I used to be a tabloid reporter AMA

[AprilONeil]

Been meaning to offer up a thread on here for a while but tbh have been too nervous, since I know how people round these 'ere parts feel about the tabloids.

Anyway, I used to work as a showbiz reporter on a British tabloid newspaper (would rather not say which one because potentially outing) and have since moved into a more 'worthy' area of journalism.

AMA...

(Dons hard hat)

I know this will probably sound a klaxon at MN towers somewhere due to a series of threads that were pulled a few years ago... but was Larry Stylinson a thing? 🤔

I'd also heard about PA being gay/bisexual. I don't doubt my source either. He told me great stories about Diana and one of her BFs (he was best friend of BF). Bring hidden in the boot of a car and driven into KP!

What are your thoughts on the DM & Sun’s treatment of Meghan and Harry?

I asked before - you must’ve overlooked it.

@AprilONeil I always remember in my A Level Sociology classes many moons ago our tutor telling us that all newspapers are biased in some way and it has stayed with me ever since. Am really interested in your comment that The Times is considered to be the most impartial newspaper. Why do you think that is the case?

pretty sure Caroline flack was a cover for nick grimshaw?

you said earlier that Ariana Grande is different in real life to her persona - in what way?

Have you met any of the Harry Potter cast? Thoughts if so?

He told me great stories about Diana and one of her BFs (he was best friend of BF). Bring hidden in the boot of a car and driven into KP! grin

That was LITERALLY reported in the... newspapers. Will Carling wasnt it? And probably some others. And old Paul Burrell has sold that story over and over too.

@Tistheseason17

I'd also heard about PA being gay/bisexual. I don't doubt my source either. He told me great stories about Diana and one of her BFs (he was best friend of BF). Bring hidden in the boot of a car and driven into KP!

Every time I see PA I visualise the orange one who luuuurves his kids, that's not who you're talking about is it?

Everyone know about Diana smuggling men into KP in the boot of cars don't they, didn't Paul Burrell tell us?

This thread is the best!!

As someone who did have to flick through the tabloids on a daily basis for a number of years, you could absolutely predict what angle a paper would take on a certain story. I agree, it is to suit their readership but they are biased and would not run a story to go against their narrative. Occasionally they would run against their norm, but usually once the public opinion was beginning to turn imo.

Thanks @AprilONeil it's been a really interesting thread! The letter of journals and schools was an eye opener

@ lifesalongsong ha, ha, - no! Never got any details on who just told, "It was never PE, always PA".

Great thread OP
Do you have an opinion as to why the GRA reform activists are getting such an easy ride in the press? And why such people like Rachel McKinnon /Veronica Ivy and other transwomen in women's sports aren't discussed? Whenever I talk about these issues with friends and family who aren't as politically aware they have no idea this is going on. Is it because the press is owned by misogynists who don't give a damn about women and their sports?

Lol! That stopped the discussion. Nothing new then...

@Oblahdeeoblahdoe

Lol! That stopped the discussion. Nothing new then...

The OP stopped posting days ago. I don’t think you can claim credit for that one...

Sorry it's been a busy few days. I think I'll wrap it up by this evening though (so I can go back to my old UN!)

Will try and answer the last few questions now

@Chanel05

To what extent do you think some of the younger reality stars rely on celebrity culture/papping? Does it happen quite quickly when they get swept up in it?

Lauren Goodger had(s?) a piece in a celeb mag and would regularly say that a tabloid has mentioned Mark Wright and Michelle Keegan and how jealous she is, then she would say how ridiculous this was. However, would then follow it up with, "we were together for 12 years bla bla bla". Is there jealousy there? Surely, whilst they were together for a number of years, this just isn't relevant anymore.

Can't say much about Lauren Goodger as I just don't know (tho I'd be surprised if she wrote the column herself). But she needs something to write about every week so whether it's true or not she's still jealous it's entertaining and gives her copy (Liz Jones literally got half a lifetime's career out of doing the same).

As for the younger stars, yeah I think once you get that kind of attention it can become very addictive so then you crave it. As well as all the things that come along with it - freebies, people fawning over you, premiere invites (lord some of the absolute D-listers who'd be invited into the red carpet for proper A-list movies was shocking).

@Iamthewombat

I’m curious about why The Guardian persist with the begging messages every time you look at the website, telling you how many articles you have looked at in the past year. I’d like to know why they don’t just put up a paywall instead of trundling out the messages about “we have a small favour to ask” and “we want to keep quality unbiased reporting free” etc etc.

