“You need look no further than the supermarket checkout to appreciate the impact the National Enquirer has had on modern journalism,” says the tabloid’s Editor-in-Chief Dylan Howard. The publication recently celebrated its 90th birthday—a feat that doesn’t seem as impossible when you consider that the paper came into the increasingly fickle digital age already notorious for being the first to break the juiciest of celebrity news. “You can also look today at America’s celebrity-obsessed culture and appreciate just how far ahead of the curve this publication has been for decades,” says Howard. In light of the immeasurable milestone, Howard shared a few of the most surprising things he’s learned as a journalist whose job it is to uncover the private lives of the world’s most prominent personalities.
What readers want
People want a good story. They always have and our pages provide an irresistible mix of true Hollywood tales, celebrities, scandals, crime, bombshell investigations, health reports and fun. Above all, each of our stories connect with the readers. Every one triggers emotion—anger, laughter, fear, love and even hate. Readers thirst for stories that connect them with their own lives. This is the sweet spot for tabloid journalism, and the National Enquirer is, therefore, the meeting place of matters of consequence and everyday life for its readers.
Celebrity culture
The mission of the Enquirer is to reveal the unvarnished truth about what occurs behind the well-fortified walls of the mansions in Hollywood, and beyond. Our discoveries are very often well out-of-sync with how these individuals portray themselves to the public.
Powerful people
Power and influence are all too often wielded not for the greater good but solely to further the interests of the one who holds it. That is unfortunate. No person, company, or organization is too rich or too influential for the Enquirer to take on.
The Internet
Internet journalism is the Wild, Wild West. And, yet, our reporters have brought the same training, skills, and ethics that built the Enquirer into an enduring success to this emerging platform. They have done so with great success.
Time management
For me, time has lost all meaning in this role. The only thing that matters is getting the scoop, reporting it the way that only we can, and delivering it to our audience so they can be entertained, empowered, and enlightened. I don’t have the luxury of managing my time; my duty to our readership is too great.
Sources
You don’t wake up one day with a great Rolodex. You achieve it over time, and through grit.
