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Tabloid journalism is a popular style of largely
sensationalist In journalism and mass media, sensationalism is a type of editorial tactic. Events and topics in news stories are selected and worded to excite the greatest number of readers and viewers. This style of news reporting encourages biased or emo ...
journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (profes ...
(usually dramatized and sometimes unverifiable or even blatantly false), which takes its name from the tabloid newspaper format: a small-sized newspaper also known as half
broadsheet A broadsheet is the largest newspaper format and is characterized by long Vertical and horizontal, vertical pages, typically of . Other common newspaper formats include the smaller Berliner (format), Berliner and Tabloid (newspaper format), ta ...
. The size became associated with sensationalism, and ''tabloid journalism'' replaced the earlier label of ''
yellow journalism Yellow journalism and yellow press are American terms for journalism and associated newspapers that present little or no legitimate, well-researched news while instead using eye-catching headlines for increased sales. Techniques may include e ...
'' and ''scandal sheets''. Not all newspapers associated with tabloid journalism are tabloid size, and not all tabloid-size newspapers engage in tabloid journalism; in particular, since around the year 2000 many
broadsheet A broadsheet is the largest newspaper format and is characterized by long Vertical and horizontal, vertical pages, typically of . Other common newspaper formats include the smaller Berliner (format), Berliner and Tabloid (newspaper format), ta ...
newspapers converted to the more compact tabloid format. In some cases, celebrities have successfully sued for
libel Defamation is the act of communicating to a third party false statements about a person, place or thing that results in damage to its reputation. It can be spoken (slander) or written (libel). It constitutes a tort or a crime. The legal defini ...
, demonstrating that tabloid stories have defamed them. Publications engaging in tabloid journalism are known as rag newspapers or simply rags. Tabloid journalism has changed over the last decade to more online platforms that seek to target and engage youth consumers with celebrity news and
entertainment Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and delight. It can be an idea or a task, but is more likely to be one of the activities or events that have developed over thousa ...
.


Scandal sheets

Scandal sheets were the precursors to tabloid journalism. Around 1770, scandal sheets appeared in London, and in the United States as early as the 1840s. Reverend Henry Bate was the editor of one of the earliest scandal sheets, ''
The Morning Post ''The Morning Post'' was a conservative daily newspaper published in London from 1772 to 1937, when it was acquired by ''The Daily Telegraph''. History The paper was founded by John Bell. According to historian Robert Darnton, ''The Morning Po ...
'', which specialized in printing malicious society gossip, selling positive mentions in its pages, and collecting suppression fees to keep stories unpublished. Other
Georgian era The Georgian era was a period in British history from 1714 to , named after the Hanoverian Kings George I, George II, George III and George IV. The definition of the Georgian era is often extended to include the relatively short reign of Willi ...
scandal sheets were
Theodore Hook Theodore Edward Hook (22 September 1788 – 24 August 1841) was an English man of letters and composer and briefly a civil servant in Mauritius. He is best known for his practical jokes, particularly the Berners Street hoax in 1809. The wo ...
's ''
John Bull John Bull is a national personification of the United Kingdom in general and England in particular, especially in political cartoons and similar graphic works. He is usually depicted as a stout, middle-aged, country-dwelling, jolly and matter- ...
'',
Charles Molloy Westmacott Charles Molloy Westmacott (c. 1788 - 1868) was a British journalist and author, editor of ''The Age'', the leading Sunday newspaper of the early 1830s. He sometimes wrote under the pseudonym Bernard Blackmantle. Life Born in 1787 or 1788, Westma ...
's ''The Age'', and
Barnard Gregory Barnard Gregory (1796–1852) was a British journalist, publisher and actor. He published '' The Satirist'' from 1831 to 1849. He used this paper to publish the scandals of residents of London and often blackmailed his targets. Several articles t ...
's ''
The Satirist ''The Satirist, or the Censor of the Times'' was a controversial 19th-century British newspaper which featured reports of scandals involving well known residents of London. It was published by Barnard Gregory, who faced multiple libel charges ...
''.
William d'Alton Mann William d'Alton Mann (September 27, 1839 – May 17, 1920) was an American Civil War soldier, businessman, and newspaper and magazine publisher. Early life He was born in Sandusky, Ohio on September 27, 1839. Career During the Civil War, M ...
, owner of the scandal sheet '' Town Topics'', explained his purpose: "My ambition is to reform the
Four Hundred 400 (four hundred) is the natural number following 399 and preceding 401. Mathematical properties 400 is the square of 20. 400 is the sum of the powers of 7 from 0 to 3, thus making it a repdigit in base 7 (1111). A circle is divided into ...
by making them too deeply disgusted with themselves to continue their silly, empty way of life." Many scandal sheets in the U.S. were short-lived attempts at blackmail. One of the most popular in the States was the ''
National Police Gazette The ''National Police Gazette'', commonly referred to as simply the ''Police Gazette'', is an American magazine founded in 1845. Under publisher Richard K. Fox, it became the forerunner of the men's lifestyle magazine, the illustrated sports w ...
''. Scandal sheets in the early 20th century were usually 4- or 8-page cheap papers specializing in the lurid and profane, sometimes used to grind political, ideological, or personal axes, sometimes to make money (because "scandal sells"), and sometimes for extortion. A Duluth, Minnesota example was '' The Rip-saw'', written by a puritanical journalist named John R. Morrison who was outraged by the vice and corruption he observed in that 1920s mining town. ''The Rip-saw'' regularly published accusations of drunkenness, debauchery, and corruption against prominent citizens and public officials. Morrison was convicted of criminal libel in one instance, but his scandal sheet may have contributed to several politicians losing their elections. After Morrison published an issue claiming that State Senator Mike Boylan had threatened to kill him, Boylan responded by helping to pass the Public Nuisance Bill of 1925. It allowed a single judge, without jury, to stop a newspaper or magazine from publishing, forever. Morrison died before the new law could be used to shut down ''The Rip-saw''. ''
The Saturday Press ''The Saturday Press'' was the name of at least two periodicals: * ''The Saturday Press'' (literary newspaper), a New-York based literary weekly newspaper that appeared from 1858 to 1860 and again from 1865 to 1866. * ''The Saturday Press'' (Minnea ...
'' was another Minnesota scandal sheet. When the Public Nuisance Bill of 1925 was used to shut down ''The Saturday Press'', the case made its way to the
United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...
which found the gag law to be unconstitutional.


