Editing Tabloid (newspaper format)

{{About|the newspaper market segment|the style of journalism|Tabloid journalism|the physical paper used|Tabloid (paper size)}}
{{short description|Type of newspaper}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}
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[[File:British tabloids - July 5 2011 (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|British tabloids in 2011]]
A '''tabloid''' is a [[newspaper format]] characterized by its compact size, smaller than a [[broadsheet]]. The term originates from the 19th century, when the [[London]]-based pharmaceutical company [[GlaxoSmithKline|Burroughs Wellcome & Co.]] used the term to describe [[Tablet (pharmacy)|compressed pills]], later adopted by newspapers to denote condensed content. There are two main types of tabloid newspaper: [[red tops]] and [[Compact (newspaper)|compact]], distinguished by editorial style.

Red top tabloids are distinct from [[broadsheet]] newspapers, which traditionally cater to more affluent, educated audiences with in-depth reporting and analysis. However, the line between tabloids and broadsheets has blurred in recent decades, as many broadsheet newspapers have adopted tabloid or compact formats to reduce costs and attract readers. 

Globally, the tabloid format has been adapted to suit regional preferences and media landscapes. In countries like [[Germany]] and [[Australia]], tabloids such as ''[[Bild]]'' and ''[[The Daily Telegraph (Sydney)|The Daily Telegraph]]'' have significant readerships and political clout.

==Etymology==
[[File:Tabloid products; Burroughs Wellcome and Company Wellcome L0041219.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Three pill pots from Burroughs Wellcome & Co.|Tabloid products of the late 1880s]]
The word ''tabloid'' comes from the name given by the [[London]]-based pharmaceutical company [[GlaxoSmithKline|Burroughs Wellcome & Co.]] to the compressed [[Tablet (pharmacy)|tablets]] they marketed as "Tabloid" pills in the late 1880s.<ref name="pills">{{cite web|url=http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/About-us/History/WTX051935.htm |title=Henry Wellcome the Sailesman|work=Wellcome|date=18 November 2008|access-date=3 December 2011}}</ref>  The connotation of ''tabloid'' was soon applied to other small compressed items. A 1902 item in London's ''Westminster Gazette'' noted, "The proprietor intends to give in tabloid form all the news printed by other journals."  Thus ''tabloid journalism'' in 1901, originally meant a paper that condensed stories into a simplified, easily absorbed format. The term preceded the 1918 reference to smaller sheet newspapers that contained the condensed stories.<ref>"tabloid, n. and adj.", ''Oxford English Dictionary'' [http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/196821?rskey=OEVygJ&amp;result=1 online]</ref>

==Types==
Tabloid newspapers, especially in the [[United Kingdom]], vary widely in their target market, political alignment, editorial style, and circulation.  Thus, various terms have been coined to describe the subtypes of this versatile paper format.  There are, broadly, two main types of tabloid newspaper: ''red top'' and ''compact''.  The distinction is largely of editorial style; both red top and compact tabloids span the width of the political spectrum from [[socialism]] to [[capitalism|capitalist]] [[conservative|conservatism]], although red-top tabloids, on account of their historically working-class target market, generally embrace [[populism]] to some degree. Red top tabloids are so named due to their tendency, in British and Commonwealth usage, to have their [[Nameplate (publishing)|masthead]]s printed in red ink; the term ''compact'' was coined to avoid the connotation of the word ''tabloid'', which implies a red top tabloid, and has lent its name to [[tabloid journalism]], which is journalism after the fashion of red top reporters.

===Red top tabloids===
{{See also|Red tops}}
Red top tabloids, named after their distinguishing red [[Nameplate (publishing)|mastheads]], employ a form of writing known as [[tabloid journalism]]; this style emphasizes features such as [[sensationalism|sensational]] crime stories, astrology, [[gossip column]]s about the personal lives of celebrities and sports stars, and [[junk food news]]. Celebrity gossip columns which appear in red top tabloids and focus on their [[Human sexual activity|sexual practices]], [[recreational drug use|misuse of narcotics]], and the [[privacy|private]] aspects of their lives often border on, and sometimes cross the line of [[defamation]].

