When most Americans hear the word “tabloid” they automatically associate it with entertainment journalism and the ferocity of which we pounce on celebrity gossip.
However, entertainment journalism is not what has fueled the history of the tabloid. Tabloids originated in as a unique form of British journalism. Utilizing sensationalism, British tabloids focus on breaking hard news stories while mixing in some of the sleaze people often associate them with.
British tabloids draw their stories from often questionable sources, but their cutthroat journalistic nature allows them to get scoops traditional news broadcasts might miss. Their dynamic also allows to gain a rabid following.
Many might think that with the rise of social media and stories breaking over the internet every minute of the day that tabloids would die out. However, tabloid journalism has only progressed with the new social media craze. British tabloids today, such as The Sun, The Daily Mirror, The Daily Mail, and The Daily Star, have been able to combine the tabloid’s traditional use of sensationalism with today’s social media outposts to only broaden their reader base.
Image from: http://the-sun-lies.blogspot.com/2010_04_01_archive.html
Even with their strong presence on the internet through their websites, apps and twitter, nothing will ever beat the flashy headlines of British tabloids one can get on the streets of London daily. There is simply something about being able to physically see and touch the breaking news of the day, and being one of the first to read about it that keeps tabloids a vital and important side of journalism.
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