Tabloid Apology To Hoffman’s Friend

Apparently the National Enquirer went too far and was forced to publicize quite publicly for claiming playwright David Bar Katz was the lover of recently deceased Oscar winner Phillip Seymour Hoffman. The tabloid’s initial report that the two men were lovers was swiftly, and unequivocally, debunked.

Bar Katz said he didn’t know why the Enquirer did it. He sued the tabloid that reached an agreement to apologize and set up a fund for playwrights who hadn’t been published in honor of Hoffman, who died of an accidental heroin overdose on Feb. 2. The fund will provide $45,000 a year for an unproduced playwright’s work reflecting Hoffman’s passion for truth.

The Enquirer, and its American Media Inc. owner, had to take out a full-page New York Times advertisement saying the tabloid had made the error with good faith. The Enquirer blames someone who lied about the situation while convincingly impersonating Bar Katz.

The playwright said he believed the Enquirer’s account of the situation, but was amazed the tabloid didn’t check sources more closely and that other media members relayed the false report. His lawyer said the Enquirer had made an honest mistake following the settlement that was reached Feb. 26.