Blind item

A blind item is a news story, typically in a gossip column, in which the details of the matter are reported while the identities of the people involved are not revealed.[1] The invention of the blind item is credited to William d'Alton Mann (1839–1920), publisher of Town Topics, who often used it for blackmail.[2] Communication privacy management theory relates to the ideas of information privacy that influence this form of communication.[3]

The advent of gossip websites brought about more public debate and speculation about the individual blind item stories, and also about the ethics surrounding the practice.[4] Audiences might use blind item material as a shared topic of conversation with peers, and perhaps even as a conversational entry point to a sensitive topic that is personal to them.[5]

See also

• Circular sourcing
• Defamation
• Innuendo
• Roman à clef
• Rumor
• De-identification
• Anonymization

References

1. Bonner, Mehera. "The King of the Hollywood Blind Item Reveals All". Vanities. Retrieved 2018-04-28.
2. "Gossiper Silenced". Time. Jan 25, 1932. Archived from the original on March 10, 2007. Retrieved Aug 8, 2008.
3. McNealy, Jasmine; Mullis, Michaela Devyn (March 2019). "Tea and turbulence: Communication privacy management theory and online celebrity gossip forums". Computers in Human Behavior. 92: 110–118. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2018.10.029. ISSN 0747-5632. S2CID 59528457.
4. Ortner, Heike (2013), Not So Blind Items: Anonymous Celebrity Gossip Exposed (PDF)
5. Petersen, Anne Helen (May 2011). The Gossip Industry: Producing and Distributing Star Images, Celebrity Gossip and Entertainment News 1910-2010 (Thesis). The University of Texas at Austin.