Men in Black
It was 1997. One of the leading movies of the year was “Men In Black”, starring Tommy Lee Jones as “ Agent K” and Will Smith “Agent J.” It was a story of the “MIB,” a secret government agency that managed the aliens that were already here on earth. While the “MIB” had multiple weapons, at the end of each alien “event” they brought out their “neuralizers” and with a flash of light removed any spectator’s memory of the incident.
One of the prime investigative sources that “K” used was tabloid newspapers. Early in the script, “K” taught “J” the value of the tabloids:
K – We’ll check the hot sheets.
J – These are the hot sheets? (K riffles through the tabloids)
K – Best investigative reporting on the planet. Read the ” New York Times” if you want. They get lucky sometimes.
J- I cannot believe you’re looking for tips in the supermarket tabloids.
K – Not looking for — Found.
(here’s the scene – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brawJsSUtxk)
The National Enquirer is one of the most successful “newspapers” in the United States, with circulation just under the Sunday New York Times and ahead of the Washington Post. The difference between the Enquirer and the Times and Post is that the Enquirer is a tabloid paper, one with banner headlines and stories about celebrities that are mostly not true. Whether it’s news about the aliens that “K and J” are supposed to control, or the sordid actions of Brad Pitt cheating on Angelina Jolie, the Enquirer screams out its headlines from the check-out line of every supermarket in the country. You might not buy “the rag,” but it’s still in your face – every time.
It’s a joke. You buy one to have a laugh, to read on a long road trip, to use as an example in classroom of un-vetted journalism or how the Spanish American War started. But while it only sells a million, the front page is seen by hundreds of millions. Those banner headlines are an un-recognized force, quietly planting ideas in the public mind, even if they don’t actually ever read the paper.
And when the National Enquirer took a side in the 2016 election, we didn’t really even notice it. When all of the Trump articles and headlines were positive, and all of Clinton’s were negative, it went under conscious perception. But read the headlines, at every check-out counter, the week before the election day:
11/5/16 – Hillary Clinton Hooked on Narcotics
11/4/16 – Hillary Clinton’s Satanic Inner Circle
11/2/16 – Sick and Tired Hillary Erupts at Bill Clinton Rape Protestor
11/2/16 – Hillary Clinton FBI Investigation – ‘The Fix is In”
11/1/16 – Clinton “Love Child’ Wants DNA Sample – From Monica’s Stained Dress
11/1/16 – Hillary Clinton: 8 New Shameful Email Leaks
10/31/16 – Top FBI Agent: The Clintons are a ‘Crime Family.”
And the “beat goes on,” even recently:
4/17/18 – Hillary Clinton Plans Her Own Hero’s Burial (brain-cancer patient eyes Arlington for eternity.)
But what we didn’t know in 2016, is that the publisher of the National Enquirer, David Pecker, was not only a Trump supporter, but was allowing the Trump campaign, through Attorney Michael Cohen, editorial control of the paper. Positive articles about Trump, and damaging faked headlines and articles about Hillary were checked with Cohen, who made the final decision about publication. In essence, the Enquirer became an arm of Trump campaign.
In addition, Pecker paid $150,000 for Karen McDougal’s story of a year-long affair with Donald Trump, and then quashed the story. It never made the Enquirer, or any other paper. This was done in coordination with Michael Cohen, and could be considered an unreported campaign contribution, along with the value of all of the headlines from the election year.
The Trump era is clearly the time of “Reality TV Politics.” With the First Lady wearing signs on her coat, the drama of the morning “tweet,” the barrage of unsubstantiated and false information coming out of the White House, the invention of “fake news,” and now the revelation of the weaponizing of tabloid newspapers; it never seems to end. Last night Tom Arnold added his schizophrenic view to the mix. It would be funny if it wasn’t so serious.
Maybe it will make a good movie in twenty years. Tommy Lee Jones won’t probably be around (the National Enquirer I’m sure will let us know) but Will Smith would make a great hero. Or maybe after the “Trump Era” is over, we can all get a flash from the “neuralizer.”
