Brooke Shields & Farrah Fawcett Trash <i>National Enquirer</i>: Will Readers Stop Buying the Tabloid?

This weekend the National Enquirer got hit with two major black eyes.

Cancer-stricken Farrah Fawcett mauled the supermarket tabloid on her television special for allegedly stealing her medical records from UCLA Hospital.

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Meanwhile, Brooke Shields came out swinging against the tab after she discovered her mom, who is suffering from dementia, was taken out of her nursing home by one of its freelance reporters.

In its defense, the tab claims its professional troublemaker is a friend of Teri Shields and it was a simple get together.

Will this Controversy Hurt Sales?

From Fawcett to Shields, the national spotlight is back on the Enquirer, but not in a good way.

The last time the intrepid publication found itself in the middle of this type of media storm, it had broken one of the biggest stories of 2008 -- the John Edwards affair.

So, will the tabloid be punished where it counts most -- at the newsstand?

That's the natural assumption but I predict the exact opposite will happen.

In fact, the Enquirer will see a surge in newsstand sales over the coming weeks.

Why?

When readers see the tabloid next to those always tasty Life Savers, they'll make their buying decision based on the latest cover story. It's that simple.

Sure, they'll be a little bit more embarrassed than usual -- but they'll still throw it in their grocery cart.

Plus, the continuous mentions in the media will only raise awareness and make it a hot buy.

The good folks upstairs at AMI are probably hoping that's the case because -- as every media watcher knows -- they could sure use the cash.

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