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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announce their engagement at The Sunken Gardens at Kensington Palace on November 27, 2017. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Chris Jackson/Getty Images) Chris Jackson/Chris Jackson/Getty Images hide caption

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Chris Jackson/Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announce their engagement at The Sunken Gardens at Kensington Palace on November 27, 2017. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

Chris Jackson/Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Even if you don't follow gossip sites, it was almost impossible this year to ignore the scandals, missteps, and legal woes of celebrities.

Gossip has been a part of the media landscape almost since the advent of newspapers, gaining popularity throughout the 20th century and expanding across new media platforms. But this year, stories that might have once been relegated to sites like TMZ or Gawker became part of the mainstream news feed.

NPR's Andrew Limbong speaks with media critic Eric Deggans, and Constance Grady of VOX, about the thin line between news and gossip and what it means when that line is crossed.

In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.

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This episode was produced by Marc Rivers and Kira Wakeam. It was edited by Jeanette Woods. Our executive producer is Natalie Winston.

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