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Juicy four-part docuseries on the rise of tabloid media and the cut-throat players who blew up the news. Dig into the ascent of Rupert Murdoch and America’s insatiable appetite for dirt – featuring Cindy Adams and a who’s-who of insider interviews.
“News travels. Dirt sticks.”
2021
In 1976, Rupert Murdoch bought the New York Post and a new kind of gossip column was created – Page Six. Its reputation of shock and awe led to more readers while the reporters at Page Six held the power. Cindy Adams’ career starts to rise. After marrying comedian Joey Adams at the age of 17, she was introduced to a new world of politicians and celebrities, from Roy Cohn to Frank Sinatra, Jacqueline Kennedy and Donald Trump. Her connections led to the start of a new era as a gossip writer for Murdoch. Series premiere.
The rise of tabloid journalism in the 1980s and the launch of a TV show, A Current Affair, fuels Rupert Murdoch’s empire. He brought gossip and news together to satisfy our appetite for sensational coverage. The New York Post’s influence knew little bounds, yet, in Murdoch’s aim to become a media titan, he must sell the paper due to US federal rules. The New York Post is suddenly at stake. Cindy Adams’ power as a columnist continues to grow, as do her relationships with controversial figures. Richard Johnson and George Rush lead Page Six.
During the 1990s, New York was still a city dominated by newspapers, but the New York Post remained on unsteady ground. It changed hands repeatedly until, at last, it was rescued by Rupert Murdoch once more. All the while, the gossip columnists were engaged in an era of tabloid wars -- Adams for the New York Post, and Liz Smith for The New York Daily News -- while Page Six sparred with Alec Baldwin, Mickey Rourke and more. By the end of the decade, as her success grew, Adams tends to Joey who is on the decline. Then, Lewinsky happens.
The Internet Age marks the rise of social media and the death of the newspaper. Gossip bloggers like Perez Hilton emerged with no standards or rules. Page Six depended on sources like Harvey Weinstein, who mastered the manipulation of gossip writers. Digital gossip became faster, meaner and dirtier and the traditional columnists suddenly were obsolete. Meanwhile, Donald Trump, a gossip regular, was elected US President. Now, at age 91, Adams is the last woman standing. As for the tabloids, so is the New York Post. Series finale.
