Gossip Cop "MEDIA MELTDOWN"

If you hoped to read a lengthy article about Kristen Stewart’s role as Joan Jett in “The Runaways” without having to wade through more made-up muck concerning the nature of her relationship with “New Moon” costar Robert Pattinson… well, The Courier-Mail is not for you.

It starts off well, with almost two dozen paragraphs mostly discussing Stewart, Jett, the real-life band, and “Runaways” pal Dakota Fanning. On these topics, there are quotes galore.

And then, without warning or sourcing, the paper writes, “Stewart and 23-year-old Pattinson, who are in a relationship off-screen, are in [the "Twilight" series] for the long haul.”

Hmm. Maybe just a slip?

Nope. A little further down, the Courier-Mail observes, “Stewart says the fact that Pattinson is her boyfriend” does not have an effect on the Bella-Edward relationship in the movies.

Let’s break this down. Kristen Stewart has never, ever, ever said that Robert Pattinson is her boyfriend. They might be dating. But she has never said it’s a “fact.”

Ever.

Fans of hers and the “Twilight” films know this, of course. The problem is that millions of casual celebrity watchers and moviegoers read mainstream articles like this one and assume that what’s reported casually as fact is fact. And why wouldn’t they?

The Courier put words into Stewart’s mouth and then pulled them as if they were her own. Simple as that.

If Stewart had given the newspaper a comment that confirmed a relationship with Pattinson, it would be the lead. But she didn’t. They fabricated it. Which is why it’s buried many, many paragraphs beneath actual quotes.

And so a “Runaways” throwaway line leads to even MORE relationship questions neither Stewart nor Pattinson want to answer, further estranging them from a media that refuses to leave well enough alone.

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