National Enquirer

American supermarket tabloid published by American Media, Inc.

The National Enquirer is an American tabloid newspaper. It was founded in 1926. The National Enquirer openly admits that it pays sources for tips. This is a common practice in tabloid journalism that results in conflicts of interest.[2] It has also been in several controversies related to its catch and kill allegations of blackmail. Due to competition from other tabloid publications, it has sold fewer copies.

National Enquirer
Editor in ChiefDylan Howard
CategoriesTabloid
FrequencyWeekly
Total circulation
(2018)
265,000[1]
First issue1926
CompanyAmerican Media, Inc.
CountryUnited States
Based inNew York City
LanguageEnglish
Websitewww.nationalenquirer.com
ISSN1056-3482

References

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  1. "National Enquirer sold to magazine boss". bbc.com. April 19, 2019.
  2. Farhi, Paul (Summer 2010). "Going respectable? The National Enquirer got high marks for its powerful, solidly reported exposes of the bad behavior of John Edwards and Tiger Woods. But much of the supermarket tabloid's day in and day out coverage falls far short of basic reporting and editing standards". American Journalism Review. 32 (2). University of Maryland, College Park: Philip Merrill College of Journalism. Retrieved 7 March 2022 – via Gale Academic OneFile. The Enquirer makes no pretense about paying for information. It has done so for decades and puts its solicitation for tips right where readers can see them. Brightly colored house ads promise, "Got News? We'll Pay Big Bucks." Such payments are standard operating behavior in the highly competitive world of celebrity tabloid journalism and help publications like the Enquirer maintain "exclusives." [...] What's more, the paper doesn't say which stories were generated by payments, or how much the sources were paid (the amount depends on a number of factors, Levine says, including the tipster's willingness to attest to the information in court if the Enquirer is sued). Thus, it's impossible for a reader to determine which sources were motivated by a desire to inform and which were motivated to say extraordinary things by a payoff.