Business 415 Uop

The National Enquirer is a known worldwide as a supermarket tabloid. It was established in 1926 by The Hearst family dynasty. William Randolph Hearst purchased the paper, first known as “The New York Enquirer.” It changed hands in 1952, purchased by a Generoso Pope Jr. who changed the name to “The National Enquirer” and redefined the style it is known for today. For the paper to be successful, Pope needed to pay the top notch reporters and editors to produce, write, and manage the paper to be the best in its field. The writing is not considered to have the highest journalistic qualities because of the kind of reports it publishes and the sources the paper uses.

Avoiding a court settlement has nothing to do with ethics. Settling out of court is a strategic move on behalf of the National Enquirer to prevent a very extreme settlement to Shirley Jones. The question of the ethics does not require a legal response. Ethics are defined as “a system of moral principles.”

The National Enquirer, Inc located in Florida, and Shirley Jones, who is a resident in the State of California. “The jurisdiction in the case is quasi in rem (over a person or property or a debt owed by a person), the court may not exercise the jurisdiction unless the defendant has “minimum contacts” with the state in which the court sits (the forum state).” The requirement of minimum contacts means the defendant has to have taken actions that were directed with purpose toward the forum state. The National Enquirer sells its magazines in California there for the lawsuit can take place in California.

The lawsuit can be brought in California regardless where the paper is published and where the owner resides. It can be held anywhere the papers are distributed. With further review of the suit of Calder v. Jones, suit can be brought against a company for alleged defamation, invasion of privacy, and...