Style of largely sensationalist journalism
Tabloid journalism
is a
popular
style of largely
sensationalist
journalism
which takes its name from the
tabloid newspaper format
: a small-sized newspaper also known as half
broadsheet
.
[1]
The size became associated with sensationalism, and
tabloid journalism
replaced the earlier label of
yellow journalism
and
scandal sheets
.
[2]
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 newspapers converted to the more
compact tabloid format
.
[1]
In some cases, celebrities have successfully sued tabloids for
libel
, demonstrating that their stories have defamed them.
[3]
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
.
Scandal sheets
[
edit
]
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.
[4]
Reverend Henry Bate Dudley
was the editor of one of the earliest scandal sheets,
The Morning Post
, which specialized in printing malicious society
gossip
, selling positive mentions in its pages, and collecting suppression fees to keep stories unpublished.
[5]
: 11?14
Other
Georgian era
scandal sheets were
Theodore Hook
's
John Bull
,
Charles Molloy Westmacott
's
The Age
, and
Barnard Gregory
's
The Satirist
.
[5]
: 53
William d'Alton Mann
, owner of the scandal sheet
Town Topics
, explained his purpose: "My ambition is to reform
the Four Hundred
by making them too deeply disgusted with themselves to continue their silly, empty way of life."
[5]
: 93
Many scandal sheets in the U.S. were short-lived attempts at
blackmail
.
[5]
: 90
One of the most popular in the U.S. was the
National Police Gazette
.
[4]
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 L. Morrison
who was outraged by the vice and corruption he observed in that 1920s mining town.
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
Rip-saw
.
The Saturday Press
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
which found the
gag law
to be unconstitutional.
[6]
Supermarket tabloids
[
edit
]
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
supermarket
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.
[3]
These tabloids?such as the
Globe
and the
National Enquirer
?often use aggressive 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
,
Weekly World News
(later reinvented as a parody of the style), and the
Sun
. Most major supermarket tabloids in the U.S. are published by
American Media, Inc.
, including the
National Enquirer
,
Star
,
Globe
, and
National Examiner
.
A major event in the history of U.S. supermarket tabloids was the successful libel lawsuit by
Carol Burnett
against the
National Enquirer
(
Carol Burnett v. National Enquirer, Inc.
), 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
. 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.
[7]
[8]
[9]
[10]
[11]
[3]
Other celebrities have attempted to sue tabloid magazines for libel and slander including
Phil McGraw
in 2016
[3]
and
Richard Simmons
in 2017.
[12]
Tabloids may
pay for stories
. Besides
scoops
meant to be headline stories, this can be used to censor stories damaging to the paper's allies. Known as "
catch and kill
", tabloid newspapers may pay someone for the exclusive rights to a story, then choose not to run it.
[13]
Publisher
American Media
has been accused of burying stories embarrassing to
Arnold Schwarzenegger
,
[14]
Donald Trump
,
[15]
and
Harvey Weinstein
.
[16]
Red tops
[
edit
]
The term "red tops" refers to British tabloids with red
mastheads
, such as
The Sun
, the
Daily Star
, the
Daily Mirror
, and the
Daily Record
.
[17]
Modern tabloid journalism
[
edit
]
In the early 21st century, much of tabloid journalism and news production changed mediums to
online
formats. 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.
[18]
It can often depict
inaccurate news
[19]
and misrepresent individuals and situations.
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
Gossel, Daniel.
"Tabloid journalism"
.
Encyclopedia Britannica
.
Archived
from the original on 8 April 2022
. Retrieved
19 September
2020
.
- ^
Cohen, Daniel (2000).
Yellow Journalism
. Twenty-First Century Books. p. 73.
ISBN
0761315020
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Andrews, Travis M. (14 July 2016).
"Dr. Phil and wife Robin sue the National Enquirer for $250 million, citing defamation"
.
The Washington Post
.
Archived
from the original on 23 October 2021
. Retrieved
13 January
2019
.
- ^
a
b
Klatt, Wayne (2009).
Chicago journalism : a history
. Jefferson, N.C: McFarland & Co. p. 41.
ISBN
978-0-7864-4181-5
.
OCLC
277136414
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Wilkes, Roger (2002).
Scandal : a scurrilous history of gossip
. London: Atlantic.
ISBN
1-903809-63-0
.
OCLC
50434290
.
- ^
Cohen, Daniel (2000).
Yellow Journalism
. Twenty-First Century Books. pp. 39?52.
ISBN
0761315020
.
- ^
Scott, Vernon (22 March 1981).
