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Obama Dog Scoop Proves TMZ's a DC Player

By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff

Posted Apr 15, 2009 12:50 PM CDT

(Newser) – When TMZ got the poop on the Obamas' new dog, it sent a message to Washington: The celebrity gossip site has arrived. TMZ, co-owned by AOL, has scored exclusives before—like the photo of Rihanna’s bruised face and the report of Mel Gibson’s anti-Semitic rant—but Bo's arrival was the first big get for its year-old Washington bureau, Time reports. And it could be the tip of the iceberg.

TMZ came to Washington chasing the glamor of Obama and his A-list pals like Oprah, but once there began trying to “create personalities,” co-founder Harvey Levin said. That makes legislators fair game for the celebrity-gossip treatment. “It’s a lower level of covering politics,” Levin says, but “I think it’ll bring people in that never had an interest before.”

This screenshot shows TMZ's Exclusive Poop on the President's dog.
This screenshot shows TMZ's "Exclusive Poop" on the President's dog.
In this undated photo released by the White House, the Obama family's new dog, Bo, a 6-month-old Portuguese water dog, is shown at the White House in Washington.
In this undated photo released by the White House, the Obama family's new dog, Bo, a 6-month-old Portuguese water dog, is shown at the White House in Washington.   (AP Photo/The White House, Pete Souza)
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