The United States Of American Media, Inc.

October 31, 2017 2:45 PM

At Popbitch, the story of American Media, Inc. (publishers of National Enquirer) in four parts: (i) The Tabloid Triangle; (ii) Angels And Un-American Activity; (iii) Suburban Decay; and (iv) Electile Dysfunction.
posted by misteraitch (7 comments total)

Wow. I was hoping for a bigger payoff at the end*, but it was still a fascinating dive into the tangled web of influence that created the Enquirer, and the chance connections that allow AMI to prosper.

*tldr - Treat the NatEnq as a bellwether to see how much trouble Trump is in with his base.
posted by Mutant Lobsters from Riverhead at 4:51 PM on October 31, 2017

The new yorker did a piece on this too.... The National Enquirer’s Fervor for Trump.

posted by lalochezia at 5:03 PM on October 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

And the always-wonderful Anne Helen Peterson covered aspects of the NatEnq buying Us Weekly in Buzzfeed, profiling Dylan Howard, back in April.
posted by Mutant Lobsters from Riverhead at 5:39 PM on October 31, 2017

It still bugs me, after all these years, that people ascribe "Elvis is alive/Aliens abducted me" stories to the National Enquirer, decades after they had moved to celebrity gossip to sell their tabloid. This was the domain of the Weekly World News, a rag which unfortunately (to those of us who thrilled to their louche domain) folded their analog publication not too long ago.
posted by kozad at 9:24 PM on October 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

He saw Reds everywhere. In government. In Hollywood. Under kids’ beds. To his mind, there was no part of American life that was free from Soviet influence. In that regard, McCarthy was very much the Louise Mensch of his day – except for the fact that he was (for a short while, at least) highly respected.

Ice cold burn.
posted by chavenet at 2:35 AM on November 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

This was the domain of the Weekly World News, a rag which unfortunately (to those of us who thrilled to their louche domain) folded their analog publication not too long ago.

They stopped printing in August 2007. That's long ago (and it still stings).
posted by kendrak at 4:06 PM on November 1, 2017

What if the tide is turning? 🙏🏻

Really enjoyed this series!
posted by ellieBOA at 6:54 AM on November 2, 2017