Fake News and Failed Friendships : An Analysis of Trump , Pecker , and the National Enquirer
and the “ down-low .” Lawyers review each story for possible libel . Those who sue the magazine declare it as the epitome of the worst in popular culture . The style and tone of this celebrity gossip publication appeal to the sordid vices of envy and schadenfreude .
The first section of this paper deals with the history of the National Enquirer . The second section analyzes stories about Trump before and after his election as president of the United States . The third section details the consequences of the friendship between Trump and David Pecker , CEO and Chairman of American Media Incorporated ( AMI ), the parent company of the National Enquirer . The last section of the paper provides a timeline of events starting with a meeting in 2015 among Trump , Cohen , and Pecker . It ends in 2019 with Cohen testifying before Congress and awaiting prison . This paper demonstrates how the National Enquirer contributed to the election of Donald J . Trump as president , and how his collusion with Cohen and Pecker led to his implication in the commission of several felonies .
THEORY
John Storey in Cultural Theory and Popular Culture , a key text in this subject , offers several definitions of popular culture . The most pertinent is media scholar , John Fisk ’ s argument that “ popular culture is what people actively make of it , actually do with the commodified practices they consume ” ( 11 ). The National Enquirer is a commodity that targets readers with a specific notion of the world populated by film , television , and political celebrities , exploring their fame , wealth , and weaknesses . The circulation of this magazine has declined over the last few years from 1.6 million to 260,000 . AMI reportedly lost 72 million dollars last year . In January , the company raised $ 460 million to refinance its crushing
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