The supermarket tabloid has proven to be one of the few print mediums that is struggling to survive in the new economy, and in order to boost its sagging fortunes, one infamous tabloid decided to change from printing unsubstantiated gossip items to actually chasing down respectable news sources. In the process, The National Enquirer saved publishing company American Media from bankruptcy and may have positioned itself into a Pulitzer Prize thanks to its coverage of the John Edwards/Rielle Hunter paternity scandal that permanently ruined Edwards’ political aspirations and revealed to the world just what a scumbag he was/is.
Said Enquirer editor Barry Levine of his magazine/newspaper’s bold gambit, “I think we’re the barbarians at the gate. We represent a lot of what they look down on, but at the same time, we beat them at their own game.” Since then, other papers have jumped into the fray, both on Edwards and his love child and in terms of more aggressively courting celebrity gossip.
Good. The barbarians have proven that the gated journalism community isn’t doing its job. What the Enquirer did, aggressively pursuing a story and spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to break it open, is what the newspaper industry should have done, but failed to do. The Enquirer deserves a Pulitzer and more for this, not just for the story of Edwards’ wayward ways but for the wake-up call the tabloid administered to the press itself. Step up your game, New York Times; the National Enquirer beat you at your own game.
Image: Mostly Media
Tags: John Edwards, Rielle Hunter, The National Enquirer, American Media, Pulitzer Prize, presidential scandals, political scandals, National Enquirer up for Pulitzer Prize, journalism, Barry Levine