Tabloid television

Global perspective

The United States is not the only media market with this genre of broadcasting. Among English-speaking countries, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom all have tabloid television shows that reflect this same down-market, sensationalist style of journalism and entertainment, as do other countries such as France and Spain. Media moguls such as Rupert Murdoch can be seen as having transferred subject matter previously seen in print journalism to this television genre.

In his book Tabloid Television, John Langer argues that this type of "other news" is as equally important as the "hard news".

Examples of tabloid television

Popular shows of this type include Hard Copy and A Current Affair.

A commonly cited example of tabloid television run amok is a series of reports in 2001 collectively dubbed the Summer of the Shark, focusing on a supposed epidemic of shark attacks after one highly publicized attack on an 8-year-old boy. In reality, there were fewer than average shark attacks that year.

Other examples include the coverage of 'missing white woman syndrome' stories like those of Chandra Levy, Elizabeth Smart, and Laci Peterson. Critics claim that news executives are boosting ratings with these stories, which only affect a select few people, instead of broadcasting national issues.

References

References

1. Giuseppe Novella. (6 February 2016). "L'opinione pubblica ai tempi del 2.0". Gilgamesh Edizioni.
2. [https://www.salon.com/1999/12/08/tabloid/ Tabloid nation. Salon.com]
3. (2011). "The very public life of Belén Esteban".
4. (1999). "The Tabloid Decade".
5. [https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9780203135211/tabloid-television-john-langer Tabloid Television. Taylor & Francis Group]
6. [https://books.google.com/books?id=pblPw6orC7AC Tabloid Television - Google Books]
7. [https://ew.com/article/1990/06/15/guide-tabloid-tv/ A guide to tabloid TV. EW.com]
8. [https://observer.com/1999/12/steve-dunleavy-and-the-rise-of-tabloid-tv/ Steve Dunleavy and the Rise of Tabloid TV. Observer]
9. Broad, William J.. (2001-09-05). "Scientists Say Frenzy Over Shark Attacks Is Unwarranted". The New York Times.
10. Deborah Potter. (October–November 2003). "A STORY FOR ALL SEASONS: Summertime crime stories are no longer confined to hot-weather months". News Lab Organization.