Rita Skeeter is a fictional character in the Harry Potter book series written by J. K. Rowling. The character is introduced in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire as a reporter for the Daily Prophet and a correspondent for the Witch Weekly, who specialises in yellow journalism. This article is about the Harry Potter series of novels. ... Image File history File links This is a screenshot of a copyrighted movie or television program. ... Miranda Jane Richardson (born 3 March 1958) is an Academy Award nominated English actress. ... Starring Daniel Radcliffe Rupert Grint Emma Watson Produced by Chris Columbus et al. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Miranda Jane Richardson (born 3 March 1958) is an Academy Award nominated English actress. ... Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film) or Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (video game) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is the fourth novel in the Harry Potter series written by J.K. Rowling. ... Alice, a fictional character based on a real character from the work of Lewis Carroll. ... This article is about the Harry Potter series of novels. ... Joanne Jo Rowling OBE (born 31 July 1965[1]) is an English fiction writer who writes under the pen name J. K. Rowling. ... Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film) or Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (video game) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is the fourth novel in the Harry Potter series written by J.K. Rowling. ... A Female Reporter A reporter is a type of journalist who researches and presents information in certain types of mass media. ... The Daily Prophet is a fictional newspaper featured in the Harry Potter book series as the most widely-read newspaper in Englands wizard community. ... Nasty little printers devils spew forth from the Hoe press in this Puck cartoon of Nov. ...

Armed with such magical devices as the Quick-Quotes Quill which automatically misquotes an interviewee even while he or she speaks, the character is clearly intended as satire on such journalists in the real world. 1867 edition of the satirical magazine Punch, a British satirical magazine, ground-breaking on popular literature satire. ...

As a reporter who fabricated information in order to write an appealing story, she was an antagonist to Harry and his friends throughout Goblet of Fire. Harry James Potter is a fictional character and the main character of J. K. Rowlings Harry Potter fantasy series of books. ...

Rita Skeeter was played by Miranda Richardson in the film version of the fourth novel, released in 2005. Miranda Jane Richardson (born 3 March 1958) is an Academy Award nominated English actress. ... Starring Daniel Radcliffe Rupert Grint Emma Watson Produced by Chris Columbus et al. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

She has been voted as the most hated benign character in the books by fans, coming out ahead of Gilderoy Lockhart ^{[citation needed]}. Gilderoy Lockhart is a fictional character in the Harry Potter series of books. ...

History

Rita Skeeter's attempts to create controversy are first seen in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and include instances that occurred before Harry returned to Hogwarts for his fourth year. When Rita wrote about the Dark Mark appearing at the Quidditch World Cup, she said that there were rumours that several bodies had been removed from the forest an hour after the attack; Arthur Weasley commented that this report would likely create those rumours, even if they hadn't existed before. She also reported on Ludo Bagman's trial many years previous to when the story takes place, which Harry witnessed in Dumbledore's Pensieve. Dumbledore also mentions that she referred to him as an "obsolete dingbat" in a piece about the International Confederation of Wizards, while Bill Weasley recalls that she called him "a long-haired pillock" after an interview with all the Gringotts curse breakers. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film) or Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (video game) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is the fourth novel in the Harry Potter series written by J.K. Rowling. ... The Dark Mark conjured by Barty Crouch Jr. ... The Quidditch World Cup is an event held in the Harry Potter universe every four years since 1473. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Ludovic Ludo Bagman is a fictional character who appears in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... William Arthur Bill Weasley is a fictional character in the Harry Potter book series written by J. K. Rowling. ... “The Leaky Cauldron” redirects here. ...

Role in the series

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Rita aggressively questioning Harry

Harry first encounters Rita when she interviews the Triwizard Tournament contestants for an article in The Daily Prophet. She ushers Harry into a broom cupboard, her Quick-Quotes Quill misquoting him as he speaks. The article turns out to be mostly about Harry. A picture of his face takes up the front page, and she has fabricated Harry's answers to her interview questions. The two foreign Triwizard champions' names are misspelled and do not appear until the end of the article, and Cedric Diggory (the other Hogwarts champion) is not mentioned at all. Harry endures much ridicule for her story. At some point in the interview, Dumbledore barges in and the interview ends there. Image File history File links Miranda_richardson36-1-.jpg Summary From Yahoo Movie Page Licensing This image is a screenshot from a copyrighted film, and the copyright for it is most likely owned by the studio which produced the film, and possibly also by any actors appearing in the screenshot. ... Image File history File links Miranda_richardson36-1-.jpg Summary From Yahoo Movie Page Licensing This image is a screenshot from a copyrighted film, and the copyright for it is most likely owned by the studio which produced the film, and possibly also by any actors appearing in the screenshot. ... The Champions of the 1994-1995 Triwizard Tournament: shown characters are portrayed by the actors that play them in the movies The Triwizard Tournament is a fictional tournament featured in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. ... Cedric Diggory is a fictional character in the Harry Potter book series written by J. K. Rowling. ... In J. K. Rowlings best-selling Harry Potter series of novels, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is a school of magic for witches and wizards between the ages of eleven and eighteen living in The United Kingdom and The Republic of Ireland. ...

