A deal with the devil, designed to grab a few TV ratings points or to cause a spike in dead-tree readership. An increasing tactic in the age of corporate synergy. A celebrity consents to an interview/profile,
but gets to decide (implicitly or explicitly) the terms of this journalistic event. Wacko Jacko, at the height of his fame, was the consummate virtuoso at this; his "King of Pop" nickname was invented by his handlers and muscled into memehood.