For now, the maddening tabs have mostly turned away from Tiger Woods and his gaggle of alleged mistresses. Thanks to the gossips, not to mention new and old media, the story’s lifespan was expanded about two weeks too long. And if Brittany Murphy hadn’t died, it might still be getting the pseudo news treatment.
One of the outlets responsible for that unnatural extension is People.com, which reported last Sunday that Woods had taken his yacht to the Bahamas “for a few days” this week with friends and “golfing buddies.”
At the time, I called out the golfing buddies part of the report from Linda Marx, but thanks to two people who have actually staked out the boat 24/7 of late, we now know the entire People report was wrong.
The Palm Beach NEW TIMES reported last night:
Ralph Notaro, a photographer from Coral Springs, says he has spent the past 12 days on a stakeout near the port where Privacy is docked.
People magazine reported on its website that Woods and a group of buddies took off on Privacy on December 19. The story quoted a source that claimed they had even stocked up on provisions at Costco on Northlake Boulevard.
But Notaro was in his boat behind Privacy on that day and said it never moved. The day Woods allegedly set sail was a stormy one, and Notaro recalls riding out the waves on his rented boat.
Lisa Lucas also says she’s been staking out the boat almost daily. Lucas is a freelance writer working for the NEW YORK DAILY NEWS and said she was there the day that Woods supposedly took Privacy out. Lucas called People and said she talked with the author of the article, Linda Marx, who said she witnessed the boat leaving herself.
“There is no way that boat left that morning,” Lucas says. She did see it go out for a two-hour trip four days later, but not with Woods aboard.
Both Notaro and Lucas allegedly called People magazine and pressed for a retraction of the story, only to get the predictable runaround.
I believe the Notaro and Lucas accounts, but it is amusing that they’d be naive enough to think that People would actually entertain their calls and eventually own up to its mistake. As if those two folks don’t know that tabs make things up all the time?
What really makes this story worth noting though is that it involved People Magazine, which is often cited as the most credible of the entertainment media outlets. When a story is only being advanced by anonymous sources, usually the outlets with the most credibility only get cited.
For example, ESPN has only cited one anonymously-sourced report regarding the entire Woods ordeal - an ABCNews.com claim that a divorce between Woods and Elin Nordegren was a done deal (”100%”). (Ironic when you consider endless anon-sourced reports have fueled ESPN’s round-the-clock coverage of the alleged Brad Childress-Brett Favre dispute all week.)
If, like me, you’ve read every shred of coverage on the old media websites throughout the Woods story, you have realize that ESPN’s decision to re-report the ABCNews.com claim looked totally arbitrary. Except for the fact that, in a stunning coincidence, both companies are owned by Disney.
That’s not to single out ESPN, it is just very important to note that in the absence of hard news, coverage of a story like this basically comes down to a beauty contest. If you’re an old media editor deciding what report to run with, and all those reports are anon-sourced, you’re probably going to pick a safe outlet like People over a TMZ or Radar.
Why? Because if People or ABCNews.com has it wrong, you’ll have a better excuse for your boss than if you took a chance on TMZ or Radar.
Another example: X17Online completely whiffed on a story on Monday, inexplicably claiming that Nordegren was getting a police escort out of her home to an unknown location. I cited the report on SbB, which turned out to be completely wrong.
Next time x17 has an anon-sourced report, you think I’m going to mention it?
That isn’t to say that being right or wrong governs editorial decisions. TMZ and Radar are the only reason the Woods story EXISTS. Their reporting, mostly anon-sourced, has been correct the majority of the time. But most importantly, TMZ made the leap after the car accident to Elin attacking Woods - which is why Woods is where he is today. And of course, we now know that TMZ nailed it.
What we’ve witnessed with the Woods story the past month is precisely what I said in the post about TMZSports.com. Because ESPN is financially (and otherwise) entangled with the subjects it covers, it has no intention of reporting embarrassing news about its partners - unless it absolutely has to. (See hard news on Woods created by TMZ.)
Every single piece of hard news that the old media has reported on the Woods story, Jaimee Grubbs voicemail, Woods’ press releases and sponsors backing off, ALL OF IT, was originally generated by TMZ and Radar.
What has ESPN and other old media given us? Nothing, except a single regurgitation of anon-sourced ABCNews.com report.
TMZ ain’t the NEW YORK TIMES, but after watching old media and ESPN completely pass on finding out the truth with Woods - while battering us with innuendo-fueled Brett Favre-Brad Childress intrigue all week - TMZSports.com can’t start soon enough.
12:49 pm on December 24th, 2009
Or - for those of us who have had enough of this type of “news” - TMZ and TMZSports can’t go away soon enough. I don’t understand the comment “That isn’t to say that being right or wrong governs editorial decisions.” Are you saying it shouldn’t govern the editorial decisions? I don’t want to claim I get my news from Twitter - but at least two of your tweets over the past few weeks have been outright falsehoods - and hiding behind the “I was only reporting what other people had told me” is a sorry excuse. Stick with posting funny sports video clips and pictures of attractive girls (because I do enjoy those, and that is why I keep coming back to this site), and quit trying to maintain that you (or TMZ or all the other gossip tabloids) are some sort of legitimate news source.
1:16 pm on December 24th, 2009
“TMZ and Radar are the only reason the Woods story EXISTS.”
Even People.com laughs at how egregiously wrong this statement is… the National Enquirer, not so much.
3:19 pm on December 24th, 2009
But even People.com got it wrong. How sad that people are so out to get something they report falsehoods. We are so concerned about Tiger and his dumbass behavior….but yet how much is being reported non-stop about the Peditrician molesting his patients (some as young as 2) and as many as 100? and he video taped the attacks! In his office! Now that is news people…sad news…and oh I would call this person a monster! Tiger was an idiot but not a monster.
