SCANDALOUS: THE TRUE STORY OF THE NATIONAL ENQUIRER
US, 2019, 97 minutes, Colour.
Directed by Mark Landsman.
The tabloid, The National Enquirer, has been frequently quoted history in the United States, well-known over several decades for its sensational stories, inflamed by sensationalist headlines, full of photos. Popular but highly criticised for its “tabloid” journalism.
For those not so familiar with The National Enquirer, this is a very interesting documentary, covering the history of the paper, the different phases in emphases during its lifetime, the influence of various editors and their stances. The film includes extensive footage of its founder, Generoso Pope, who inherited a New York paper from his father (Mafia connections), went to Florida, full of ambitions to produce a paper that would outsell all others. The film also interviews subsequent editor Steve Coz, editor during a significant phase in the 1990s. The paper, along with other papers and magazines was bought by American Media, headed by another ambitious proprietor, David Pecker, who took the paper in a different direction during the 2000s, significantly influenced by Donald Trump.
The film is interesting in that many of its talking heads, a significant number, are of journalists who worked for the Enquirer. They offer their points of view, devoted to the ethos of its journalism, telling stories of the pursuit of stories, such as the background of Bill Cosby and Bob Hope and their being suppressed by editorial, in fact building bonds between the two celebrities for positive interviews. A number of the journalists are interviewed in their old age, looking back over long careers, explaining how they were headhunted, the work, its significance, dirty tricks, some regrets, but still proud of their work. For each journalist, a working card comes up indicating their name as well as the years they worked for the paper, from the 70s to the 2000s. Some commentators on the film regret that it gives so much prominence to the journalists and their stances. However, it is interesting to look at them, listen to them, whether one approves of them or not.
There are some talking heads who are critical of the whole ethos of the paper. The principal of these is Carl Bernstein, famous for All the President’s Men.
The film explains that Gene Pope wanted to reach the ordinary American citizen, the housewife and mother of Kansas City Missouri, finding that placing the Enquirer near the checkout points at supermarkets commanded attention, curiosity, sales. He was very shrewd in assessing what really was of interest to the ordinary American. He liked to raise curiosity, resorting to outlandish narratives, secret photos… He died in 1988.
During the 1990s, the Enquirer had an opportunity to become more professional and even more respectable, especially in exploring significant cases. The Enquirer was crucial in proving that O.J. Simpson was lying during his trial, the Enquirer spending millions of dollars asking sports photographers to go through their files and identify Simpson wearing a pair of shoes which he had denied wearing. Their research was more effective than that of the police. There was backfire, getting photos of Princess Diana for many features, some published at the time of her death, and the Spencer family blaming the paparazzi, including The Enquirer, for hounding the Princess, her physical and mental condition, for her death.
The film is particularly interesting in view of its being released during Donald Trump’s presidency. The filmmakers are entirely unsympathetic, the film spending a lot of time featuring Trump, his relationships, sexual relationships, his narcissistic desire to be in the public eye, befriending David Pecker, and, by the time of the presidential campaign, relying on him, even feeding him stories anonymously, that would keep Trump in the public eye, those headlines at the supermarket checkout. (The film also shows a relationship with Arnold Schwarzenegger, underplaying his sexual behaviour over the decades, is divorce, at the time is campaign to be California Governor)
This is not an in-depth study of The National Enquirer and its impact – rather, within hundred minutes, it offers a survey of its history, alerting its audience to its various phases, offering sufficient grounds for a moral assessment.
