yeah. I 741 00:44:48,880 --> 00:44:51,960 Speaker 1: remember he was buying oxy cotton from his maid. He 742 00:44:52,040 --> 00:44:54,520 Speaker 1: was on like how many pills a day he bought, well, 743 00:44:54,520 --> 00:44:55,959 Speaker 1: I don't know how many a day, but he bought 744 00:44:55,960 --> 00:44:59,239 Speaker 1: apparently thirty thousand pills from her. I think he was 745 00:44:59,280 --> 00:45:02,080 Speaker 1: on like some ungodly amount like twenty or sixty or 746 00:45:02,120 --> 00:45:05,799 Speaker 1: eighty pills a day, just so I remember hearing it 747 00:45:05,840 --> 00:45:09,640 Speaker 1: was like, how is he alive or even not a 748 00:45:09,719 --> 00:45:13,480 Speaker 1: standing up? Yeah, but that was the inquirer that did that. 749 00:45:13,560 --> 00:45:16,880 Speaker 1: But again, so there there could be it could have 750 00:45:16,920 --> 00:45:20,239 Speaker 1: come from a tip, right, Yeah, it could have come 751 00:45:20,320 --> 00:45:24,400 Speaker 1: from um yeah, they could have um, they could have 752 00:45:24,440 --> 00:45:28,800 Speaker 1: gotten this information from wire tapping, from whatever. It doesn't 753 00:45:28,840 --> 00:45:31,040 Speaker 1: mean it's wrong, but just one of the hallmarks of 754 00:45:31,080 --> 00:45:34,800 Speaker 1: the tabloid is that the they'll follow sometimes loose, looser 755 00:45:34,800 --> 00:45:40,040 Speaker 1: ethics than maybe again A New York Times reporter, Um, 756 00:45:40,360 --> 00:45:43,400 Speaker 1: so tabloids today, Josh, like you mentioned um, at the peak, 757 00:45:43,560 --> 00:45:47,719 Speaker 1: the National Choir was selling about five million copies in circulation. 758 00:45:48,640 --> 00:45:51,080 Speaker 1: Now all of the leading ones in the United States 759 00:45:51,080 --> 00:45:55,040 Speaker 1: combined sell about five point four million, so they've really 760 00:45:55,080 --> 00:45:58,520 Speaker 1: gone down. In One of the reasons why is because 761 00:45:58,520 --> 00:46:03,000 Speaker 1: they were so successful it mainstream media became much more 762 00:46:03,040 --> 00:46:09,480 Speaker 1: tabloid e and tabloids became much less, much less different. 763 00:46:10,400 --> 00:46:14,680 Speaker 1: The field of competition increased. Yeah, and basically everyone was 764 00:46:14,719 --> 00:46:17,520 Speaker 1: kind of doing similar stuff now. And they point out 765 00:46:17,520 --> 00:46:20,600 Speaker 1: the article during the Lewinsky trial, sales went down because 766 00:46:20,920 --> 00:46:23,920 Speaker 1: stuff you were seen on CNN and was just as 767 00:46:23,920 --> 00:46:26,480 Speaker 1: salacious as anything you would read in the Star. And 768 00:46:26,520 --> 00:46:29,640 Speaker 1: again it's like the mainstream media kind of took a 769 00:46:29,719 --> 00:46:33,919 Speaker 1: cue from tabloids, as they have so many other times. 770 00:46:34,320 --> 00:46:37,319 Speaker 1: They were so pissed off about that. With the Clinton thing, 771 00:46:37,360 --> 00:46:39,680 Speaker 1: they were probably just like, let's let's make up some stuff. 772 00:46:39,760 --> 00:46:42,399 Speaker 1: Let's like what if he used a cigar? And they 773 00:46:42,400 --> 00:46:48,080 Speaker 1: were like, yeah, exactly, it was all true. Yeah with Clinton, man, 774 00:46:48,160 --> 00:46:54,080 Speaker 1: those nuts looking back. Yeah, so you got anything else? Um, 775 00:46:54,120 --> 00:46:59,839 Speaker 1: I got nothing else? Well, then that's tabloid's chuck. Uh. 776 00:47:00,000 --> 00:47:02,080 Speaker 1: If you want to learn more about tabloids and see 777 00:47:02,080 --> 00:47:05,640 Speaker 1: a picture of the beloved bat boy, you can type 778 00:47:05,640 --> 00:47:08,200 Speaker 1: in tabloids T A B L O I D S 779 00:47:08,480 --> 00:47:10,279 Speaker 1: in the search bar at how stuff works dot com, 780 00:47:10,320 --> 00:47:15,799 Speaker 1: which means it's time for listener mail. All right, Josh, 781 00:47:15,840 --> 00:47:18,920 Speaker 1: I'm gonna call this. Uh, don't cry for me. It's 782 00:47:18,960 --> 00:47:22,440 Speaker 1: Josh and Chuck. Hi, guys, I'm currently working in Argentina, 783 00:47:23,400 --> 00:47:28,000 Speaker 1: m conducting research and teaching English on a Fulbright scholarship. 784 00:47:28,320 --> 00:47:30,520 Speaker 1: I wanted to let you know that your podcast serves 785 00:47:30,560 --> 00:47:34,760 Speaker 1: a great resource for English learners in other countries. Um. 786 00:47:34,800 --> 00:47:37,239 Speaker 1: I've been introducing your podcast to students and adults I 787 00:47:37,280 --> 00:47:40,320 Speaker 1: meet who are interested in furthering their English and learning 788 00:47:40,320 --> 00:47:44,480 Speaker 1: more about US culture. Yeah, little scary too, Um. The 789 00:47:44,520 --> 00:47:47,680 Speaker 1: idea of a podcast culture does not yet exist in Argentina. 