Blind item
A blind item is a news story, typically in a gossip column, in which the details of the matter are reported while the identities of the people involved are not revealed.[1] The invention of the blind item is credited to William d'Alton Mann (1839–1920), publisher of Town Topics, who often used it for blackmail.[2] Communication privacy management theory relates to the ideas of information privacy that influence this form of communication.[3] The advent of gossip websites brought about more public debate and speculation about the individual blind item stories, and also about the ethics surrounding the practice.[4] Audiences might use blind item material as a shared topic of conversation with peers, and perhaps even as a conversational entry point to a sensitive topic that is personal to them.[5]
See also
- Circular sourcing
- Defamation
- Innuendo
- Roman à clef
- Rumor
References
- Bonner, Mehera. "The King of the Hollywood Blind Item Reveals All". Vanities. Retrieved 2018-04-28.
- "Gossiper Silenced". Time Magazine. Jan 25, 1932. Retrieved Aug 8, 2008.
- McNealy, Jasmine; Mullis, Michaela Devyn (March 2019). "Tea and turbulence: Communication privacy management theory and online celebrity gossip forums". Computers in Human Behavior. 92: 110–118. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2018.10.029. ISSN 0747-5632.
- Ortner, Heike (2013). "Not So Blind Items: Anonymous Celebrity Gossip Exposed" (PDF). Cite journal requires
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(help) - Petersen, Anne Helen (May 2011). The gossip industry : producing and distributing star images, celebrity gossip and entertainment news 1910-2010 (Thesis). The University of Texas at Austin.