Reading through the comments, I've noticed two differences between RPF and the tabloids.
One, there's a serious power imbalance, in that the tabloids are mass-produced and mass-marketed, while RPF is not. The gossip rags can justify themselves by sheer presence, in that there are enough of them and they repeat rumors often enough as to seem legit in the eyes of the general public (see also, Fox News). If you have enough money and enough media coverage, you can convince anyone of anything.
Two, RPF can get much more explicit than any tabloid. While I'm sure the Inquirer or the Star can hint at the salacious details of Johnny Depp's sex life, they certainly can't write about how he holds BDSM orgies with Orlando Bloom every night, especially in the graphic detail fans tend to get into. If they did, they wouldn't be able to be on supermarket newsstands.
Oh, and that made me think of one other thing. Since fans clearly label their work fiction, they can get away with a lot more than the tabloids, which hide behind a tissue-thin cloak of 'truth' in their journalistic efforts. If they go too far, you can bet Orlando Bloom's highly paid lawyers will be eating them for lunch, since you can sue for slander when it's presented as truth. Fiction has greater protection than non-fiction.
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Date: 2008-06-12 08:11 pm (UTC)One, there's a serious power imbalance, in that the tabloids are mass-produced and mass-marketed, while RPF is not. The gossip rags can justify themselves by sheer presence, in that there are enough of them and they repeat rumors often enough as to seem legit in the eyes of the general public (see also, Fox News). If you have enough money and enough media coverage, you can convince anyone of anything.
Two, RPF can get much more explicit than any tabloid. While I'm sure the Inquirer or the Star can hint at the salacious details of Johnny Depp's sex life, they certainly can't write about how he holds BDSM orgies with Orlando Bloom every night, especially in the graphic detail fans tend to get into. If they did, they wouldn't be able to be on supermarket newsstands.
Oh, and that made me think of one other thing. Since fans clearly label their work fiction, they can get away with a lot more than the tabloids, which hide behind a tissue-thin cloak of 'truth' in their journalistic efforts. If they go too far, you can bet Orlando Bloom's highly paid lawyers will be eating them for lunch, since you can sue for slander when it's presented as truth. Fiction has greater protection than non-fiction.