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The inside story of how TMZ became America’s most potent pro-Trump media outlet

M

Makonero

Member
After the release of the infamous Access Hollywood video where Trump was caught bragging about sexual assault, Trump struggled to generate positive coverage. One notable exception: TMZ.

The site, best known for celebrity gossip and interviews, landed an “exclusive” from former Miss Teen USA Katie Blair. In an edited two-and-a-half minute video shot from the front seat of a car, Blair says that she “never had a bad experience with him” and “has a great deal of respect for him.” Blair went on to describe, in the words of TMZ, “why Trump couldn’t have done many of the things some other pageant contestants have accused him of doing.” She concluded the video by saying she would vote for Trump.

Trump’s accusers, on the other hand, got harsher treatment. TMZ highlighted how one woman, Jessica Drake, “might’ve pulled off the ultimate publicity stunt — announcing an online sex shop 1 day before accusing The Donald.” The story wasn’t exactly true, Drake’s lawyer later made clear in an email to TMZ, but still served as an effective vehicle to discredit her as a sexual deviant and profiteer.
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The morning after the election, Levin, who sits on a raised platform in the center of an open newsroom, got a call. It was Trump. Levin “went into his big sort of conference room right behind my desk,” the former staffer told ThinkProgress, “I don’t really know what they were talking about, but I heard some laughter.”

Trump was the ideal vehicle for TMZ to break into political coverage. A reality TV host and a creature of celebrity culture pursues the most powerful position in the world — all while dishing out TMZ-friendly sound bites on a daily basis.

As Trump has risen, TMZ has quietly emerged as, arguably, the most important pro-Trump outlet in America. Fox News is the largest and best known, but its audience is older and already inclined to support Trump. Breitbart is the most aggressive and strident, but its connection to white nationalism limits its appeal. TMZ attracts a large and diverse audience — precisely the folks Trump needed to reach to stitch together a winning coalition.
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TMZ has also received scoops that reach deep inside the private life of the Trump family. As Kathy Griffin faced scrutiny for posing with a severed head of Trump, TMZ exclusively reported that Barron, Trump’s 11-year-old son, thought the photo was real. According to “Trump family sources,” Barron panicked and screamed “Mommy! Mommy!” after the photo flashed on TV. The story was similar to Trump’s own tweet about Barron, which published almost simultaneously with the TMZ story.

TMZ also was the first to report that Ivanka Trump was “accosted by a passenger” on a Jet Blue flight. Levin, appearing on Fox News that day to promote the story, clearly had a source inside the Trump traveling party. “[T]hey landed not too long ago, and they were escorted on the tarmac to a private jet where they went to their final destination,” Levin told Fox’s Eric Bolling.
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The power of TMZ comes not from its focus on political news, but its ability to attract an apolitical — and thus more malleable — audience. Viewers and readers come for Kanye West, Lady Gaga, and Amber Rose. And they get plenty of that.

But they also get a steady stream of pro-Trump coverage. It’s coverage that treats Trump as he wants to be treated — as the biggest celebrity in the world, worthy of your admiration. Like Trump, TMZ doesn’t spend much time picking through the policy details. But when TMZ does, it generally takes Trump’s side.

With the election in the rearview mirror, things don’t seem like they are changing.
“It just became about now promoting him as president, rather than promoting him as a candidate. So it didn’t stop after the election at all; if anything it probably got even crazier,” a TMZ staffer told ThinkProgress.
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Far more at the link


I know the National Enquirer and Fox were in Trump's pocket, but TMZ? That's news to me. State propaganda starts with the tabloids.
 
E

Eidan

Member
I think you can assume all of the gossip rags and their offshoots are in the bag for Trump. In so many ways Trump is their ideal politician.
 
Bolivar687

Bolivar687

Banned
As Kathy Griffin faced scrutiny for posing with a severed head of Trump, TMZ exclusively reported that Barron, Trump’s 11-year-old son, thought the photo was real. According to “Trump family sources,” Barron panicked and screamed “Mommy! Mommy!” after the photo flashed on TV.
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Rofl
 
S

shadowstar

Member
Harvey Levin (founder of TMZ) is a friend of Trump. He's not an unreasonable alt-righter, but he has said he has a friendly relationship with Trump during radio interviews and had a meeting at the Oval Office post election with him.
 
