Blind item

A blind item is a news story, typically in a gossip column, in which the details of the matter are reported while the identities of the people involved are not revealed.^[1] The invention of the blind item is credited to William d'Alton Mann (1839–1920), publisher of Town Topics, who often used it for blackmail.^[2] Communication privacy management theory relates to the ideas of information privacy that influence this form of communication.^[3]

The advent of gossip websites brought about more public debate and speculation about the individual blind item stories, and also about the ethics surrounding the practice.^[4] Audiences might use blind item material as a shared topic of conversation with peers, and perhaps even as a conversational entry point to a sensitive topic that is personal to them.^[5]

See also

• Circular sourcing
• Defamation
• Innuendo
• Roman à clef
• Rumor
• De-identification
• Anonymization