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The key characteristics of tabloid journalism
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| The key characteristics of tabloid journalism
First and foremost, it is worth noting that the ‘tabloidization’ of news plays a central role in the declining standards and quality of journalism. As noted by Turner (2004, p.76) “it is a description for what is regarded as the trivialization of media content in general” (cited in Rowe, 2011). Regardless of its merits, increasing tabloid journalism is a result of increasing competition among different media and of a hunt for profits (Barnet, 1998; McManus, 1994 cited in Skovsgaard, 2014). Arguably, this raises a question of economic viability as well as possibly forcing a media organisation to focus on tabloid strategies in order to enhance profitability. Scholarship on tabloid journalism primarily looks at the economic foundation and aspects of an issue. For example, Sparks (2000) stresses the importance of economic pressure in the media business, while Esser (1999) states that “a blind chase for profits being favoured over the three professional norms of journalists.” A second key aspect in tracking tabloid trends within the field of journalism is perhaps the integration of two words: information and entertainment. The term ‘infotainment’ has been employed by some to describe broadcast material that is intended to both entertain and inform. This development may seem to be a natural evolutionary process in the mainstream media. However, deliberate replacement of ‘hard’ news on television by ‘soft’infotainment is probably caused by the increasingly widespread media tabloidization. There arenumerous media scholars such as Winch (1997, p.21) and Franklin (1997, p.4) who argue that the contemporary news programs state that “they are often just giving audiences what they want rather than what they need” or “news media become part of the entertainment industry.” It appears that tabloid journalism, by giving priority to public interests, illustrates a change in news consumption patterns. In this regard, the role of popular culture in evolving tabloid news values is often considered crucial. One of the central focuses on tracking the developments of tabloid journalism is its outstanding quality of carrying light-hearted and entertaining elements, loosely blended with different news media. In this case, Bromley (1998, p.25) and McNair (1999, p.44) point out that the emergence of indistinguishable journalism, in many ways a confusion of broadsheet and tabloid subjects, or described as the ‘dumbing down’ effect (Franklin et al, 2005). As a consequence, “complex issues are simplified to excess, with it all boiling down to an issue or event being portrayed as either wrong or right and very little in the way of analysis being offered” (Donn, 2003). Considering the nature of all tendencies of the tabloid genre, Sparks and Tulloch, (2000, p.160) point out that:‘they exaggerated because the process is not restricted to the tabloid newspaper but is connected to a more complex set of changes, a ‘dynamic structural transformation’ within the whole media sector from new technology to general social changes’ Clearly, tabloid journalism is capable of providing the public with a wide range of information products. In the American press, a more common term is ‘supermarket tabloids’, whilst their British counterparts are traditionally seen as down-market and disparagingly referred to as ‘red tops’ although there are now more upmarket or more prestigious ‘compact tabloids’. It now seems that broadcast television, much like the print media, may present the identical news discourse. Thus, the term ‘tabloid’ appears to be used as a concept in reference to its physical size rather than its newspaper format. It could be argued that the changing nature of journalism is greatly responsible for the global prosperity of tabloid-style media. It has been suggested that the issues of tabloid journalism deserve particular attention, since they debate a wide range of aspects. Journalistic values, media culture, news consumption patterns and economic conditions of media organisationcan all be regarded as the subjects of tabloid journalism. In the same vein, Conboy (2006, p.207) emphasises that “the shift toward tabloid genres in the news is seen to affect tastes and preferences regarding form, content and presentation as well as journalistic priorities, boundaries, ethics and techniques.” жүктеу/скачать 4,38 Mb. Достарыңызбен бөлісу:
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