Red tops tend to be written with a simplistic, straightforward vocabulary and grammar; their layout usually gives greater prominence to the picture than to the word.  The writing style of red top tabloids is often accused of [[sensationalism]] and extreme political bias; red tops have been accused of deliberately igniting [[controversy]] and selectively reporting on attention-grabbing stories, or those with [[shock value]]. In the extreme case, tabloids have been accused of lying or misrepresenting the truth to increase circulation.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.cits.ucsb.edu/fake-news/brief-history |access-date=25 July 2022 |title=A Brief History of Fake News |publisher= Center for Information Technology and Society at UC Santa Barbara}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=The Daily Mail has 'mastered the art of running stories that aren't true', Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales says |first=Arjun |last=Kharpal |date=19 May 2017 |access-date=25 July 2022 | work=[[CNBC]] |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2017/05/19/daily-mail-jimmy-wales-fake-news-wikipedia-wikitribune.html}}</ref>

Examples of British red top newspapers include ''[[The Sun (United Kingdom)|The Sun]]'', the ''[[Daily Star (United Kingdom)|Daily Star]]'' and the ''[[Daily Mirror]]''. Although not using red mastheads, the ''[[Daily Mail]]'' and ''[[Daily Express]]'' also use the 'tabloid journalism' model.

===Compact tabloids===
{{For|a list of newspapers publishing in the compact "tabloid" format|Compact (newspaper)}}
In contrast to red-top tabloids, compacts use an editorial style more closely associated with [[broadsheet]] newspapers. In fact, most compact tabloids formerly used the broadsheet paper size, but changed to accommodate reading in tight spaces, such as on a crowded [[commuter bus]] or [[train]]. The term ''compact'' was coined in the 1970s by the ''[[Daily Mail]]'', one of the earlier newspapers to make the change, although it now once again calls itself a tabloid.{{citation needed|date=September 2018}} The purpose behind this was to avoid the association of the word ''tabloid'' with the flamboyant, salacious editorial style of the red top newspaper.

The early converts from broadsheet format made the change in the 1970s; two British papers that took this step at the time were the ''Daily Mail'' and the ''[[Daily Express]]''. In 2003, ''[[The Independent]]'' also made the change for the same reasons, quickly followed by ''[[The Scotsman]]'' and ''[[The Times]]''. On the other hand, ''[[Morning Star (British newspaper)|The Morning Star]]'' had always used the tabloid size, but stands in contrast to both the red top papers and the former broadsheets; although ''The Morning Star'' emphasizes [[hard news]], it embraces [[socialism]] and is circulated mostly among [[blue-collar]] [[labourer]]s.

Compact tabloids, just like [[broadsheet]]- and [[Berliner (format)|Berliner]]-format newspapers, span the political spectrum from [[progressivism|progressive]] to [[conservative]] and from [[capitalist]] to [[socialist]].

==International use==
===Africa===
In [[Morocco]], ''[[Maroc Soir (newspaper)|Maroc Soir]]'', launched in November 2005, is published in tabloid format.<ref name=press>{{cite journal|title=Morocco: New French speaking paper for the younger generation|journal=Press Business|date=February 2006|issue=1|url=http://www.press-business.com/pdf/2006_01_press_business.pdf|access-date=7 October 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014110104/http://www.press-business.com/pdf/2006_01_press_business.pdf|archive-date=14 October 2013}}</ref>

In [[South Africa]], the Bloemfontein-based daily newspaper ''[[Volksblad]]'' became the first serious broadsheet newspaper to switch to tabloid, but only on Saturdays. Despite the format being popular with its readers, the newspaper remains broadsheet on weekdays. This is also true of Pietermaritzburg's daily, ''The Witness'' in the province of [[KwaZulu-Natal]]. The ''[[Daily Sun (South Africa)|Daily Sun]]'', published by [[Naspers]], has since become South Africa's biggest-selling daily newspaper and is aimed primarily at the black working class.{{citation needed|date=September 2018}} It sells over 500,000 copies per day, reaching approximately 3,000,000 readers.{{citation needed|date=September 2018}} Besides offering a sometimes satirical view of the seriousness of mainstream news, the ''Daily Sun'' also covers fringe theories and paranormal claims such as [[tikoloshe]]s, ancestral visions and all things supernatural. It is also published as the ''Sunday Sun''.

In [[Mauritius]], the popular afternoon newspaper ''Le Mauricien'' shifted from tabloid (1908–2008) to the [[Berliner (format)|Berliner format]] (2008–2013) and now adopts a compact format with 32 pages during the week and 48 pages on Saturday.