B

Brinbe

Member
Yeah, saw a post on FB about CNN Russia/Trumpand fake news and of course they used James O'Keefe as proof. Which said everything I needed to know. So fuck TMZ, not supporting that shit in the future.
 
I

ICO_SotC

Member
Yup. I finally had to stop watching TMZ becuase it was so obvious Levin was actively using the show to help Trump, but also conservatism in general. He would give quick little positive segments to Republicans ("we "randomly" caught Marco Rubio at the airport today and asked him this softball question!"), while always finding ways to give digs to Obama, or anything that could be associated with "the left". There's always been a casual bigotry/sexism that's run through his comments as well.

One of the last things I watched was a segment where he invited Stacey Dash on to agree with him that there is no sexism in Hollywood, it's just that "women are bad negotiators."

That was pretty much it for me.
 
K

kevin1025

Banned
ICO_SotC said:
Yup. I finally had to stop watching TMZ becuase it was so obvious Levin was actively using the show to help Trump, but also conservatism in general. He would give quick little positive segments to Republicans ("we "randomly" caught Marco Rubio at the airport today and asked him this softball question!"), while always finding ways to give digs to Obama, or anything that could be associated with "the left". There's always been a casual bigotry/sexism that's run through his comments as well.

One of the last things I watched was a segment where he invited Stacey Dash on to agree with him that there is no sexism in Hollywood, it's just that "women are bad negotiators."

That was pretty much it for me.
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The irony being, 80% or more of the people they stalk and harass are liberal. They make money off of them, and then support the right.
 
L

Linkura

Member
Yeah, I go to the site to quickly get daily celebrity gossip news (it's a guilty pleasure), and it's decidedly pro-Trump. If someone has any suggestions for replacement sites, let me know.
 
A

Aasir Osu

Neo Member
Skinny Pete said:
I didnt realize they were pro Trump. Will never watch or go to their site again.
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While it seems clear that Harvey, inexplicably, likes Trump, It's equally clear that the majority of the TMZ staff do not. If you watch the show at least, the anti-Trump feelings of the staff are obvious - and they've called Harvey out for his Trump-worship. I can't say how their Trump coverage is on the website itself though.

Also, the idea that TMZ is "the most important Trump outlet in America" seems weird; is anyone reading or watching TMZ to reinforce their political leanings? I have my doubts about that assertion.

Edit: Well, actually reading the actual article linked on GAF does help - who knew?
 
B

Brakke

Banned
I buy the claim of bias but "potent" seems a bit of a stretch. You can run "interviews" with Stacey Dash and some Miss Teen USA but does anybody find either of them credible at all? (I mean, obviously the answer is that yes, some non-zero number of people do.)

I guess I've just never traced a pro-Trump take back to TMZ. Maybe that's TMZ "breaking" "stories" but people just not seeing them until other outlets run with them secondhand.
 
I

Ivan 3414

Member
Fuck everyone that ever worked at TMZ, including the former employees who anonymously snitched. You had blood on your fucking hands long before Trump even announced his run.
 
M

Makonero

Member
Brakke said:
I buy the claim of bias but "potent" seems a bit of a stretch. You can run "interviews" with Stacey Dash and some Miss Teen USA but does anybody find either of them credible at all? (I mean, obviously the answer is that yes, some non-zero number of people do.)

I guess I've just never traced a pro-Trump take back to TMZ. Maybe that's TMZ "breaking" "stories" but people just not seeing them until other outlets run with them secondhand.
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The potency is in that most of the readers of Breitbart or Fox News or the National Enquirer are already Trump supporters. TMZ consumers are largely apolitical and therefore more likely to be influenced by their biased reporting.
 
Joe T.

Joe T.

Member
As someone who DVR's TMZ and watches it almost daily for its self-deprecating humor I find that story ridiculous. I can't really speak to the coverage on the web site or offshoots, but the attitudes and comments made on the show have skewed far more in favor of Obama and the left than Trump and the right, which makes sense considering many of the people working there are black, female or part of the LGBT community.
 
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