Angelina Jolie Steals Christine Quinn’s Thunder in <em>The New York Times</em>

Mayoral candidate Christine Quinn, in an attempt to “try to soften her often rough-edged political image,” according to The New

Angelina Jolie. (Photo credit: Patrick McMullan).
Angelina Jolie. (Photo credit: Patrick McMullan).

Mayoral candidate Christine Quinn, in an attempt to “try to soften her often rough-edged political image,” according to The New York Times, called up and gave The Grey Lady a big scoop: as a young woman, she struggled with bulimia and alcoholism.

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But despite Ms. Quinn’s best efforts to win the news cycle, she couldn’t have known that she was up against Angelina Jolie, who unveiled big news of her own in an Op-Ed, that also ran in today’s Times, discussing her decision to undergo a preventative double mastectomy. Ms. Jolie wrote that she possesses a gene, BRCA1, that puts her at a high risk for ovarian and breast cancer.

Both women gave a similar reason for going public with their struggles.

Ms. Quinn said she decided to discuss her challenges in the hopes that others will benefit, though the Times also noted her efforts to “build a campaign that draws heavily on her personal appeal to women.”

“Until you stop hiding things, you’re hiding things, and hiding things is not healthy,” Ms. Quinn told the Times. “I just want people to know you can get through stuff.”

Ms. Jolie wrote that she hoped her story would help other women facing similar medical decisions.

“On April 27, I finished the three months of medical procedures that the mastectomies involved. During that time I have been able to keep this private and to carry on with my work,” Ms. Jolie wrote. “But I am writing about it now because I hope that other women can benefit from my experience.”

The superstar actress’s revelations blazed across Facebook, Twitter, the tabloids and the Times’ own most-read lists.

Seems that news cycles, like political races, are unpredictable.

Angelina Jolie Steals Christine Quinn’s Thunder in <em>The New York Times</em>