"Sludgenews" was the generic term for shallow, low-grade "news" stories. Different aspects of sludgenews dealt with various galactic celebrities and documented their secret lives for the public to see while others published wild stories such as conspiracy theories, bizarre genetic mutations (such as a Twi'lek giving birth to a gornt) and other unreliable, petty entertainment pieces. The journalists who wished to make careers in sludgenews had to be adept at a wide variety of skills akin to fieldcraft used by intelligence agencies such as infiltration, bribery, lockpicking, and a host of other unsavory skills.