Do you have what it takes to be a V.I.P.?

In 2005, Harvey Levin unremarkably launched TMZ.com. According to Anne Helen Peterson's examination of the site, it specialized in high-brow Variety-like insider information, but at the time it was one of the dozens of upstart gossip blogs. However, this all changed on July 28 2006 when TMZ broke the news of Mel Gibson's DUI arrest. This was significant because, under arrest, Gibson began spewing antisemitic remarks towards the arresting officers, referring to the female officer as "sugar tits". TMZ broke the news with startling immediacy and induced a "full-fledged media frenzy" and pushed the site to the top celebrity gossip website by 2007. The site distinguished itself further by, "scooping other gossip sources by obtaining legal documents and prize footage" (Peterson 2010). 

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From this point on, the rate at which we consume celebrity news dramatically expedited. The lucrative prize spilling the tea and capturing the money shot brought turned shifted the traditional media cycle to a 24/7 gatecrashing pursuit.

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Ray Murray (2013) defines paparazzi as, "A paparazzo is a photographer, often a freelance one, who takes candid shots, often in an intrusive manner, of celebrities for newspapers or magazines". The market for paparazzi is highly desirable, which reflects society's obsession with celebrity culture. Even at the rumored, uncertain location of Beyoncé and Jay-Z's much-anticipated nuptials in 2008, TMZ was there streaming live of the location and sending minute-by-minute text updates on where various members of the family were. They sustained reader attention on a Friday evening by "creating both immediacy and insider information" (Peterson 2010). Here's an example:

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We just spoke with a driver who told us an interesting tidbit. All the drivers were hired for an event (they didn’t know what) three days ago, but TODAY they were told that the event was off. THEN, this afternoon, they were told it was back ON. But the drivers don’t really have much info on anything—they’re all circling the block waiting for instruction from security. Another interesting item—no cell phones are allowed inside. The drivers are all carrying their clients’ phones, waiting for them to come out.

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IIn the enormously competitive market of celebrity gossip, there's no question --this is breaking news. The invasive, paranoia-inducing nature of TMZ quickly became the standard culture of the tabloid industry from then on.