A pertinent question at this point - did TMZ really scoop everyone on Michael Jackson's death?

I'm being serious. It seems like this band of paparazzis scooped both Jackson's hospitalization and his death. If this is true, it could give these jokers a whole new level of respectability, which I don't think bodes well for American journalism as a whole.

About reporting events. The networks and cable are more cautious. It looks as though they did "scoop" them about the initial incident, but as far as the death part is concerned, I think the networks and cable were waiting for complete, and full, verification that he died before making an announcement.

At a time when I think stalkerazzis should be socially minimized, especially after their behavior on the night Princess Diana died, this could embolden them to take even more chances.

to shape a story, more than to break it. For instance, when Hillary Clinton co-sponsored a flag bill, Drudge jumped out with a headline "Clinton supports bill banning flag burning." Obviously, just about the opposite was the case, but he shaped how the story was reported. He did the same thing to (and others) on Iraq, reporting twisted interpretations to make people think she was flip-flopping or supporting something she didn't. It worked so well that some people here parroted his headlines without reading the story.

So no one cares that Drudge is wrong most of the time. They use him to shape the angle, and if the story then turns out unreliable, the major media just ignores it. If it turns out true, or close to true, they pick up Drudge's spin on it.

TMZ got lucky. Just like The National Enquirer and Matt Drudge got lucky. I can only hope that they don't let it go to their heads. But they probaly will.

Both men were reported dead by all the media outlets, who then had to retract the reports. They try to avoid those situations.

TMZ didn't care if they got it wrong, so they went with the rumor, and it was true. You could tell when the story broke that the media thought it was bad, but they could only report what they had confirmation of. Same as when the NY Post scooped everyone on Natasha Richardson, though I think they did have someone at the hospital or in the family giving them info.

I'd expect them to have someone there before the ambulance.

when it comes to the celebrity news, TMZ has had several scoops on the networks.

and that's why they get the scoops.

They have snitches everywhere, I hear............

pride in first, scooping the opposition, and second, getting it right. They did both--a stark contrast from that "Perez Hilton" character, who suggested the whole thing was a publicity stunt for the upcoming tour.