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Tabloid Content
“The success of News Ltd is based on tabloid content”
1. Introduction
News has always been a matter of commerce, and it has always entertained as well as informed (Barkin 2003, p.64). News Ltd, undeniably, has focused on tabloid content in order to derive an enormous benefit from it. To rise fame, broadly speaking, News Ltd has exploited the interest of the target audiences, crucially by appealing to their human side. This is to say that the success of New Corporations is mainly contributed by tabloid contents.

2. What is tabloid?
Traditionally, as Barkin (2003, p.61) defined, tabloid referred to the size of a page in a newspaper, its papers had smaller pages and often contained sensational contents. However, there is another aspect that worth mentioning when we use this term. Tabloid primarily covers “soft news” which arouses the curiosity and appeal to human sides (Turner 2006, p.10). Frequently, they are amusing or enjoyable stories, like gossips or personal stories. There is no denying that news will be more appealing if it contains stories or events that concern hot issues or famous figures. According to Caldwell (1995, p.224), the term “tabloid” describes two tendencies. The first is about stories with vivid and impressive images attached to them. Secondly, sensational topics are the foci of attention.

3. Audiences’ tendencies
Bernstein (cited in Grabe et al 2003, p.387) stated that the media trend is towards the creation of a “sleazoid info-tainment culture”. There is no doubt about this remark. As a matter of fact, the audiences of the media require not only serious news; take politics, education, economics for examples, but also arousing contents. It has been observed by Bird (1997, p. 116) that everyone likes scandalous stories. They have the power of keeping people in front of the televisions and enabling the readers to buy newspaper. Tabloid content opens up discussions and exists in the public relatively long time because it gets readers involved



Bibliography: Archard, David 1998, “Privacy, the public interest and a prurient public”, in Kieran, Matthew (ed.), Media Ethics, J & L Composition Ltd, Great Britain, pp. 82 – 96. Barkin, M. Steve. 2003, “Seismic Shifts in Television News – Tabloid Television and a World of Talk”, American Television News – The Media and The Public Interest, M.E. Sharpe Inc., New York, pp. 61- 78. Bird, S. Elizabeth 1997, ‘What a story! Understanding the Audience for Scandal’, in Lull, James & Hinerman, Stephen (ed.), Media Scandal, Columbia University Press, Great Britain, pp. 99- 121. Caldwell, John Thornton 1995, ‘ The Aesthetic Economy of Televisuality: Tabloid TV”, Televisuality, Rutgers University Press, New Jersey, pp. 223 – 248. Chenoweth, Neil 2001, Virtual Murdoch, Random Houes, London. Grabe, Maria Elizabeth & Lang, Annie and Zao, Xiaoquan. 2003, “News content and form: Implications for memory and audience evaluations”, Communication Research, Beverly Hills, Vol. 30, No. 4, pp. 387-413, viewed 16 November 2006, <http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=373810321&sid=6&Fmt=2&clientId=20928&RQT=309&VName=PQD> Lyall, Sarah. 2004, “London pappers go tabloid, and circulation is going up”, The New York Times, March 2, pg. C.9, viewed 16 November 2006, <http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=592000101&sid=23&Fmt=3&clientId=20928&RQT=309&VName=PQD> Turner, Graeme 2003, ‘ Ethics, Entertainment and the Tabloid: The Case of Talkback Radio in Australia’, in Lumby, Catharine and Probyn, Elspeth (ed.), Remote Control – New Media, New Ethics, The Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge, Cambridge, pp. 87 – 100. Turner, Rosalind, 2006, Media Analysis 1, UTS: INSEARCH, Sydney, p. 10. “With Page 3 the Sun may rise again”, Sunday Business, 19. January 2003, p.1, viewed 17 November 2006 <http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=283714071&sid=4&Fmt=3&clientId=20928&RQT=309&VName=PQD>

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