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The tabloid CYA trick that jumped out the most to me -- sometimes directly visible on the covers -- is to attribute an allegation to "Source" (often in much sma
by 0xcde4c3db 10y ago
The tabloid CYA trick that jumped out the most to me -- sometimes directly visible on the covers -- is to attribute an allegation to "Source" (often in much smaller print than the allegation itself, unsurprisingly). For all I know, that "source" could be an anonymous letter from one of their own employees.
- Swizec 10y agoIf you read Ryan Holliday's book, you'll see that "source" is often the target's own PR team.
- lmg643 10y agoI think another trick of longstanding tabloids like the enquirer is that they almost deliberately undermine their reputation by publishing a lot of crap (aliens, etc) while mixing the better sourced stuff that causes celebrities fits. I think this is how they have been able to exist for so long - celebrities with thicker skin can laugh it off, hah, those crazy tabloids - and far less often we see someone actually try to sue the tabloids for an article. example of "real" news being broken by a tabloid: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Edwards_extramarital_affair https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Edwards_extramarital_affa... With regards to the Gawker case - I'm of the opinion that it doesn't matter that Peter Thiel funded the lawsuits. If it were a more "noble" cause (litigation against polluters, cigarette manufacturers, civil rights etc) then no one would question massive outside funding. And, Gawker did lose the case in court, on the case's merits. Gawker seems to be hoping they can have it overturned on appeal if they change the subject to Peter Thiel instead of their own scummy behavior. Not to mention Nick Denton's shady tax evasion while criticizing tech businesses for the same: https://pando.com/2014/07/25/gawker-no-longer-even-trying-to-pretend-its-not-grotesquely-hypocritical-on-tax/ https://pando.com/2014/07/25/gawker-no-longer-even-trying-to...