Sex, Lies and Tabloids! 2015
Distributed by Icarus Films, 32 Court St., 21st Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201; 800-876-1710
Produced by Jean-Baptiste Péretié
Directed by Jean-Baptiste Péretié
DVD, color, 52 min.
General Adult
Communication, Ethics, Journalism, Mass Media
Date Entered: 08/09/2016
Reviewed by Margaret M. Reed, Riley-Hickingbotham Library, Ouachita Baptist University, Arkadelphia, ARIt’s an irony some media moguls have seized upon to build their empires -- the public’s disdain for the unethical and its unquenchable appetite for the sensational. Enter the tabloids.
From Rupert Murdoch’s successful re-launch of The Sun in 1969 to the rise of TMZ and other internet-based gossip mills, Sex, Lies and Tabloids! chronicles the colorful history of the tabloid press. Throughout the film, past and present writers and editors unashamedly “tell all” about the tactics they use to lure readers.
True to the graphic nature of tabloids, Sex, Lies and Tabloids! is studded with provocative video clips of nude dancers and models. Some may interpret the images as creative license, while others may see them as offensive, tasteless ploys that diminish the film’s substance.
Recommended for mature audiences, Sex, Lies and Tabloids! is a useful resource for special topics courses in media studies, journalism, and ethics.