===Asia===
<!-- NB this article is about newspaper FORMAT, not about [[tabloid journalism]] or about particular tabloids in any detail -->
In [[Bangladesh]], the Daily {{Lang|bn-latn|[[Manab Zamin]]}} became the first and is now the largest circulated Bengali language tabloid in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Daily Manab Zamin - The World's First And Largest Circulated Bengali Tabloid Daily Newspaper. |url=https://www.abc-directory.com/site/4594563 |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=www.abc-directory.com}}</ref><!-- citation needed for physical paper sales, not website impressions -->

In [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], the weekly [[English language|English-language]] newspaper ''[[The Financial]]'' switched to a compact format in 2005 and doubled the number of pages in each issue. Other Georgian-language newspapers have tested compact formats in the early 1990s.

Tabloid journalism is still an evolving concept in India's print media. The first tabloid, ''[[Blitz (newspaper)|Blitz]]''  was started by [[Russi Karanjia]] on February 1, 1941 with the words "Our Blitz, India's Blitz against [[Hitler]]!". ''Blitz'' was first published in English and then branched out with [[Hindi]], [[Marathi language|Marathi]] and [[Urdu]] versions. In 1974, Russi's daughter Rita founded the ''[[Cine Blitz]]'' magazine. In 2005, ''Times of India'' brought out a dedicated Mumbai tabloid newspaper, ''[[Mumbai Mirror]]'', which gives prominence to Mumbai-related stories and issues. ''[[Tehelka]]'' started as a news portal in 2000. It broke the story about match-fixing in Indian and International Cricket and the sting operation on defence deals in the Indian Army. In 2007, it closed shop and reappeared in tabloid form, and has been appreciated for its brand of investigative journalism. Other popular tabloid newspapers in English media are ''[[Mid-Day]]'', an afternoon newspaper published out of and dedicated to Mumbai and business newspapers like ''[[Mint (newspaper)|MINT]]''. There are numerous tabloids in most of India's official languages. There is an all youth tabloid by the name of TILT – The ILIKE Times.

In Indonesia, tabloids include Bola, ''GO'' (Gema Olahraga, defunct), ''Soccer'' (defunct), ''Fantasy'' (defunct), ''Buletin Sinetron'' (defunct), ''Pro TV'' (defunct), ''Citra'' (defunct), ''Genie'', ''Bintang Indonesia (Indonesian Stars)'', ''Nyata'', ''Wanita Indonesia'' (Women of Indonesia), ''Cek and Ricek'', and ''Nova''.

In Oman, ''[[TheWeek]]'' is a free, 48-page, all-colour, independent weekly published from Muscat in the Sultanate of Oman. Oman's first free newspaper was launched in March 2003 and has now gone on to gather what is believed to be the largest readership for any publication in Oman. Ms Mohana Prabhakar is the managing editor of the publication. ''TheWeek'' is audited by BPA Worldwide, which has certified its circulation as being a weekly average of 50,300.

In Pakistan, ''[[Khabrain]]'' is a tabloid newspaper popular within the lower middle class. This news group introduced a new paper, ''Naya Akhbar'' which is comparably more sensational. At the local level, many sensational tabloids can be seen but, unlike ''Khabrain'' or other big national newspapers, they are distributed only on local levels in districts.

[[List of newspapers in the Philippines#Tabloids|Tabloids in the Philippines]] are usually written in local languages, like [[Tagalog language|Tagalog]] or [[Bisayan languages|Bisaya]], one of the listed top Tagalog tabloids is ''Bulgar'', but some are written in English, like the ''[[People's Journal]]'' and ''Tempo''. Like their common journalistic connotations, Philippine tabloids usually report sensationalist crime stories and celebrity gossip, and some tabloids feature topless photos of girls. Several tabloids are vernacular counterparts of English broadsheet newspapers by the same publisher, like ''[[Pilipino Star Ngayon]]'' (''The Philippine Star''), ''[[Inquirer Bandera|Bandera]]'' (''Philippine Daily Inquirer''), and ''Balita'' (''Manila Bulletin''). In the [[Southern Philippines]], a new weekly tabloid, ''The Mindanao Examiner'', now includes media services, such as photography and video production, into its line as a source to finance the high cost of printing and other expenses. It is also into independent film making.

===Europe===
The [[Berliner (format)|Berliner]] format, used by many prominent [[Europe|European]] newspapers, is sized between the tabloid and the broadsheet. In a newspaper context, the term ''Berliner'' is generally used only to describe size, not to refer to other qualities of the publication. The biggest tabloid (and newspaper in general) in Europe, by circulation, is Germany's ''[[Bild]]'', with around 2.5 million copies (down from above 5 million in the 1980s). Although its paper size is bigger, its style was copied from the British tabloids.

