“Superstar womaniser has HIV – Hollywood rocked” screamed The Sun‘s headline last week. The actor was not named in the article, but certain descriptive details were provided and, in particular, an illustration pointing to six sexual partners each with their own brief potted biographies. It was enough to get the guessing game started and, as I write, US and UK publishers are now naming the actor and he has just made an announcement on the subject.
While the article quoted an unnamed “showbiz insider” who described the news as “common knowledge” (as of last week) it was a billed in sensationalist terms and Radar Online described it as a “bombshell world exclusive“. Just the sort of thing that might help a news website – recently freed from its paywall – catch up with the all-conquering Mail Online.
