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]