3:43 pm on December 24th, 2009
I was the first to report the National Enquirer story online, and you can make that case to an extent.
But if TMZ doesn’t report that Elin attacked Tiger which then prompted Tiger’s acknowledgement to transgressions in a press release, the story is over with the otherwise lame reporting that was going on after the car accident.
4:06 pm on December 24th, 2009
Thank goodness for TMZ, Drudge and the others like them. With big government getting bigger, and the old news organizations getting more in bed with big-big government, it woul dbe very easy to hide things from the people.
4:43 pm on December 24th, 2009
But really who cares Brooks? You can report it but trash is still trash. Ok he cheated…but honestly as I stated before why are aren’t you reporting about the guy who molested children while acting like the good peditrician. Oh yeah…you are suppose to report about sports….well Tiger screwing around and his accident is not sports it is the soap opera of sports.
7:16 pm on December 24th, 2009
No Enquirer = story doesn’t exist in any form whatsoever.
No TMZ = story exists but unfolds in a different manner.
The point being that when the Enquirer initially claimed Uchitel was hooking up with Woods everyone gave a collective yawn. But when the accident occurred, everyone I knew - even people who could care less about sports - were immediately intrigued… especially by the bizarre nature of the whole thing (fire hydrant, tree, in and out of consciousness, broken back window, golf club, 2:30 in the morning, right in front of his house, slow speed).
Throw in the Enquirer report about some lady meeting Tiger in Australia and a pretty clear picture of what probably happened came into focus… all without having to go to TMZ’s site.
11:10 pm on December 24th, 2009
Mr.Brooks, I pretty much agree with everything you have said here and, quite frankly, your reporting has been pretty level headed on this subject. One question, however; what is the basis for the statement “TMZ made the leap after the car accident to Elin attacking Woods - which is why Woods is where he is today. And of course, we now know that TMZ nailed it.”?
I know TMZ reported that, and I honestly would not doubt it is true; however, I have not seen any convincing evidence that it is. Plenty of facts that could be interpreted to support that conclusion, but which are just as easily interpreted to not support it. Bottom line, it is a decent hypothesis, but am I don’t see hard evidence - am I missing something?
11:18 pm on December 24th, 2009
The twit bemoans the story’s extended shelf-life while posting 10 articles/day about it on his blog.
12:44 am on December 25th, 2009
you armchair QB’s are pathetic - you bitch, piss, moan and criticize as though you are all knowing. Put your money where your mouth is, nut up if you can, and start your own website. Seriously, sell your gremlin or your taurus or your ten speed and make it happen. Otherwise, shut the fuck up.
Frankly, your snide comments make you look like pussies.
Happy Holidays!!
1:59 pm on December 25th, 2009
Tiger’s acknowledgement of the affairs, unwillingness to appear in public and lack of legal action against TMZ make at least its basis of an Elin attack report unquestionably true.
If not, Tiger would’ve come out in public and sued TMZ. That report may ultimately cost him hundreds of millions. No exaggeration. If it was false, you can bet it would’ve been disputed.
Subsequent details reported are another thing. Some are indeed dubious, but none have been disputed by Tiger.
4:48 pm on December 25th, 2009
I totally agree with your statement that this story is two weeks too long and that will actually work to Tiger’s benefit. I know people who were shocked and dismayed at the outset, who are now saying “please leave that man alone”. Add the fact that I can go to three different websites and Tiger is either in the Bahamas or hiding in his house eating Cheerios or sneaking to have an affair with Rachel; it starts to cast doubt on everything, even things that are true.
6:44 am on December 26th, 2009
Has any one really Seen Mr. Woods?
Does any one really know where he is or what condition he is in?
Why have there been no pictures of him?
COTO
12:31 pm on December 26th, 2009
I think the story that is being under-reported by the media is what I am guessing is the extremely fragile state of Tiger’s mind. I would be VERY concerned about his psychological well-being.
In a matter weeks, he has managed to:
1. Destroy his public image;
2. Lose his family (which I believe he dearly loved - the philandering being ‘compartmentalized’ in his mind as if it were the acts of another person - personality disorder anyone?)
3. Humiliate himself beyond belief - but then, hanging out with the likes of Barkley and Jordan, whose, ummm… ‘indiscretions’ were well-known, was probably not the best choice of to a younger impressionable guy like him)
I believe that Tiger is at heart a “Metrosexual” man - he is not a stand up MAN and he lets women run his life. For years its been known that his wife had “steel teeth” and the fact that she is now caling the shots is pretty predictable (as was the club to the face she gave him when she found out her perfect marriage was a sham).
Now he is probably psychologically adrift. He refuses counselling - bad sign - and unless he has a George-Foreman-like “religious awakening” that will help keep him on the straight and narrow, I don’t know when we will see him again on the golf course. He will be too SCARED to show his face there.
He is a young man who needs help. The more he isolates himself the more I worry about his mental well-being. Which can translate into physical well-being if you get my drift.
7:06 pm on December 26th, 2009
None of the Tiger Woods coverage deserved any of the run it got. It’s a pesonal matter and absolutely run in the ground by Brooks, TMZ and the rest of the slime.
The editorials throw their over moralistic slaps at him and what Elin should do……when it’s their relationship.
It’s distusting and totally for ratings and money makings that this is even discussed.
7:15 am on December 27th, 2009
I DONT CARE WHAT HE DOES, HE DID IT NOW YU HAVE TO PAY FOR IT