Remember, the National Enquirer get a lot of credit when it gets the story right, e.g., John Edwards’s infidelity, but its crappy false stories are soon forgotten about. E.g., the several articles on the Palin’s troubled marriage and impending diverse. It was later revealed that the single source for this was Levi Johnson.
When they asked him a question, he turned and went back through the lobby, trying to get away, when two more NE staff block his exit there.
The NE pays people for tips, photos, quotes, etc. It's well known in LA and NYC that you can make some bucks for a big story.