(Not that you get much unbiased reporting in The Guardian, but anyway)

@AprilONeil I noticed that you referenced the wheedling for money from The Guardian upthread: do you think that eventually all of the printed national dailies will need to put up a paywall on their websites? I don’t know what the finances of free to access news websites like eg Mail online or the Express website look like, but surely they must be losing money too despite being rife with ads?

The paywall qs is a difficult one.

The Sun tried it and it didn't work but it's worked great for The Times. I think DM set the precedent for tabloid news being free and it's hard to reverse that now (although not impossible if you look at music and film where it's just not worth the hassle of streaming or downloading illegally now and most people are happy to pay for it - albeit not much).

It does take money to produce good journalism but in the era of social media it's hard to persuade people to pay.

What a lot of us think is there should be option for buying one or two articles from a website that you want to read rather than having to subscribe because the reality is you can only have so many subs (I think I have 4 or 5 and one of those is to an entire catalogue of material).

For some reason business-y people say this model won't work, no idea why though.

@Inching

I feel quite passionate about the media and especially a lot of the - understandable - misconceptions about it.

Well, obviously you haven't spoken or been asked about the 'more worthy' (to quote you) area of journalism you work in now, but everything you've said about your 'showbiz' years only confirms my ideas, which turn out not to be 'misconceptions' at all, that you lump together anyone in the public eye with Love Island contestants as canny 'fame-seekers' who have traded their privacy for money, and whose spats and cellulite somehow count as 'public interest'.

🤷‍♀️

@Inching

I feel quite passionate about the media and especially a lot of the - understandable - misconceptions about it.

Well, obviously you haven't spoken or been asked about the 'more worthy' (to quote you) area of journalism you work in now, but everything you've said about your 'showbiz' years only confirms my ideas, which turn out not to be 'misconceptions' at all, that you lump together anyone in the public eye with Love Island contestants as canny 'fame-seekers' who have traded their privacy for money, and whose spats and cellulite somehow count as 'public interest'.

I'll add to my shrug emoji above that your crossed out line says it all about what people are actually interested in.

The most popular publications - all tabloids - are popular precisely because they cater to what the majority of people are interested in.

And yes, people with things to flog utilize that so they can flog us things, whether it's a book or tanning spray.

@ILoveFlumps

AprilONeil Thanks for your response. In answer to your questions:

No I was not approached for comment. In any way shape or form. The fact the journalist just took one side of a story and ran with it, without checking any facts whatsoever was highly distressing.

I also wouldn’t judge all journalists for her mistakes. BUT. It has certainly made me question them, and doubt their ability to accurately report certain situations.

I have no idea if she’s still writing. On a side note. What would happen to a journalist in this instance? I successfully sued for Libel. They were wrong. Would there be any repercussions for journalists in this instance, or would it be a slap on the wrist? Would it affect their career in general?

I can imagine there are a lot of law suits on a daily basis, and I figured it was deemed par for the course in your industry and no one really learns from it.....

I'm actually not sure what would happen specifically in terms of disciplinary action and yes legal action is common (although invasion of privacy is vastly different from libel, which effectively means something has been published that is both damaging and untrue).

There were certainly a few journos (both freelance) floating around who had a rep for stretching the truth and a few legal cases behind them and they were v much held at arms length/viewed as a liability. We'd rarely take stories from them and only then if they could be verified (eg via a recorded interview/other sources).

@Noshowlomo

God this thread is amazing. Which of the MIC lot are the biggest dickheads?

I'm trying to remember... I had direct interaction with Millie a couple of times who is just a complete snob/quite rude. Binkie was very much into posing for the cameras and not v approachable. I saw Jamie out at events once or twice and again wasn't v approachable - they were often (unsurprisingly) quite cliquey - not with each other but just other posh useless people.

Georgia Toffolo was lovely but that was well before her I'm a Celeb win so no idea if she's changed since then.

The OP gave one earlier. I think it's my lips are sealed.

@KatherineParr4 I did and it was

@Grrrpredictivetex

Have you ever heard the rumour that it was PA crown 🤴 who was gay not PE 🤴 ? I knew a tabloid photographer many years ago and he swore it was. Allegedly 🤷‍♀️

I'd never heard this but that doesn't mean anything. It would conflict with another rumour I heard though.

@CindersCatsSister

What are your thoughts about India Knight/Eric Joyce and the apparent minimal reporting of his paedophilia?

I think that it's likely a result of nepotism and greatly shames The Sunday Times, which is supposed to be Britain's most prestigious paper.

British media is absolutely dreadful for nepotism though so I'm also not completely surprised.