In keeping with the theme of libel problems that journalists face, the ever so controversial National Enquirer is reporting that presidential hopeful John Edwards has gotten his "alleged mistress" pregnant. The National Enquirer has gained the reputation of a sleazy tabloid and has been threatened with legal action regarding an article claiming Jamie Lynn Spears is pregnant.

However, it is not the actions of the National Enquirer that I am interested in right now. Perez Hilton is not considered to be the most reputable journalistic source, however he has gained increasing popularity through his website. Considering what we have learned about libel, journalists and gossip columnists are not safe from being sued for libel by simply providing the source through whom they received the information. Perez commits a journalistic no-no when he uses the word alleged to describe the mistress that may or may not exist. If this information turns out to be false, Perez could face some problems for simply republishing some juicy information and misrepresenting the facts.

To see the entire page visit perezhilton.com