National Enquirer

===Notable stories and lawsuits===
<!--one example from the 1980s, one from the '90s, and eight from the '00s; not exactly even-->
In 1981, actress [[Carol Burnett]] won [[Carol Burnett v. National Enquirer, Inc.|a judgment]] against the ''National Enquirer'' after it claimed she had been seen [[drunk]] in public at a restaurant with [[Henry Kissinger]] in attendance. The fact that both of her parents suffered from alcoholism made this a particularly sensitive issue to Burnett. The former longtime chief [[editing|editor]] Iain Calder in his book ''The Untold Story,'' asserted that afterwards, while under his leadership, the publication worked hard to check the reliability of its facts and its sources.<ref>Lindsey, Robert, "CAROL BURNETT GIVEN $1.6 MILLION IN SUIT AGAINST NATIONAL ENQUIRER", ''The New York Times'', March 27, 1981. Retrieved March 11, 2021.</ref>

The ''National Enquirer'' additionally scooped other media outlets during the [[O. J. Simpson]] [[Murder trial of O. J. Simpson|murder trial]]: when a distinctive footprint from a [[Bruno Magli]] shoe was found at the crime scene, Simpson vehemently denied owning such a shoe. The title, however, published two photos showing Simpson wearing Bruno Magli shoes.<ref>Gleick, Elizabeth, "O.J. Feels the Heat", ''TIME'' magazine, December 2, 1996. Retrieved August 7, 2008.</ref> David Perel was the editor in charge of the paper's Simpson coverage, which was highly lauded by mainstream media. <ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-12-10-tm-12485-story.html | title=The Accidental Feminist : If the National Enquirer Proved Nothing else During O.J., It Reaffirmed Its Surprising Pro-Woman, Anti-Abuse Stance | website=[[Los Angeles Times]] | date=December 10, 1995 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/10/24/us/the-enquirer-required-reading-in-simpson-case.html | title=The Enquirer: Required Reading in Simpson Case | work=The New York Times | date=October 24, 1994 | last1=Margolick | first1=David }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/inside-the-national-enquirer/ | title=Inside the National Enquirer | website=[[CBS News]] }}</ref>

Controversy over false content arose again for the ''National Enquirer'' when a 2002 article alleged that male members of the family of kidnapping victim [[Elizabeth Smart kidnapping|Elizabeth Smart]] were involved in what the article termed a "[[homosexuality|gay]] sex ring." Subsequently, two reporters from the ''[[Salt Lake Tribune]]'' were fired after it was learned that they had been paid $20,000 for the story, which they had fabricated.<ref>[http://www.courttv.com/news/smart/042903_tabloid_ap.html "Salt Lake Tribune fires reporters who sold Smart case information to tabloid"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081120003440/http://www.courttv.com/news/smart/042903_tabloid_ap.html |date=November 20, 2008 }} courttv.com April 29, 2003. Retrieved July 15, 2007.</ref> The title threatened to sue the ''Salt Lake Tribune'' for making false and defamatory statements about the publication after an editorial had disclaimed the ''Tribune''{{'}}s involvement. The salacious details of the Smart story were retracted by the publication, and a rare apology was issued to the Smart family. One of the fired reporters acknowledged that his behavior was unethical, but expressed surprise that the story had been taken seriously, stating, "When I dealt with the ''National Enquirer'', I never dreamed that I was accepting money for 'information'."<ref name=Deseret2003-04-29/>

The ''National Enquirer'' settled a libel lawsuit with the wife of [[Gary Condit]] out of court in 2003<ref>[http://www.rcfp.org/news/2003/0711condit.html "Carolyn Condit and ''National Enquirer'' settle suit"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927060256/http://www.rcfp.org/news/2003/0711condit.html |date=September 27, 2011 }} rcfp.org 07/11/03. Retrieved July 15, 2007.</ref> and lost a suit brought by actress [[Kate Hudson]] in 2006.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/5198208.stm "Damages for Hudson over pictures"] BBC News July 20, 2006. Retrieved July 15, 2007.</ref>

In 2006, the ''National Enquirer'' was the first newspaper to reveal that O. J. Simpson had written a book, ''[[If I Did It]]''. The story was immediately denied by Simpson's lawyer, but was confirmed by release of the book one month later.<ref>[http://www.thebookstandard.com/bookstandard/news/author/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003286768 No Juice-y Book, Lawyer Says<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080202041421/http://www.thebookstandard.com/bookstandard/news/author/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003286768 |date=February 2, 2008 }}</ref>

In early March 2007, the paper blocked access to its website for British and Irish readers because a story about the actress [[Cameron Diaz]] that they had published in 2005 and for which she received an apology had appeared on the site. The apology concerned a story it had run in 2005 entitled "Cameron Caught Cheating" which turned out to be false – an accompanying picture was just an innocent goodbye hug to a friend, not evidence of an affair. Although only 279 British web addresses had looked at the story, it was deemed to have therefore been published in the United Kingdom. British libel laws are more [[plaintiff]]-friendly and it is not necessary to prove [[actual malice]] for the plaintiff to win.<ref>[http://www.ft.com/cms/s/205232f6-d269-11db-a7c0-000b5df10621.html "Plug pulled in UK over libel stance"], FT.com (''Financial Times'') March 14, 2007. Retrieved July 15, 2007.</ref>

Also in March 2007, Tucker Chapman, son of [[Duane "Dog" Chapman]], sold a tape to the ''National Enquirer'' of his father disparaging his black girlfriend with the use of the word "[[nigger]]", for which the tabloid paid Tucker an undisclosed amount. The [[A&E Network]] canceled Chapman's show, ''[[Dog the Bounty Hunter]]'', pending an investigation. On February 21, 2008, A&E Network stated they would resume production of ''Dog the Bounty Hunter'', and on May 14, 2008, announced it would return to TV on June 25, 2008.

On January 19, 2010, the [[Pulitzer Prize|Pulitzer Prize Board]] announced that the ''National Enquirer'' is eligible for consideration for the Pulitzer Prize in the categories of Investigative Journalism and National News Reporting. This change is primarily due to the ''Enquirer''{{'}}s breaking the story of [[John Edwards]]' affair with [[Rielle Hunter]].<ref>[https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/national-enquirer-now-legit-pulitzer-prize-board/story?id=9887329 ''National Enquirer'' Now Legit, According to Pulitzer Prize Board"], by Sheila Marikar and Russell Goldman, February 19, 2010. Retrieved February 22, 2010.</ref>

In February 2012, the ''National Enquirer'' published a photo of [[Whitney Houston]] in an open casket on its front page.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/national-enquirers-whitney-houston-casket-pic-did-they-go-too-far-2012232|title=''National Enquirer''{{'}}s Whitney Houston Casket Pic: Did They Go Too Far?|date=February 23, 2012}}</ref> The previous week, it had posted an article showing her having collapsed from a cocaine and alcohol binge during her world tour and claiming that she only had five years to live.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.divaasia.com/article/7654|title=Whitney Houston dying?|date=February 24, 2010|website=Diva|publisher=Singapore Press Holdings Ltd|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100224082920/http://www.divaasia.com/article/7654|archive-date=February 24, 2010|url-status=dead|access-date=December 19, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111113130220/http://current.com/entertainment/music/92187016_whitney-houston-dying-collapses-on-tour-cocaine-and-alcohol-binge.htm|archive-date=November 13, 2011|url=http://current.com/entertainment/music/92187016_whitney-houston-dying-collapses-on-tour-cocaine-and-alcohol-binge.htm|title=Whitney Houston Dying? Collapses on Tour…Cocaine and Alcohol Binge!!!}}</ref>