Power to the press

For all the control that Hollywood publicists try to exercise over the press, they pour disdain on the supermarket titles like Weekly World News and The National Enquirer.  But when one of these rags breaks a story, there is very little they can do to stop the chaos.  Witness the acres of press surrounding Patrick Swayze’s illness. His publicity machine is backed into a corner and a doctor had to be wheeled out to issue a statement.  Let’s hope the doctor’s address was valid, otherwise the spin meisters will be outed.