The Ur-Text of a Tabloid Age

It says more about the sorry state of or soceity that there are 3/4 of a million readers per week that want to read this trash than it does about the few dozen 'journalists' who write it.

Its like pro wrestling and the movies. You enjoy reading about junk even tho it can't be true.If everything was verified, they would be down to a newsletter.

During the Viet Nam war, the MSM began to lose credibility - going from unthinking, uncritical cheerleader for the "bear any burden" ethos of Kennedy's inaugural address to the equally unthinking, uncritical anti-war propagandist of the late 1960's. The genius of American capitalism, however, is that, when the "big boys" abandon an area, smaller operators can move in (e.g., when the "Big 4" coffee makers tried to sell us robusta bean coffee "WITH 10% ARABICA!!!", Starbucks jumped in with decent coffee and got rich). Alternative news sources like "The Enquirer" and "The Globe" and "The Drudge Report" have now moved in and filled in the gap in coverage which the MSM, for whatever reason, had abandoned. Did the MSM ignore Edwards' affair because it was "beneath their dignity" to deal in scandal (and, if so, why did the "NY Times" run that 9 page, utterly false, non-story on McCain's relationship with a female lobbyist) or did they ignore it out of deference to a particular political ideology? Whatever the reason, alternative sources like "The Enquirer" stepped in and filled the gap and kudos to them for doing so. Go back to the musings of Thomas Jefferson and you'll find that this is exactly what he envisioned and hoped for - ANYBODY can publish their own newspaper and, if enough folks do, well, the public just might get informed. SO, here's to "The Enquirer" and all the other papers of that ilk. Keep it up, keep digging, keep printing scandal. Without you, we'd hear only what those in power wished us to know.

Oh God The truth has been a casulty long before the National Enquirer came about..Further more the state of the so called respected media is what should be under question . I for one would much rather read a story on the plight of Big Foot's love life than stomach another long lie on how the president is a nice guy that is merely misunderstood The man is running this country into the toilet and has a lower IQ than Paris hilton, but yet when something negative is said about this idiot such as when his national gaurd service is questioned the axe drops rather quickly on the truth...and need we all look at how the media made the other idiot Marsha Clark who lost one of the easiest cases in judicial history was made out to be a hero for being incomptent..I say give me the absurd joke news like Bat Boy found ina cave over this sickening crap anyday

When news becomes something that sells instead of something that people need to know, I reckon even the more respectable papers like the Washington Post and the New York Times will find themselves keeping sorry company with the yellow journalism rags of the past. Oh, wait...news has already become something that sells... : ( Hence, the popularity of cartoonists like Oliphant, whose vocabulariy does not contain the word "sacreligious."

Get real. The reason that the Briston Palin pregnancy story broke so soon has nothing to do with the mainstream media losing their skittishness about crossing over into tabloid territory. It has everything to do with a potential story that would hammer the Republican presidential ticket. If that had been the daughter of Obama or Biden, they would still be "researching" the story.

Oh God when hasn't journalism envoked mistrust or skepticisim? Let's be honest here folks the truth became a casualty long before the Enquirer reared it's ugly head.. to me this paper atleast has the ability to laugh at itself with these absurd stories and provides entertainment...I would much rather read a story on how the "Bat Boy has a girlfriend" than some paid for drool about president Bush being a nice and caring guy ,and need I mention the number of times the so called respected media waste our time with a blurb on that idiot Paris Hilton or O.J. Simpsons legal troubles

TIRE OF IT i agreed with you completely most people are going by the things that they say on this channels that bash or honor some of the candidates(i dont know how to spell that word).....my great american people pliz protect your right to hear the truth and nothing but the truth......this goverment is taking a course that is leading to a very dark future.

It is a sad state of affairs when the National Inquirer makes more sense than the New York Times. No matter what news commentator you listen to on television or cable, you get a slant be it democratic or republican spin. How about just stating the truth for the public good and let us make up our own mind for a change. We don???t need opinions from CBS, NBC, MSNBC or Fox. Where is Walter Cronkite when you need him!

It is a sad state of affairs when the National Inquirer makes more sense than the New York Times. No matter what news commentator you listen to on television or cable, you get a slant be it democratic or republican spin. How about just stating the truth for the public good and let us make up our own mind for a change. We don???t need opinions from CBS, NBC, MSNBC or Fox. Where is Walter Cronkite when you need him!.

dude chill out its just politic's and gossip...live life, love it and enjoy it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

dude chill put it is only plicitics and life....live it, love it and enjoy it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We all know that what you see is what you get. Biden lying about how he grew up in a low-middle class home. How obama is stealing quotes with out citation from the newpaper's political satire. How Biden is ripping off the poetic writings of a Scot. How is this working on the public. Lack of education on the general public's part. Oh, and don't forget that if you are looking for a platform to stand on that is truly the most immoral, look no further than the dem. side. Obama's wife...stating that third trimester abortion should be an option. Wow, why not kill your children just before they are born. 39 weeks 6 days and 23 hours later you have a dead baby still in the womb, and with the knowledge that a Fetus is greek for baby... we become duped again. Oh how moral of a platform you stand. For you who look at the economy as to how you are voting, well, it looks like you found your god.... money. And for those who complain about having no jobs. McDondalds hires felons. Yes, even you can get a job. Or you could have just trained yourself while in prison instead of feeling sorry for yourself. Yes, people do work for a living. And our local Taco Bell is hiring. If it is too low of a job to take. Then move out of this country. We have enough people who actually need help and many who are trying. Thank you for reading this. Hey, maybe you will get an individual who will say swear words and maybe even type them in a direction that is toward me. They are democrats. They tend to have nothing to say but vulgar insults toward people who's opinions they don't like. He we go....

the "mainstream media" only lowers itself to the enquirer's level when a republican is involved. john mccain's "alleged" affair, which the times arrived at from sources who might have overheard someone talking about someone else who may or may not have overheard people maybe questioning why the lobbyist was around, but no one was even 25% sure of anything, was page 1 "news" . but it never touched the edwards story even though it was confirmed.