PRINTSchool of gossip
April 17, 2008 | 12:00 a.m. CST
Students in the J-School are, when you think about it, getting trained to be professional gossips. We’re being taught to casually overhear conversations for potential stories, gain a source’s trust to get the best interview possible and then report back to the world at large with gusto.
And, like any good gossip, we hope people will start talking about what they learned in our story and spread the word.
Of course, we also have our real names in a byline. So, unlike true gossip, everyone knows who’s starting the story. And we verify the information to ensure the tale we’re telling is fact, not rumor.
Perhaps, then, it’s not surprising that we’re fascinated by the world of Web sites specifically designed to spread anonymous gossip. Being the first to know the real story and telling the world the juicy truth is our passion.
If someone can’t trace the good things they know back to our byline, then there’s little point to our hard work.
There’s no glory in being the first to know when you’re nothing more than an anonymous post on a Web site. We consider a made-up story a deadly sin; but when even the site owner can’t trace the root of the information, there’s no way to prevent a lie from creeping into the conversation.
Of course we think it’s ridiculous. Of course we think it’s funny. Of course we couldn’t help but parody the infamous gossip rags on our cover.
Besides, if Us Weekly’s soaring sales and the persistent presence of National Enquirer at grocery checkout lines has taught us anything, it’s that people find a salacious gossip cover hard to resist. If you’re reading this, I’m guessing you’re amongst that group.
