“The hallmark of a sociopath is a lack of empathy,” cable news host Ellen Abbott explains breathlessly to her millions of viewers in “Gone Girl,” the film adaptation of Gillian Flynn’s twisted mystery novel that ruled the box office last weekend. Underneath Ellen’s face on screen, a headline reads Full Movie Watch Megaupload“Nick Dunne: Wife Killer?” That question mark is very telling, because Ellen (Missi Pyle) — designed as a Nancy Grace-type character within the film’s world — has no idea if Nick did anything wrong. All she knows is that Amy Dunne disappeared from her home in Missouri on her fifth wedding anniversary

and her emotionless husband looks very suspicious. So why not drum up some ratings and declare he might as well be guilty? The film, directed by David Fincher with a screenplay written by Flynn, has great fun skewering the Ellen Abbott model of cable news and the tabloid media world in general, which can zero in on a suspect without real proof. And it’s not like this is too far fetched.

Just last week, the New York Post settled a defamation lawsuit after it published a photo of two innocent men after the Boston Marathon bombing, implying police were searching for them. Obviously, the Ellen character in “Gone Girl” is based on Nancy Grace, the HLN cable anchor who has made a fortune discussing every detail of high-profile crime stories on TV. She also sees a major bump in viewers when she rallies behind a specific trial. One of her most famous examples: Casey Anthony, whom she dubbed “Tot Mom.” Grace was furious when Anthony was found not guilty of killing her toddler daughter, Caylee.