Recently, quite a few less-than-reputable journalism organizations have picked out a new target in their attempts to dish out the latest celebrity gossip: 19 year-old actor Rupert Grint.

One tabloid published an article stating that Grint, best known for his role as Ron Weasley in the wildly successful Harry Potter franchise, could never move to Los Angeles because he couldn’t stand to be in the midst of Hollywood actresses. The article goes on to quote Rupert saying that he met LA-based actress Lindsay Lohan, generally disliked her and thinks she can’t act. He’s also quoted describing Lohan and heiress Paris Hilton as “the type of girls you need to stay away from.”

After its initial publication, the story of Rupert Grint slamming Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton spread like wildfire, getting recognition from some of the leading celebrity gossip outlets. Readers all over the web expressed a wide range of reactions to Grint’s words.

There’s only one problem with the tabloid’s conversation with Grint during which they got these quotes. It never happened. On Friday, April 18, Rupert’s representative released this statement:

"In response to articles published this week, Rupert Grint wishes it to be known that he has never met Lindsay Lohan or Paris Hilton and has not nor would he make any negative comment about them as has been stated. He has also never made any negative comment about Los Angeles. He will be taking action against those parties spreading these falsehoods."

It’s not just the “bad boys” and the “party girls” getting picked on these days. Grint, his co-stars, and many otherwise wholesome members of young Hollywood are finding themselves victims of tabloid fraud.

Why is this happening? The function of a tabloid is, above all, to sell as many copies as possible. This is because a more expansive reader circulation leads to more advertising dollars and thus a larger profit. While many news sources report on actual facts and events and do well, many less strategic sources falsify stories that they believe will attract their target audience.

Once a falsified story is published, many other tabloid-esque news sites can easily pick up the story. While these sites may not falsify news, they aren’t exactly checking to see whether or not their source is reliable.

However, Grint and other actors are actively working against the tabloids to ensure that their image is not tarnished by these lies. It’s a brave new step toward an unspoiled career. Let’s hope the actors who take action are heard! We are behind them all the way. Nobody likes being the subject of vicious gossip, whether famous or no.

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sherry   |2008-06-17 08:45:48 rupert wont say that Reply 0   0

HPFAN   |2008-05-14 16:26:24 YES IM GLAD THPSE ARENT TRUE JUST LIKE IM GLAD THOSE RUMOURS ABOUT HIM AND LILY ALLEN ARENT TRUE[smiley=cool] Reply 0   0

mOoMoO5987   |2008-04-26 11:51:00 this is so sad and it makes me mad cuz rupert wouldnt say that stuff... he seems like a really nice guy and thier trashing him for no reason... urgh! Reply 0   0

gingerspice   |2008-04-21 16:10:18 i hate tabloids, and other garbage rags. This is why I come here. I know you guys don't fabricate articles just to post up stories. It is so refreshing. Reply 0   0

mathewas   |2008-04-19 13:24:55 That's terrible. I wish people would just stop writing such lies and miscommunication on so many famous people. Everybody needs to stop buying such rubbish. I hope Rupert wins the suit. Reply 0   0

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3.25 Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."