Assignment #2: Supermarket Tabloids

        Tabloids have been around for as long as I can remember. They’ve adorned the front counters of the supermarkets for decades in an attempt to entice every person to purchase and get invested in the stories they are attempting to sell as the truth. There are even tabloids catered to adolescents about many of the popular young figures in the music, film, and media. These types of tabloids are usually on lower shelves in the supermarkets, just at eye level for the prospective buyers. Some of the most popular sources for supermarket tabloids are The National Inquirer, The Globe, National Examiner, and Stars.

        According to Merriam-Webster, a tablet is defined as “a newspaper that contains news in condensed form and with lots of photographic matter.” Many of which can be found in most supermarkets near the cash registers, candy bars, and other quick snacks. Most have the same general look on the front page that cleans with images of various entertainers and celebrities, which most of them didn’t intentionally pose for. Tabloids are known for providing gossip news and entertainment. Now just looking at it from the perspective of someone who passes by the tabloids at the grocery store, my mind instantly goes to those who are being discussed on the tablet. I always say that celebrities are still people no matter the line of work. There have been many occasions where celebrities have attempted to sue tabloid companies based on the allegations that they post to the public. In some cases they are successful and others not so much. I did a bit of digging and found a lawsuit that Carroll Burnett won in 1976 against a tablet company that paved the way for many entertainers today.

        In 1976 while Burnett was dining in a restaurant in Washington, the Inquirer published a story that Carroll was drunk in the restaurant while encountering former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. Burnett sought to take legal action not only to make the Enquirer pay for the lies that they published, but also because her parents struggled from drug addiction and drug abuse which she outwardly discouraged. This case was the first time that a liberal case for the National Enquirer reached trial. She was victorious in her case and was awarded $200,000 in damages which she donated to charity. This case was monumental since tabloids make it a point to stay out of court, by standing behind the 1st amendment. Not only that but the legal teams of these tabloids work to extend the cases to run up the legal bills for their opponents via a slew of motions and such.

https://www.nytimes.com/1991/01/04/news/how-the-supermarket-tabloids-stay-out-of-court.html