Celebrity culture is one thing. For TMZ, Congress is the new 'reality show'
The tabloid outlet TMZ has launched a Washington D.C. bureau to cover Congress with a focus on celebrity-style gossip and personal profiles. The move aims to humanize politicians and attract readers who are not typically engaged with traditional political news.
Why it matters
This shift represents the blurring lines between political journalism and entertainment media, potentially changing how the public perceives government officials.
During a recent visit to Reagan Washington National Airport, TMZ's Charlie Cotton was chatting up with Georgia Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff for an interview that would later post to the online tabloid's site.
"You don't look like Pee-wee Herman," Cotton told Ossoff, who's locked in a high-profile reelection campaign against Republican challenger Rep. Mike Collins.
President Trump recently called Ossoff "Pinky Herman," an apparent reference to the iconic 1980s character Pee-wee Herman . But on this day, Cotton wanted to talk more about their shared roots. Cotton is from Australia, and Ossoff's mother is a native Australian too.
"You know, there is a laid-back culture, I think, in Australia," Ossoff said. "We get a little wound up over here sometimes."
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