I think most of us would agree that TMZ has set the standard for fast,
usually accurate coverage of celebrity deaths. Not everyone thinks
it's great.

As an aside, I learned from this article that TMZ means "thirty mile
zone," which is a term or concept used in Hollywood employment
contracts.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/local-news/tmz-hollywood-obituaries-1235648344/
How TMZ Became Hollywood’s Grim Reaper
After being tipped on Matthew Perry’s death, the site’s close ties to
law enforcement and habit of paying sources gets new scrutiny.

BY GARY BAUM, RYAN GAJEWSKI, WINSTON CHO
NOVEMBER 16, 2023 6:55AM

On Oct. 28, TMZ was first to report Matthew Perry’s drowning death.
The media outlet, which over the past two decades has become a byword
for hard-edged celebrity coverage, cited law enforcement sources and
ran a redacted audio clip it’d obtained of a dispatcher communicating
with emergency personnel before running photos of the actor’s stricken
parents arriving at his home.

The site has been renowned and reviled for such lightning scoops. Its
casualties include Todd Fisher, who has uniquely experienced its force
as a merciless reaper. TMZ broke the news of the death of his sister
Carrie. Then, the next day, it was first to report that his mother,
Debbie Reynolds, had been transported from his home, where she’d been
discussing funeral plans for Carrie, to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
because of a possible stroke. (TMZ had audio of the dispatch call.)
She soon died there. “They have relationships with people willing to
be unethical,” Fisher says. “Within 10 minutes of me finding out
[she’d died], it was already out.”

[continues]

In article <rk0dlil24jvbjrem3b967773ku1vpf4lr3@4ax.com>, David Carson
<davidc@wa-wd.com> wrote:

> I think most of us would agree that TMZ has set the standard for fast,
> usually accurate coverage of celebrity deaths. Not everyone thinks
> it's great.
>
> As an aside, I learned from this article that TMZ means "thirty mile
> zone," which is a term or concept used in Hollywood employment
> contracts.
>
>
> https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/local-news/tmz-hollywood-obituaries-123
> 5648344/
> How TMZ Became Hollywood‚s Grim Reaper
> After being tipped on Matthew Perry‚s death, the site‚s close ties to
> law enforcement and habit of paying sources gets new scrutiny.
>
> BY GARY BAUM, RYAN GAJEWSKI, WINSTON CHO
> NOVEMBER 16, 2023 6:55AM
>
> On Oct. 28, TMZ was first to report Matthew Perry‚s drowning death.
> The media outlet, which over the past two decades has become a byword
> for hard-edged celebrity coverage, cited law enforcement sources and
> ran a redacted audio clip it‚d obtained of a dispatcher communicating
> with emergency personnel before running photos of the actor‚s stricken
> parents arriving at his home.
>
> The site has been renowned and reviled for such lightning scoops. Its
> casualties include Todd Fisher, who has uniquely experienced its force
> as a merciless reaper. TMZ broke the news of the death of his sister
> Carrie. Then, the next day, it was first to report that his mother,
> Debbie Reynolds, had been transported from his home, where she‚d been
> discussing funeral plans for Carrie, to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
> because of a possible stroke. (TMZ had audio of the dispatch call.)
> She soon died there. „They have relationships with people willing to
> be unethical,‰ Fisher says. „Within 10 minutes of me finding out
> [she‚d died], it was already out.‰
>
> [continues]

These deaths are legit news stories. I only fault the outlets if
they're wrong.

David Carson <davidc@wa-wd.com> wrote:

>I think most of us would agree that TMZ has set the standard for fast,
>usually accurate coverage of celebrity deaths. Not everyone thinks
>it's great.

When they get it right, it's great. They got Jussie Smollett very very
wrong.

>. . .