In [[Denmark]], tabloids in the British sense are known as 'formiddagsblade' (before-noon newspapers), the two biggest being ''[[B.T. (tabloid)|BT]]'' and {{Lang|da|[[Ekstra Bladet]]}}. The old more serious newspaper ''[[Berlingske Tidende]]'' shifted from broadsheet to tabloid format in 2006, while keeping the news profile intact.

In [[Finland]], the biggest newspaper and biggest daily subscription newspaper in the Nordic countries {{Lang|fi|[[Helsingin Sanomat]]}} changed its size from broadsheet to tabloid on 8 January 2013.

In [[France]], the ''Nice Matin'' (or ''Le Dauphiné''), a popular Southern France newspaper changed from Broadsheet to Tabloid on 8 April 2006. They changed the printing format in one day after test results showed that 74% liked the Tabloid format compared to Broadsheet. But the most famous tabloid dealing with crime stories is ''[[Le Nouveau Détective]],'' created in the early 20th century. This weekly tabloid has a national circulation.

In the [[Netherlands]], several newspapers have started publishing tabloid versions of their newspapers, including one of the major 'quality' newspapers, [[NRC Handelsblad]], with ''[[nrc•next]]'' (ceased 2021) in 2006. Two free tabloid newspapers were also introduced in the early 2000s, '[[Metro International|Metro]] and [[Sp!ts]] (ceased 2014), mostly for distribution in public transportation. In 2007, a third and fourth free tabloid appeared, '[[De Pers]]' (ceased 2012) and '[[DAG (newspaper)|DAG]]' (ceased 2008). [[De Telegraaf]], came in broadsheet but changed to tabloid in 2014.<ref name="Telegraaf op Zondag terug (in Dutch)">{{cite web |url=http://www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/22229483/__Telegraaf_op_Zondag_terug__.html |title=Telegraaf op Zondag terug |year=2014 |access-date=22 January 2014}}</ref>

In [[Norway]], close to all newspapers have switched from the broadsheet to the tabloid format, which measures 280 x 400&nbsp;mm. The three biggest newspapers are ''[[Dagbladet]]'', ''[[Verdens Gang|VG]]'', and ''[[Aftenposten]]''.

In [[Poland]], the newspaper ''[[Fakt]]'', sometimes ''[[Super Express (newspaper)|Super Express]]'' is considered as tabloid.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VpPPptHEDEYC&q=Gazeta+Wyborcza+tabloid&pg=PA156 |title=Cathie Burton, Alun Drake, Hitting the headlines in Europe: a country-by-country guide to effective media relations|isbn=9780749442262 |access-date=3 December 2011|last1=Burton |first1=Cathie |last2=Drake |first2=Alun |year=2004 |publisher=Kogan Page Publishers }}</ref>

In the United Kingdom, three previously broadsheet daily newspapers—''[[The Times]]'', ''[[The Scotsman]]'' and ''[[The Guardian]]''—have switched to tabloid size in recent years, and two—''[[Daily Express]]'' and ''[[Daily Mail]]''—in former years, although ''The Times'' and ''The Scotsman'' call the format "[[compact (newspaper)|compact]]" to avoid the down-market connotation of the word ''tabloid''. Similarly, when referring to the down-market tabloid newspapers the alternative term "[[Red Tops|red-top]]" (referring to their traditionally red-coloured mastheads) is increasingly used, to distinguish them from the up- and middle-market compact newspapers. [[Morning Star (British newspaper)|The Morning Star]] also comes in tabloid format; however, it avoids celebrity stories, and instead favours issues relating to [[labour unions]].

===North America===
[[File:Finest picture front page.jpg|thumb|"A photographer's photographer" quote by First Lady [[Florence Harding]], who stated the Edward Jackson's photograph of her was "the best photo ever taken." The photo ran on the entire front page of the February 5, 1921 edition of the ''[[New York Daily News]]''.]]

In [[Canada]] many newspapers of [[Postmedia]]'s ''Sun'' brand are in tabloid format including ''[[The Province]]'', a newspaper for the [[British Columbia]] market.  The Canadian publisher [[Black Press]] publishes newspapers in the provinces of British Columbia and Alberta in both tabloid ({{convert|10+1/4|in|mm|0|abbr=on}} wide by {{convert|14+1/2|in|mm|0|abbr=on}} deep) and what it calls "tall tab" format, where the latter is {{convert|10+1/4|in|mm|0|abbr=on}} wide by {{convert|16+1/4|in|mm|0|abbr=on}} deep, larger than tabloid but smaller than the broadsheets it also publishes.<ref>{{cite web |title=2007 Retail Advertising Rates |url=http://www.bcnewsgroup.com/BlackPress/advertising/ratecards/2007_Island_Retail.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090327201505/http://www.bcnewsgroup.com/BlackPress/advertising/ratecards/2007_Island_Retail.pdf |archive-date=27 March 2009 }}</ref>

