SHOULD we believe everything we read about movie stars? How do we determine if a story is true or not? Is entertainment journalism all about gossip, intrigue, controversy and scandal?

These questions came from a group of Mass Communications students who visited me in my dzMM booth the other day. I gave them the standard reply which seemed to satisfy them. But, on my way home, I analyzed the questions more carefully and admitted to myself that there were no easy answers for them.

Is there such a thing as show biz truth? In the first place, at the risk of being light-hearted about it, isn't "show biz truth" a contradiction in terms? Doesn't "show biz" immediately conjure what's fake which is the opposite of "truth"?

Right off, let me say you should not believe everything you read about movie stars. And it takes a lot of insight and instinct to figure out which stories are true and which aren't?.

But this insight or instinct, I've discovered, has been acquired by more and more people through the years. They no longer believe everything they hear or read hook, line and sinker. Here's how they do it.

Timing of publication. When the write-up comes out is a big factor in determining its validity. Like, if it comes out at the time when the star being written about has an upcoming movie, record, concert, TV show, play or whatever, the write-up could be a part of an elaborate promotions campaign.

I'm not saying that everything you read about a star who has a project to promote is a lie or a publicity gimmick. It's also very true that it's usually only when movie stars have something to promote that they make themselves available for interviews and pictorials. (At other times, they steer clear away from the movie press in an effort to preserve whatever privacy they have left.)

And, naturally, in these interviews, reporters ask them not only about the projects they're promoting but also about about the latest in their personal lives. These days, we read about Pops Fernandez's comments about estranged husband Martin Nievera-she has a movie "Linlang" coming up. We read about the plans of Aiko Melendez and Jomari Yllana to finally tie the knot-Aiko stars in "Higit Pa Sa Buhay Ko." We read about Nora Aunor's problems with her children-she has a concert to publicize.

Having said that, however, it's also a fact that movie people are not beyond manufacturing lies in the name of publicity and promotions. The love angle is the easiest to exploit. Even when the lead stars of a movie are already taken, this does not prevent the publicity machine from churning out juicy tales about their supposed romantic relationship with each other.

At one time, a new star being launched in an action pic intervened in a quarrel between a husband and wife and figured in a streetfight. They were all hauled to the police station and the incident merited a few front pages. But a lot of people saw through it. It was nothing but a publicity gimmick for the aspiring action star.

Another time, there were reports that a married couple was on the brink of a break-up. When I talked to them, they admitted it was all part of a gimmick to promote their movie about marital break-up.

Credibility of the writer. Insightful readers know which writers to trust. It is an open secret that a lot of movie reporters and columnists moonlight as publicists and PR men of movie companies, TV networks, recording outfits, production houses and individual stars. When they write, they naturally do so with a bias for promoting the latest projects of their clientele.

This becomes more interesting when their so-called clients figure in a scandal or controversy. These paid hacks become damage control machines and unabashedly use their spaces to defend their PR customers.

The credibility of the writer also needs to be weighed carefully when he writes scathing attacks against certain stars. It's very possible that he does so with an ulterior motive-to bring down the rivals of his favored clients.

I believe, however, that, by and large, the movie press isn't as corrupt as a lot of people think. Some journalists assigned to other media beats are reportedly on the take, too. We hear of political columnists who get cars as Christmas gifts, or expensive household appliances on their birthdays. In the police beat, drug lords and gambling kingpins are known to be very generous gift-givers. And, yes, we know of some socialites who'd willingly give an arm and a leg just to have their pictures in the society pages.

Stars' integrity. The truth of a show biz rumor can sometimes depend on one's perception of the star's integrity. But this is quite difficult to determine because, in show business, the image that movie stars project could be very far from their real personalities. Like, a bold star who bares everything onscreen could actually be very conservative and even religious in real life. Or, the sweet, little young thing in teeny bopper movies could suddenly find herself pregnant out of wedlock.

Most stars with unquestionable integrity hardly figure in scandals or controversies. And when they do, they have high respect for the public to make a clean breast of things. This way, the scandal or controversy fails to tarnish their reputation and even makes them more loved and respected by their fans.

Finally, going to the third question, no, entertainment journalism shouldn't be all about gossip, intrigue, scandal and controversy. But then again, quite sadly perhaps, gossip, intrigue, scandal and controversy have become a part of the very nature of this business-because that's what the readers want.