Seven Stories The National Enquirer Scooped The MSM On

7 Stories The National Enquirer Actually Got Right

Ethan Trex


Some in the media have argued that The National Enquirer deserves Pulitzer Prize consideration for its investigative work into politician John Edwards' affair with Rielle Hunter. Although it's easy to dismiss The Enquirer as a tabloid collection of fabricated stories that offer little more than a distraction in the grocery store line, the weekly rag has actually broken some pretty big stories. Sure, headlines like "Stars with Cellulite!"� and "Kirstie Alley: Only 4 Years to Live!"� might not make anyone forget Woodward and Bernstein, but take a look at these Enquirer scoops:

1. Finding Ennis Cosby's Killer

When Bill Cosby's son Ennis was senselessly murdered on the shoulder of a Los Angeles freeway in 1997, The Enquirer took an odd step to help solve the case: it offered a $100,000 reward for information that led to the arrest and conviction of Cosby's killer. Papers usually just announce rewards that other groups are offering, and to some this bounty seemed a lot like The Enquirer's practice of paying its sources—a major taboo in mainstream journalism.

The reward worked, though. Witness Chris So learned of the huge reward and led police to the revolver used in the slaying by killer Mikhail Markhasev. The Enquirer also obtained copies of jailhouse letters that pointed to Markhasev's guilt. Thanks in part to this evidence, Markhasev received a sentence of life without parole, plus 10 years.

2. Walking in O.J. Simpson's Shoes


If you remember the O.J. Simpson murder trial, you surely can recall the infamous bloody footprint that was found at the crime scene. The print came from a Bruno Magli shoe, and the football star adamantly denied owning such a pair of kicks.

The Enquirer did some digging, though, and unearthed a photo of the Juice walking on the field at a 1993 Buffalo Bills game wearing a pair of Bruno Maglis. The paper then turned up a second photo of O.J. wearing the shoes. By the time his civil trial rolled around in 1996, Simpson was forced to admit, "I know I've had similar shoes."�

3. Jesse Jackson's Family Tree Grows

In 2001, The Enquirer broke a story about Jesse Jackson fathering an illegitimate daughter with staffer Karin Stanford in 1999. Once The Enquirer scheduled its story on Jackson's dalliances, mainstream media outlets around the country started picking up on the paper's scoop. By the time The Enquirer's issue made it onto newsstands, Jackson had already issued a statement confirming the facts of the story.

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[link to mentalfloss.com]