Rita then interviews Hagrid, but rather than talking to him about his creatures, which he had been led to believe she would be interested in, she asks for information about Harry. Hagrid commented after the interview that she seemed disappointed when he said that he had never had to reprimand Harry. Not long afterwards, Dumbledore bans her from Hogwarts. Rubeus Hagrid (born December 6, year ca. ... Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore (born ca. ...

Animagus form

Rita Skeeter is an unregistered Animagus, capable of transforming into a beetle to spy on unsuspecting victims for her stories. During the Yule Ball, she overhears Hagrid telling Madame Maxime that he is half-giant. Skeeter prints a story about it and includes Malfoy's hippogriff incident, during which Draco was "wounded." In the article, Hagrid is portrayed as dangerous, prompting letters from parents concerned over having a "ferocious" giant teach their children. Afterwards, Hagrid becomes severely depressed and tries to resign; however, Dumbledore refuses to accept his resignation and persuades him to remain. Registered Animagus Minerva McGonagall mid transformation In the Harry Potter books, an Animagus is a wizard or witch capable of turning into a particular animal and back at will. ... Suborders Adephaga Archostemata Myxophaga Polyphaga See subgroups of the order Coleoptera Beetles are the most diverse group of insects. ... Olympe Maxime is a character from the Harry Potter series, created by J. K. Rowling. ... Draco Malfoy is a fictional character in the Harry Potter book series written by J. K. Rowling. ... Roger Delivering Angelica by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, painted 1819, portrays the scene from Orlando furioso in which Roger, mounted on a hippogriff, rescues Angelique. ...

During the situations where Rita overhears information, the book subtly makes reference to her presence, during the second task Viktor Krum mentions Hermione has a water beetle in her hair and during the talk between Madam Maxime and Hagrid, Harry notices a beetle on a nearby statue.

When Skeeter encounters Harry, Ron, and Hermione in Hogsmeade, Hermione insults her. Skeeter then writes a nasty story about Hermione, making her out to be an ugly but conniving witch who uses illegal love potions to "satisfy her taste for celebrity wizards," including Harry Potter and Viktor Krum. The article prompts more ridicule towards Harry by Hogwarts students. Ronald Bilius Ron Weasley is a fictional character in the Harry Potter book series written by J. K. Rowling. ... Hermione Jane Granger is a fictional character in the Harry Potter book series written by J. K. Rowling. ... Hogsmeade is a fictional village in Scotland that appears in the Harry Potter series of novels by J. K. Rowling. ... This article is about the Harry Potter series of novels. ... Viktor Krum (Bulgarian: ) (born c. ...

Rita's last defaming article states that Harry is "disturbed and dangerous," and uses comments from Draco Malfoy and his Slytherin cronies (who are aware Skeeter uses her animagus form to gain information). Skeeter also reports that Harry knows Parseltongue (the ability to speak with serpents) and about the pain from his scar that was inflicted by Lord Voldemort. Draco Malfoy is a fictional character in the Harry Potter book series written by J. K. Rowling. ... In the Harry Potter books, magic is depicted as a natural force, one that can be used to override the usual laws of nature while still being approached entirely scientifically. ... Serpent is a word of Latin origin (serpens, serpentis) that is commonly used in a specifically mythic or religious context, signifying a snake that is to be regarded not as a mundane natural phenomenon nor as an object of scientific zoology, but as the bearer of some symbolic value. ... Lord Voldemort (né Tom Marvolo Riddle) is a fictional character and the archvillain in the Harry Potter book series written by J. K. Rowling. ...

Hermione discovers just how Skeeter spies on others and forces her to "keep her quill to herself for a full year." Otherwise, she will report her to the authorities as an unregistered (and illegal) Animagus.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Hermione blackmails Skeeter to interview Harry about Lord Voldemort returning and to submit the story to The Quibbler. Otherwise she will inform the Ministry that Rita is an unregistered Animagus. Lord Voldemort (né Tom Marvolo Riddle) is a fictional character and the archvillain in the Harry Potter book series written by J. K. Rowling. ... Several media publications are featured in the Harry Potter novels (and film adaptations). ...

Until the article is published, few believed Voldemort had arisen because Harry and Dumbledore have been heavily smeared in The Daily Prophet. The article gains support for Harry; Dolores Umbridge, a Ministry employee sent to Hogwarts as the new High Inquisitor, bans the magazine. But the attempt backfires, and the story quickly spreads throughout the school. Dolores Jane Umbridge is a fictional character from the Harry Potter series of novels by J. K. Rowling. ...

