A former "National Enquirer" reporter challenges readers to guess whether outrageous headlines are based on actual material found in mainstream media, or whether they are the bonus creations of a tabloid reporter's imagination.

Now a major motion picture "The Front Runner" starring Hugh Jackman An NPR Best Book of the Year In May 1987, Colorado Senator Gary Hart—a dashing, reform-minded Democrat—seemed a lock for the party’s presidential nomination and led George H. W. Bush by double digits in the polls. Then, in one tumultuous week, rumors of marital infidelity and a newspaper’s stakeout of Hart’s home resulted in a media frenzy the likes of which had never been seen before. Through the spellbindingly reported story of the Senator’s fall from grace, Matt Bai, Yahoo News columnist and former chief political correspondent for The New York Times Magazine, shows the Hart affair to be far more than one man’s tragedy: rather, it marked a crucial turning point in the ethos of political media, and the new norms of life in the public eye. All the Truth Is Out is a tour de force portrait of the American way of politics at the highest level, one that changes our understanding of how we elect our presidents and how the bedrock of American values has shifted under our feet.

New Zealand Truth's scandal-ridden history has never before been told. This book not only documents an important part of New Zealand's media history, but also gives us a fascinating and colourful window on this country's social history.

Before Fake News, there was the real Fake News. There was Truth. Hailed as ‘a fearless exposer of folly, vice and crime’ when it first hit the streets in the 1890s, Truth was later condemned by a High Court Judge as ‘a wretched little paper, reeking of filth, injurious to the health of house servants and young girls’. Much later it earned the nickname ‘The Old Whore of La Trobe Street’. Truth was called many things but it was never boring. Adrian Tame knows that better than anyone as he worked for Truth for more than a decade as a reporter and news editor. In the years it was owned by the Murdoch family he worked alongside young Rupert as he cut his teeth on the shock horror scandals that graced the pages of Truth when it was selling a whopping 400,000 copies a week. Funny, often outrageous and always thoroughly entertaining, The Awful Truth is a rollercoaster ride through an colourful era of newspapers and larger-than-life reporters that we will never see the like of again.

Less than a decade after the advent of democracy in South Africa, tabloid newspapers have taken the country by storm. One of these papers -- the Daily Sun -- is now the largest in the country, but it has generated controversy for its perceived lack of respect for privacy, brazen sexual content, and unrestrained truth-stretching. Herman Wasserman examines the success of tabloid journalism in South Africa at a time when global print media are in decline. He considers the social significance of the tabloids and how they play a role in integrating readers and their daily struggles with the political and social sphere of the new democracy. Wasserman shows how these papers have found an important niche in popular and civic culture largely ignored by the mainstream media and formal political channels.

“Hollywood's Hottest Couple Exchange Mystery Rings!” “The Truth Behind Screen Beauty's Pregnancy Rumors!” “Song Diva Sneaks Past Airport Security and Lands Behind Bars!” “TV's Favorite Childhood Star Faces Drinking and Drug Charges!” “Teen Beauty Downplays Anorexia Rumors with Hot Dog!” “Hollywood's Favorite Funnyman Has Secret Love Child!” “Couple Goes Head to Head in Custody Battle!” Who writes these stories? Marlise Kast used to. In fact, she was so good at it, at such a young age, she was considered a “tabloid prodigy.” Marlise, the daughter of a minister, grew up in a loving, conservative, slightly sheltered family, and aspired to a career as a respected journalist or television news anchor. She was perhaps the least likely person to become a star reporter for Globe. But, right out of college, with a journalism degree and few job prospects, she became a tabloid writer, playing the high-stakes game of cat-and-mouse with some of Hollywood's hottest celebrities. There was almost nothing Marlise wouldn't do to get the story behind the celebrity facade. Dumpster diving and hiding in the bushes were child's play compared to ploys like posing as a drunk to crash one star's wedding or bluffing her way through the L.A. Police Department to confirm the DUI of another celeb's daughter. Using a combination of charm and brains, Marlise convinced co-workers, waiters, bouncers and bartenders to confess the juicy secrets of Hollywood stars. On the red carpet and VIP guest lists, she assumed countless identities, including those of a florist, a tennis player, a mourner, and a bridesmaid.Along the way, though, Marlise continually wondered: was she abandoning her principles in exchange for a shot at celebrity reporting? Torn between her journalistic duties and her moral responsibilities, Marlise tried to ignore the battle with her conscience, telling herself this wasn't a permanent job, just a stepping stone to a more respectable career. Right? This riveting and entertaining memoir is full of her outrageous-but-true tabloid experiences. Marlise's narrative details the behind-the-scenes deals, manipulations, and deceptions used to break the big stories. In an industry where turnover is high, and loyalty low, Marlise survived multiple bosses, a rotating roster of photographers, professional shenanigans, terrifying situations, and comical predicaments, as well as legal threats from some of the celebrities and “personalities” she wrote about. She eventually wrote over 200 articles for the tabloids. Her biggest story, though, is the one she's never told before; how-after a dangerous high-speed chase, a corporate betrayal of her trust, and the doubts that continued to plague her-Marlise came face-to-face with a story her conscience would not allow her to tell. After so many years of lying about who she really was, Marlise had to discover her own truth. As this riveting memoir reveals, her redemption is more honest and personal than any celebrity news she's ever reported.

A ninth-grader's suspension for singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" during homeroom becomes a national news story.