Licking the Hand That Feeds Them

By Neal 

Those of you who were reading Beatrice before I became a GalleyCat know my feelings about Page Six and HarperCollins: “Where others might see a conflict of interest, they see powerful synergy.” They’re at it again, leading off yesterday’s gossip column with Chris Andersen’s “scandalicious new bio packed with fresh dirt on the world’s most reclusive diva,” Barbra: The Way She Is. There’s plenty of dirt dished—apparently Diana wasn’t the only person to fool around with both Prince Charles and Dodi Fayed!—but nary a mention of the book’s publisher: William Morrow, a division of HarperCollins, which as we all know is owned by News Corp., the owners of the Post. Of course, as I’ve mentioned before, attempting to obscure such financial ties by simply omitting the name of the book’s publisher has been a standard evasion throughout the Post ranks.