In the [[History of American newspapers|United States]], daily tabloids date back to the founding of the ''[[New York Daily News]]'' in 1919, followed by the ''[[New York Daily Mirror]]'', and the ''[[New York Evening Graphic]]'' in the 1920s. Competition among those three for crime, sex and celebrity news was considered a scandal to the mainstream press of the day. The tabloid format is used by a number of respected and indeed prize-winning American papers. Prominent U.S. tabloids include the ''[[New York Post]]'', the ''[[Daily News (New York)|Daily News]]'' and  ''[[Newsday]]'' in New York, the ''[[San Francisco Examiner]]'', ''[[The Bakersfield Californian]]'' and ''[[La Opinión]]'' in [[California]], ''[[The Jersey Journal]]'' and ''[[The Trentonian]]'' in New Jersey, the ''[[Philadelphia Daily News]]'', the ''[[Delaware County Daily Times]]'' and ''[[The Citizens' Voice]]'', ''[[The Burlington Free Press]]'', ''[[The Oregonian]]'', the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'', and the ''[[Boston Herald]]''. US tabloids that ceased publication include Denver's ''[[Rocky Mountain News]]''.

===Oceania===
In [[Australia]], tabloids include ''[[The Advertiser (Adelaide)|The Advertiser]]'', the ''[[Herald Sun]]'', ''[[The Sun-Herald]]'', ''[[The Daily Telegraph (Sydney)|The Daily Telegraph]]'', ''[[The Courier Mail]]'', ''[[The West Australian]]'', ''[[The Mercury (Hobart)|The Mercury]]'', ''[[Hamilton Spectator (Australia)|the Hamilton Spectator]]'', ''The Portland Observer'', ''The Casterton News'' and ''The Melbourne Observer''.

===South America===
{{unreferenced section|date=September 2020}}
In [[Argentina]], one of the country's two main newspapers, ''[[Clarín (Argentine newspaper)|Clarín]]'', is a tabloid.

In [[Brazil]], many newspapers are tabloids, including sports daily ''[[Lance!]]'' (which circulates in cities such as [[Rio de Janeiro]] and [[São Paulo]]), most publications currently and formerly owned by [[Grupo RBS]] (especially the [[Porto Alegre]] daily ''[[Zero Hora]]''), and, in March 2009, Rio de Janeiro-based ''[[O Dia]]'' switched to tabloid from broadsheet, though, several years later, it reverted to being a broadsheet. Its sister publication, ''Meia Hora'' has always been a tabloid, but in slightly smaller format than ''O Dia'' and ''Lance!''.

==As a weekly alternative newspaper==

The more recent usage of the term 'tabloid' refers to weekly or semi-weekly newspapers in tabloid format. Many of these are essentially straightforward newspapers, publishing in tabloid format, because subway and bus commuters prefer to read smaller-size newspapers due to lack of space.
These newspapers are distinguished from the major daily newspapers, in that they purport to offer an "alternative" viewpoint, either in the sense that the paper's editors are more locally oriented, or that the paper is editorially independent from major media conglomerates.

Other factors that distinguish "alternative" weekly tabloids from the major daily newspapers are their less-frequent publication, and that they are usually free to the user, since they rely on ad revenue. Alternative weekly tabloids may concentrate on local and neighbourhood-level issues, and on entertainment in bars, theatres, or other such venues.

Alternative tabloids can be positioned as [[upmarket]] (quality) newspapers, to appeal to the better-educated, higher-income sector of the market; as [[Middle-market newspaper|middle-market]] (popular); or as [[downmarket]] (sensational) newspapers, which emphasize sensational crime stories and celebrity gossip. In each case, the newspapers will draw their advertising revenue from different types of businesses or services. An upmarket weekly's advertisers are often organic grocers, boutiques, and theatre companies while a downmarket's may have those of trade schools, supermarkets, and the sex industry. Both usually contain ads from local bars, auto dealers, movie theaters, and a classified ads section.
{{Clear}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Journalism}}
<!--do not include any terms that appear in the main text-->
* [[Paper size]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Bessie, Simon Michael. ''Jazz Journalism: The Story Of The Tabloid Newspapers'' (1938) [https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.88937  online]

==External links==
{{Commons category|Tabloid (newspaper format)}}
{{Wiktionary|tabloid}}

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[[Category:Tabloid journalism]]