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=**Tabloids**= toc

=**Introduction**= In the traditional sense and despite questionable authenticity, tabloids have almost always proved to be an irresistible read. With stories ranging from scandalous events, to Bigfoot and space aliens, tabloids have captured the attention of thousands. However, much recently, 'tabloid journalism' appears to be deviating from the well-known conventional style to a much less sensational sense of the term. This essay will not only consider the traditional meaning of the word 'tabloid' but also attempt to explain its popularity and affect on other media.

=**Origin of Tabloids**=

The term tabloid originally implied a certain size and layout, (roughly 59.7 cm × 37.5 cm per spread), that publishers began using to ease reading while commuting. Because of its smaller size in comparison with its broadsheet counterparts, the quality of its journalism decreased to simple and sensational narratives. Since then, the tabloid is famous for content rather than size, and many serious similar-sized papers prefer describing themselves as "compact" instead to avoid the connotation that the word implies.

=**Where do Tabloids get their Stories?**= Typically, tabloids do not follow the standard objectivity and rules of journalism. Unlike reputable newspapers like the New York Times, which utilize confirmed facts and research from several contacts, tabloids use only enough of the truth in their fabrications to ensure they are convincing. Classic examples of this tabloid trademark are the stories of the 50’s and 60’s. For the most part, tabloid reporters use leading questions in interviews or publish false quotations as long as at least someone agrees with them. They often cite the work of ‘experts’, even if the alleged expert has no genuine qualifications. However, skilled tabloid reporters retain pure fabrications as a last resort and merely expand on smaller items in newspapers by contacting the family for comments and then ‘spicing’ up the original narrative. The product is an account that concerns the people involved more than the actual event. Since readers seem more interested in this style of writing, it is not surprising that tabloids focus particularly on celebrities. Reporters have numerous sources, including hairstylists, make-up artists and drivers, which get paid according to the value of the information they provide. In some cases, the publicists provide inside information to prevent negative coverage of their clients and augment publicity.

=Tabloids and the Paparazzi= Most of the claims and so-called "support" of these claims come from not only misleading statements, but from photographs that the paparazzi takes. The paparazzi is an Italian term that derives from a news character "Paparazzo" from the Italian movie La Dolce Vita. Paparazzi is plural of Paparazzo and has since been used as an international term to refer to photographers that hound celebrities by constantly taking pictures of every move that they make. The paparazzi is usually taking pictures of unflattering shots of famous celebrities or photos that would reveal new celebrity friendships or couples. Since people are always looking for photographs of famous celebrities, the tabloids pay the paparazzi a lot of money for the photographs that they take.

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A new friendship: Britney Spears and Paris Hilton, two of the two most tabloid cover topping celebrities getting ready for a night out =Tabloids and the Law= Despite their extreme stories however, tabloids are not as untouchable by lawsuits as they were in the 50’s and 60’s. Formerly, publishers were fear-free, even in obvious cases of libel for they understood that the publicity surrounding the suit would be more detrimental to the celebrity than the lie itself. Besides which, celebrities could not possibly gain much as publishers lacked the necessary financial standings to pay off fines. (Bill Sloan paper). This was no longer the case near the end of the 20th century when tabloid circulation rocketed to the tens of millions. Today many celebrities, such as Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, have successfully sued tabloids collecting millions in damages and causing tabloid writers to consult and retain lawyers, mainly in regards to libel in newspapers. Nonetheless, truly outrageous stories face no legal retribution because they cannot be proven right or wrong.

=**Tabloids Today**=

Today there is a steady decline in the number of tabloids in circulation. Whereas in the 70’s and 80’s the National Enquirer’s circulation topped 5 million, (Sloan, pg. 218), today it reports a distribution of only 2.7 million. This decrease may counter-intuitively be a consequence of the tabloids’ success. Due to pressure to increase audience size and ratings, mainstream media adopt tabloid tactics for size, format and slightly shift focus to entertainment rather than hard news (taken from the beyond the bat page thing). Tabloid success has also created a separate genre of TV that features shows such as Entertainment Tonight, which offer viewers similar stories more rapidly and in a more eye-catching form.

=**Conclusion**=

In conclusion, tabloids have been a popular source of amusement for thousands, due to the convenient size and scandalous content; so much so that other forms of media have had to embrace their style to adequately compete, thereby resulting in the decline of tabloids today. =**Works Cited**=

"Tabloid." __WikiSpaces__. 27 Nov. 2006 . Ed Grabianowski. "How Tabloids Work." __How Stuff Works__. 27 Nov. 2006 . Short History of Tabloids." __Billy Ingram__. tvparty.com. 27 Nov. 2006 . Peter Preston. "Tabloids: Only the Beginnin." __Sage Jorunals__. 27 Nov. 2006 . Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. http://thesuperficial.com/2006/11/britney_spears_takes_lessons_f.html