Terrorists vs. Tabloids
A Tale of Courage and Celebrity Cellulite
This piece originally appeared in Lonely Planet Florida 3 (2002)
Shortly after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, a new threat to US security emerged: Anthrax, weapon of choice among terrorists with correct postage. Ground Zero this time around was the Boca Raton, Florida, offices of American Media, Inc [AMI], home to popular tabloids including the National Enquirer and Sun, known for their silly, scathing and sometimes factual stories about the rich and/or famous.
As part of their full-issue coverage of the September 11 attacks, the flagship National Enquirer even included an exclusive story revealing that Osama bin Laden’s…um…private parts had been left tiny and misshapen by a childhood illness. Evidently, it was only after bin Laden was later rebuffed by an American lover for his “inadequacies” that he declared war on her homeland.
Shortly after the issue hit the stands, the Sun received a letter containing live anthrax spores. Photo editor Bob Stevens, who had opened the envelope, was the first to contract the disease; he succumbed on October 5. The horrifying autopsy results proved that he was America’s first bioterror victim.
The Centers for Disease control moved quickly, sealing off AMI headquarters and testing all employees for the deadly bacterium. Two others had been exposed; though one fell ill, both were able to survive with treatment. Their loss alerted investigators to the threat, allowing authorities to spot and stop similar mailings that arrived across the United States in subsequent weeks.
They also learned that Marwan Al-Shehhi, who flew one of the jets into the World Trade Center, had rented an apartment from the wife of the Sun’s editor-in-chief while enrolled in an area aviation school. Although she described him as a “good-natured kid,” she also noted that he and his roommate, fellow hijacker Hamza Alghamdi, didn’t get their damage deposit back. They’d failed to clean the apartment up before leaving for New York.
In the meantime, AMI quickly moved its staff and equipment into temporary offices; despite every hardship, the Enquirer never missed an issue. And, of course, editors covered anthrax attacks on NBC, CBS and the US Congress – none of whom suffered a single fatality, thanks in part to the quick thinking of AMI executives calling for tests – with a special zeal.
Despite their sudden interest in what some might call “real news,” AMI never lost sight of what the American people, shocked and scared, needed now more than ever. Yes, blurry pictures of Britney Spears adjusting her bikini and inside reports that William Shatner passed gas on national television retained their rightful places on those cheaply printed pages, giving proof through one of America’s darkest nights that her spirit, such as it is, was still there.