A Blind Item is a piece of more-than-likely true celebrity gossip that originates from various sources. The term is closely associated with the popular ENT Lawyer, a trusted source of information since the ‘90s. Today, ENT Lawyer hosts a website, Crazy Days and Nights, that serves as one of the main sources for the larger Blind Item Community.
How is this legal, you may ask? Blind items never mention the actual name of anyone they’re about. Rather, they provide clues. This leaves the blind item correspondent community with the next task – picking apart the clues, untangling the message, and providing compelling evidence.
Many content creators, from podcasters and journalists to TikTokers and Instagrammers, can attribute their following to their niche of blind items. And if this subject is of interest to you, it’s a great way to build your research skills and diversify your writing.
So, how does one break into the world of blind items? Shannon McNamara from Fluently Forward is here to help us.
Build your knowledge
It’s very important to consistently engage with blind items!
Blind items use verbiage that may not be understandable to a general audience. Whether it be “C/B List Actor” or a nickname like “Disgraced Director,” understanding these codes will allow you to untangle blind items.
Additionally, blind items are posted every day and have been around for many years, meaning many of the blinds interconnect with one another. This website tracks blind items by date and hypothesis. Consistently keeping up with codes and nicknames and identifying patterns will allow you to unravel these sources.
Shannon’s Quick Tip: Keep up with more mainstream pop culture news to pick up on contextual clues. For example, Shannon knew that a blind item referencing the “famous CEO” had to be Elon Musk because it also mentions the CEO’s “musician” girlfriend.
Incorporate your own unique approach
Blind items got popular because they provide a unique perspective on the world of celebrities. In line with this notion, the blind items community values unique approaches to analyses, both in terms of the writing focus and media type. Here are some examples to get you inspired:
- Themed stories, such as following blind items about stars from a hit TV show
- Long-winded stories, like combining a ton of blind items about a specific celebrity
- Current news style, such as providing celebrity guesses for a developing story
- Catalog style, like grouping blind items by a specific category
- Story-telling style, such as reenacting blind items
Each correspondent provides a lens through which to see the blind item. Some prefer to flesh out long-winded stories, while others report the item at face value as they come. Further, some blind items correspondents place more focus on cataloging and tracking blind items for other correspondents’ use, while others have even acted out blind items.
Diversify your content across various platforms
Shannon has many platforms in which she distributes her blind items content: TikTok, podcasts via Spotify, and a blog. Although this is common within the blind items community, you can still stick to one content method. However, all creators do something similar: consider the affordances and audiences of their platform. When done correctly, the genre of each platform becomes clear.
- TikToks have a 3-minute time limit, meaning it’s better for currently developing stories and lukewarm takes. You will just have to make sure your writing is as succinct as possible!
- Podcasts give you the affordance of time. It’s better for fleshing out stories and providing more controversial takes. Your writing here can be much more conversational.
- Blogs give you the most freedom. Here, we see the most variation within the genre. Some blogs exist for the sole purpose of cataloging blind items by date or by person, while others reform blind items into more of a larger investigative piece of journalism. All of these pieces interact!
Know the rules of the community
Although correspondents differ in the content they produce subject-wise, there are some widely upheld rules. Because blind items originate from various sources, it’s the correspondent’s duty to recirculate these sources and build the story. While blind items don’t say any names, correspondents do.
- Don’t out anyone. Past members of the blind items community have been chastised for recirculating a blind item that discloses a person’s a person’s sexual identity without their consent – but that should be an easy one to understand 😉
- Practice due diligence. Not all blind items turn out to be true. However, as Shannon explains, it can be easy to tell when they’re outlandish if you closely follow other blind items – again, one of the main reasons it’s so important to consistently research. However, you can also make it clear that none of the stories are truly verified, while still providing compelling evidence.
- Get those disclosures in. As just discussed, blind items aren’t always true. As a result, it’s really important to make a disclaimer to avoid any defamation or slander suits.
Shannon’s Quick Tip: Add “allegedly” in front of your statement. This is a great catch-all term, especially for TikToks where time is cut short.
- Respect and engage with other opinions. Due to the nature of blind items, one correspondent may disagree about another community member’s take. As outlined by ENT Lawyer, the standard in comment sections is to be respectful.
Pretty simple, huh?
The blind item community is a rich one full of members striving to provide unique and entertaining perspectives. The various genres within the community will allow you to creatively build your content creation skills and give you the space to focus on whatever sort of writing you prefer – whether it be in the form of investigative stories, data collection and organization, or current news.
In the meantime, check out Fluently Forward to get those creative juices flowing!