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

At the end of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, much to Harry's fury, Rita is spotted in attendance at Dumbledore's funeral, clutching a notebook. Her role in the book is minor. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, released on July 16, 2005, is the sixth of seven novels in J.K. Rowlings popular Harry Potter series. ...

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Although Rita does not make a physical appearance in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows she is referenced on numerous occasions throughout the novel, generally in a negative light, in relation to her unauthorised biography of Dumbledore entitled The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore. The book depicts the former headmaster in an extremely negative light and throughout Harry struggles to determine whether Rita's words are rooted in any truth. By the end of the novel it is revealed that there is indeed a great deal of truth regarding Albus and his youth, although it is clear that Rita has used her trusty yellow journalism techniques to include an equal amount of lies and speculation in her novel. It is reported that the reporter took just four weeks after Dumbledore's death to write and publish the book. She is described as "warmer and softer than her famously ferocious columns suggest." “HP7” redirects here. ... Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore (born ca. ... Nasty little printers devils spew forth from the Hoe press in this Puck cartoon of Nov. ...

There is also an apparent continuity error regarding Rita Skeeter in the seventh book. Though it is implied in Goblet of Fire that her Quick Quotes Quill is illicit, or at least highly unethical, she brags about it in an article in the Daily Prophet in book seven.

J.K. Rowling, when asked on a web chat if Rita was still reporting, she answered; "Naturally, what could stop Rita? I imagine she immediately dashed off a biography of Harry after he defeated Voldemort. One quarter truth to three quarters rubbish". For other meanings and similar words, see Internet (disambiguation). ... Look up chat in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A Female Reporter A reporter is a type of journalist who researches and presents information in certain types of mass media. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... A common dictionary definition of truth is agreement with fact or reality.[1] There is no single definition of truth about which the majority of philosophers agree. ... This article is about waste matter. ...

Character background

J. K. Rowling considered putting Rita, who was then called Bridget, in the first book for the scene where Harry enters The Leaky Cauldron on his way to Diagon Alley.^[1] Rowling cut the character and decided to move her to the fourth book. She said part of the reason for this was to fill the role of a character named Mafalda who was cut out (see Weasley family).^[2] Rowling also mentioned that she wanted Harry to experience the "pain of fame" at a later date, rather than straight away. Joanne Jo Rowling OBE (born 31 July 1965[1]) is an English fiction writer who writes under the pen name J. K. Rowling. ... Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone (film) or Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone (video game) Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone (published in the United States as Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone) is the first novel in the Harry Potter series written by J... “The Leaky Cauldron” redirects here. ... “The Leaky Cauldron” redirects here. ... A photograph from the fictional wizard newspaper The Daily Prophet of the Weasleys on vacation in Egypt. ...

However, Rowling notes she was reluctant to write the character when the time came, fearing people would believe it to be a response to her own fame. However, she did write the character and has noted that meeting with real journalists did make it more fun.^[3]

It has long been rumoured that the character of Rita was based on that of London-based journalist Syrie Johnson who wrote a long and gushing piece on J.K. Rowling for the Evening Standard in 1998 with the very Skeeterish title: "From Cafe Girl To Hit Writer".^[4] Headlines of the Evening Standard on the day of London bombing on July 7, 2005, in Waterloo Station The Evening Standard is a British tabloid newspaper published and sold in London and surrounding areas of southeast England. ...

Name

"Skeeter" is a slang term for mosquito, which correlates to her annoying personality, her "blood-sucking" journalistic style. Many believe that a Mosquito was possibly also her Animagus insect form, but it was proved in the end of the fourth book to be a beetle. Slang is the use of highly informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speakers dialect or language. ... Diversity 41 genera Genera See text. ... Registered Animagus Minerva McGonagall mid transformation In the Harry Potter books, an Animagus is a wizard or witch capable of turning into a particular animal and back at will. ...

Portrayal in the film

In the Goblet of Fire film, she was played by Miranda Richardson. In the film she had a column entitled Me, Myself & I, which was not mentioned in the book. Miranda Jane Richardson (born 3 March 1958) is an Academy Award nominated English actress. ... A column a recurring piece or article in a newspaper, magazine or other publication. ...

In the film, the size of her role is dramatically reduced, her status as an illegal Animagus is not revealed and, unlike in the book, she is not shown to overtly lie in her news reports. Also, the book implies that she frequently creates stories in order to defame people who have been unkind to her, but there is no such implication in the film. It is apparent that the character in the film is merely intended as a slice of comic relief, juxtaposed with more serious subplots.

References