The National Enquirer is a disgusting publication. [View all]

[MineralMan]

Really, it's using the 1st Amendment as a barely concealed extortion and blackmail scheme.

"Hello, notable person. This is the National Enquirer. We have recently received a story that might be embarrassing to you. We're planning to publish it in two weeks. A copy of the story is attached to this email. Please feel free to provide any information you wish in response. It is our practice always to provide subjects of stories with the story, before it is published."

"We don't like publishing such stories about prominent people, but have a responsibility to our readers to provide them with news and entertainment. If you believe this story might harm your reputation, we can discuss an arrangement that will compensate us for the cost of acquiring the story. In that case, we will hold the story and not publish it. We have an exclusive agreement by the author, who will be unable to present it to other publications."

"If you have any questions, you can contact us by calling the number at the end of this email. We'll be happy to discuss any arrangement you wish to make. However, time is, of course, of the essence in this matter. If we do not hear from you by a date one week before our publication date, we will be unable to adjust our schedule."

It's not quite that brazen, but almost. If you don't cooperate and come to an "arrangement" with the publication, they will, indeed, publish, whether the story is true or not. Vis: every Clinton story that ever appeared on the pages of that bogus rag.