Supermarket tabloids

In the United States and Canada, "supermarket tabloids" are large, national versions of these tabloids, usually published weekly. They are named for their prominent placement along the
supermarkets A supermarket is a self-service shop offering a wide variety of food, beverages and household products, organized into sections. This kind of store is larger and has a wider selection than earlier grocery stores, but is smaller and more limit ...
checkout lines. In the 1960s, the ''National Enquirer'' began selling magazines in supermarkets as an alternative to newsstands. To help with their rapport with supermarkets and continue their franchise within them, they had offered to buy back unsold issues so newer, more up to date ones could be displayed. These tabloids—such as '' The Globe'' and the ''National Enquirer''—often use aggressive and usually mean-spirited tactics to sell their issues. Unlike regular tabloid-format newspapers, supermarket tabloids are distributed through the magazine distribution channel like other weekly magazines and mass-market paperback books. Leading examples include the ''National Enquirer'', ''
Star A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by its gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked ...
'', ''
Weekly World News The ''Weekly World News'' was a tabloid which published mostly fictional "news" stories in the United States from 1979 to 2007, renowned for its outlandish cover stories often based on supernatural or paranormal themes and an approach to news t ...
'' (later reinvented as a parody of the style), and the ''
Sun The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is a nearly perfect ball of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core. The Sun radiates this energy mainly as light, ultraviolet, and infrared radi ...
''. Most major supermarket tabloids in the U.S. are published by
American Media, Inc. A360 Media, LLC (branded a360media), formerly American Media, Inc. (AMI), is an American publisher of magazines, supermarket tabloids, and books based in New York City. Originally affiliated with only the ''National Enquirer'', the media company ...
, including the ''National Enquirer'', ''Star'', '' The Globe'', and ''
National Examiner The ''National Examiner'' is a supermarket tabloid from America. It was formerly owned by American Media, Inc. (AMI). AMI's chief content officer, Dylan Howard, oversaw the publication. The ''Examiner'' has the fewest pages, which was the leas ...
''. A major event in the history of U.S. supermarket tabloids was the successful libel lawsuit by
Carol Burnett Carol Creighton Burnett (born April 26, 1933) is an American actress, comedian, singer, and writer. Her groundbreaking comedy variety show ''The Carol Burnett Show'', which originally aired on CBS was one of the first of its kind to be hosted ...
against the ''National Enquirer'' (''
Carol Burnett v. National Enquirer, Inc. ''Carol Burnett v. National Enquirer, Inc.'' was a decision by the California Court of Appeal, which ruled that the "actual malice" required under California law for imposition of punitive damages is distinct from the "actual malice" required by ' ...
''), arising out of a false 1976 report in the ''National Enquirer'', implying she was drunk and boisterous in a public encounter with U.S. Secretary of State
Henry Kissinger Henry Alfred Kissinger (; ; born Heinz Alfred Kissinger, May 27, 1923) is a German-born American politician, diplomat, and geopolitical consultant who served as United States Secretary of State and National Security Advisor under the presid ...
. Though its impact is widely debated, it is generally seen as a significant turning point in the relations between celebrities and tabloid journalism, increasing the willingness of celebrities to sue for libel in the U.S., and somewhat dampening the recklessness of U.S. tabloids."How the Supermarket Tabloids Stay Out of Court"
January 4, 1991, ''The New York Times'', retrieved January 1, 2017.
(Opinion essay by libel attorney for Carol Burnett and others) Other celebrities have attempted to sue tabloid magazines for libel and slander including
Richard Simmons Milton Teagle "Richard" Simmons (born July 12, 1948) is an American fitness personality and public figure, known for his eccentric, flamboyant, and energetic personality. He has promoted weight-loss programs, most prominently through his ''Swe ...
in 2017 and
Phil McGraw Phillip Calvin McGraw (born September 1, 1950), better known as Dr. Phil, is an American television personality and author best known for hosting the talk show '' Dr. Phil''. He holds a doctorate in clinical psychology, though he ceased rene ...
in 2016. Tabloids may pay for stories. Besides
scoop Scoop, Scoops or The scoop may refer to: Objects * Scoop (tool), a shovel-like tool, particularly one deep and curved, used in digging * Scoop (machine part), a component of machinery to carry things * Scoop stretcher, a device used for casualty ...
s meant to be headline stories, this can be used to censor stories damaging to the paper's allies. Known as "
catch and kill Catch and kill is a surreptitious technique employed by newspapers and media outlets to prevent an individual from publicly revealing information damaging to a third party. Using a legally enforceable non-disclosure agreement, the tabloid purpor ...
", tabloid newspapers may pay someone for the exclusive rights to a story, then choose not to run it. Publisher American Media has been accused of burying stories embarrassing to
Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, film producer, businessman, retired professional bodybuilder and politician who served as the 38th governor of California between 2003 and 2011. ''Time'' ...
,
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
, and
Harvey Weinstein Harvey Weinstein (; born March 19, 1952) is an American former film producer and convicted sex offender. He and his brother, Bob Weinstein, co-founded the entertainment company Miramax, which produced several successful independent films inclu ...
.