790 00:47:48,120 --> 00:47:50,759 Speaker 1: When I introduce the idea in your program to people here, 791 00:47:51,160 --> 00:47:53,960 Speaker 1: they're very curious and eager to listen. They make great 792 00:47:54,000 --> 00:47:57,960 Speaker 1: wine too, by the way, Argentina, Okay, that's good stuff. 793 00:47:58,360 --> 00:48:00,279 Speaker 1: Your podcast is providing a fun and am in a 794 00:48:00,320 --> 00:48:05,080 Speaker 1: way for students here to practice listening to different English accents, um, 795 00:48:05,239 --> 00:48:08,320 Speaker 1: to try and pick up on some colloquialisms and jokes, 796 00:48:09,000 --> 00:48:11,680 Speaker 1: to learn new vocabulary. Why I feel a lot of 797 00:48:11,680 --> 00:48:14,279 Speaker 1: heat all of a sudden, um, And to become more 798 00:48:14,320 --> 00:48:17,200 Speaker 1: informed on the various issues you discuss. The idea of 799 00:48:17,239 --> 00:48:19,840 Speaker 1: people listening to podcasts purely to further their own knowledge. 800 00:48:20,360 --> 00:48:22,680 Speaker 1: Is part is a part of us culture that I 801 00:48:22,680 --> 00:48:25,239 Speaker 1: am proud to share and thank you very much for 802 00:48:25,280 --> 00:48:29,239 Speaker 1: that spreading your fan base in Argentina, Angela Hartley, it's 803 00:48:29,360 --> 00:48:32,200 Speaker 1: very nice, thank you very much for that. We're becoming 804 00:48:32,239 --> 00:48:37,759 Speaker 1: a cult like figures like Rodriguez. Who there's this like 805 00:48:38,000 --> 00:48:41,080 Speaker 1: singer songwriter from I think the late sixties, early seventies 806 00:48:41,080 --> 00:48:43,600 Speaker 1: and he just went by the name Rodriguez and released 807 00:48:43,600 --> 00:48:47,000 Speaker 1: a couple of albums that is totally flopped here and um, 808 00:48:47,080 --> 00:48:51,239 Speaker 1: he just went the way of obscurity. Didn't realize that 809 00:48:51,400 --> 00:48:55,200 Speaker 1: in South Africa, these two albums are achieved like just 810 00:48:55,440 --> 00:48:59,440 Speaker 1: incredible status overly and everyone wondered what happened to him, 811 00:48:59,480 --> 00:49:01,960 Speaker 1: and finally years later he found out, like he's like 812 00:49:02,000 --> 00:49:05,840 Speaker 1: a mythical figure in South Africa. You know, there's a 813 00:49:05,880 --> 00:49:07,880 Speaker 1: documentary that just came out about the whole time. It 814 00:49:07,880 --> 00:49:10,400 Speaker 1: sounds like a movie or something. There's a documentary, but 815 00:49:10,560 --> 00:49:14,200 Speaker 1: it sounds like a feature film, like something someone would 816 00:49:14,239 --> 00:49:17,120 Speaker 1: make up. I saw a movie like that, you mean, 817 00:49:17,160 --> 00:49:21,279 Speaker 1: I went to Silver Docks and saw The Impostor and 818 00:49:21,640 --> 00:49:24,600 Speaker 1: it was very much like that where the one of 819 00:49:24,640 --> 00:49:26,640 Speaker 1: the producers afterwards of the Q and it was like 820 00:49:27,040 --> 00:49:29,040 Speaker 1: it was he was asked if they were going to 821 00:49:29,120 --> 00:49:31,200 Speaker 1: turn it into like a feature film. Then he was like, 822 00:49:31,239 --> 00:49:35,120 Speaker 1: we can't. Like there's just too many it's too outlandish 823 00:49:35,280 --> 00:49:37,560 Speaker 1: that if you fictionalized it, people would be like, this 824 00:49:37,600 --> 00:49:39,720 Speaker 1: is stupid. Why did you Why did you make these choices? 825 00:49:40,040 --> 00:49:44,600 Speaker 1: I want to see it. Yeah you should. It's very good, awesome. UM, okay, 826 00:49:44,719 --> 00:49:49,239 Speaker 1: if you have a doc recommenentary a documentary recommendation, so 827 00:49:49,320 --> 00:49:53,960 Speaker 1: I guess it'd be a documentary recommendation, a doc you wreck, 828 00:49:54,360 --> 00:49:58,200 Speaker 1: thank thank you. Um, we're always looking for that. Um 829 00:49:58,400 --> 00:50:00,680 Speaker 1: is that correct, docu wreck? Because I think I've seen 830 00:50:00,719 --> 00:50:04,840 Speaker 1: that written before. Really Yeah, I just made it up. Um. 831 00:50:04,880 --> 00:50:08,719 Speaker 1: You can tweet to us at s y ESK podcast. 832 00:50:08,800 --> 00:50:11,360 Speaker 1: You can join us on Facebook dot com slash Stuff 833 00:50:11,400 --> 00:50:13,400 Speaker 1: you Should Know, and you can email us your rex 834 00:50:13,719 --> 00:50:20,400 Speaker 1: to stuff podcast at how Stuff Works dot com. Stuff 835 00:50:20,400 --> 00:50:22,400 Speaker 1: you Should Know is a production of I Heart Radio. 836 00:50:22,880 --> 00:50:25,399 Speaker 1: For more podcasts my Heart Radio, visit the I Heart 837 00:50:25,480 --> 00:50:28,400 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 838 00:50:28,400 --> 00:50:29,160 Speaker 1: favorite shows.