"Carol Burnett launches trial balloon"
.
United Press International
.
Archived
from the original on 2 January 2017
. Retrieved
1 January
2017
.
- ^
Lindsey, Robert (27 March 1981).
"Carol Burnett given 1.6 million in suit against National Enquirer"
.
The New York Times
.
Archived
from the original on 23 March 2017
. Retrieved
1 January
2017
.
- ^
"How the Supermarket Tabloids Stay Out of Court"
Archived
7 January 2017 at the
Wayback Machine
, January 4, 1991,
The New York Times
, retrieved January 1, 2017.
- ^
Langberg, Barry (12 August 1991).
"Tabloids' Lies Abuse the First Amendment"
.
Los Angeles Times
.
Archived
from the original on 3 January 2017
. Retrieved
1 January
2017
.
(Opinion essay by libel attorney for Burnett and others)
- ^
Beam, Alex (August 1999).
"Tabloid Law"
.
The Atlantic Monthly
.
Archived
from the original on 12 March 2017
. Retrieved
1 January
2017
.
- ^
"
Richard Simmons v the National Enquirer
"
.
Archived
from the original on 7 August 2020
. Retrieved
1 November
2017
– via Scribd.
- ^
Sullivan, Margaret (5 November 2016).
"
'Catch and kill' at National Enquirer gives media one last black eye before election"
.
The Washington Post
.
Archived
from the original on 7 December 2017
. Retrieved
6 December
2017
.
- ^
Nicholas, Peter; Hall, Carla (12 August 2005).
"Tabloid's Deal With Woman Shielded Schwarzenegger"
.
Los Angeles Times
.
Archived
from the original on 6 August 2018
. Retrieved
6 December
2017
.
- ^
Palazzolo, Joe; Rothfield, Michael; Alpert, Lukas (4 November 2016).
"National Enquirer Shielded Donald Trump From Playboy Model's Affair Allegation"
.
The Wall Street Journal
.
Archived
from the original on 16 February 2018
. Retrieved
6 December
2017
.
- ^
Twohey, Megan; Kantor, Jodi; Dominus, Susan; Rutenberg, Jim; Eder, Steve (6 December 2017).
"Weinstein's Complicity Machine"
.
The New York Times
.
Archived
from the original on 6 December 2017
. Retrieved
6 December
2017
.
- ^
Stephen Brook (6 December 2007).
"Red-tops on the rise, survey shows"
.
The Guardian
. London.
Archived
from the original on 4 February 2017
. Retrieved
1 April
2012
.
- ^
Bastos, Marco T. (18 November 2016),
"Digital Journalism And Tabloid Journalism"
(PDF)
, in Franklin, Bob; Eldridge, Scott A. (eds.),
The Routledge Companion to Digital Journalism Studies
(1 ed.), Routledge, pp. 217?225,
doi
:
10.4324/9781315713793-22
,
ISBN
978-1-315-71379-3
,
archived
(PDF)
from the original on 27 April 2019
- ^
Popovi?, Virginia; Popovi?, Predrag (December 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
.
Further reading
[
edit
]
| This section needs to be
updated
. The reason given is: per WP:Further reading.
Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.
(
March 2024
)
|
- Bastos, M. T. (2016).
Digital Journalism And Tabloid Journalism
.
The Routledge Companion to Digital Journalism Studies
, 217?225.
doi
:
10.4324/9781315713793-22
- Popovi?, V., & Popovi?, 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
- 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.
- 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.
doi
:
10.1177/1464884911415974
- Wasserman, Herman (2010).
Tabloid Journalism in South Africa: True Story!
. Indiana University Press.
ISBN
978-0-253-22211-4
.
- Morton, Paula E. (2009).
Tabloid Valley: Supermarket News and American Culture
. University Press of Florida.
ISBN
978-0-8130-3364-8
.
- Zelizer, Barbie, ed. (2009).
The Changing Faces of Journalism: Tabloidization, Technology and Truthiness
. Taylor & Francis.
ISBN
978-0-415-77824-4
.
- Johansson, Sofia. "Gossip, sport and pretty girls: What does 'trivial' journalism mean to Tabloid Newspaper readers?."
Journalism Practice
2.3 (2008): 402?413.
doi
:
10.1080/17512780802281131
- Conboy, Martin (2006).
Tabloid Britain: Constructing a Community Through Language
. Routledge.
ISBN
978-0-415-35553-7
.
External links
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]
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Media
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Principles
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Ideology
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Deception
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Philosophers
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Counterculture
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In academia
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Issues
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