Red tops

The term "red tops" refers to British tabloids with red mastheads, such as '' The Sun'', the '' Daily Star'', the ''
Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print ...
'', and the '' Daily Record''.


Modern tabloid journalism

In the last decade, much of tabloid journalism and news production has changed mediums to online formats due to the transition to
digital media Digital media is any communication media that operate in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital media can be created, viewed, distributed, modified, listened to, and preserved on a digital electronics device. ' ...
. This change is to keep up with the era of digital media and allow for increased accessibility of readers. With a steady decline in paid newspapers, the gap has been filled by expected free daily articles, mostly in the tabloid format. Tabloid readers are often youths and studies show that consumers of tabloids are on average less educated. It can often depict inaccurate news and misrepresent individuals and situations.


See also

* Benji the Binman *
Broadcast syndication Broadcast syndication is the practice of leasing the right to broadcasting television shows and radio programs to multiple television stations and radio stations, without going through a broadcast network. It is common in the United States where ...
*
Gossip magazine A gossip magazine, also referred to as a tabloid magazine, is a magazine that features scandalous stories about the personal lives of celebrities and other well-known individuals. In North America, this genre of magazine flourished in the 1950s an ...
* Index of journalism articles * Jazz journalism – US sensationalist press of the 1920s *
Leveson Inquiry The Leveson Inquiry was a judicial public inquiry into the culture, practices and ethics of the British press following the News International phone hacking scandal, chaired by Lord Justice Leveson, who was appointed in July 2011. A series of ...
*
Mediatization (media) Mediatization (or medialization) is a process whereby the mass media influence other sectors of society, including politics, business, culture, entertainment, sport, religion, or education. Mediatization is often understood as a process of change or ...
, for the social and political consequences of tabloidization *
Middle-market newspaper A middle-market newspaper is a newspaper that caters to readers who like entertainment as well as the coverage of important news events. Middle-market status is the halfway point of a three-level continuum of journalistic seriousness; upper-marke ...


References


Further reading

*Bastos, M. T. (2016). Digital Journalism And Tabloid Journalism. ''The Routledge Companion to Digital Journalism Studies'', 217–225. doi: 10.4324/9781315713793-22 * Bessie, Simon Michael. ''Jazz Journalism: The Story Of The Tabloid Newspapers'' (1938
online
* * Gekoski, Anna, Jacqueline M. Gray, and Joanna R. Adler. "What makes a homicide newsworthy? UK national tabloid newspaper journalists tell all." ''British Journal of Criminology'' 52.6 (2012): 1212–1232
online
* * Johansson, Sofia. "Gossip, sport and pretty girls: What does 'trivial' journalism mean to Tabloid Newspaper readers?." ''Journalism Practice'' 2.3 (2008): 402–413. * * Popović, V., & Popović, P. (2014). The Twenty-First Century, the Reign of Tabloid Journalism. ''Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences'', ''163'', 12–18. doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.12.280 * Richardson, John E., and James Stanyer. "Reader opinion in the digital age: Tabloid and broadsheet newspaper websites and the exercise of political voice." ''Journalism'' 12.8 (2011): 983–1003
onlie
*
online
* *


External links

* * {{Authority control News media manipulation Media bias Types of journalism