For over 300 years since its appearance in Britain in 1621, newspapers were written and read by only a tiny minority. In 1896, a new newspaper was produced in large number and at such low prices that ordinary people could by it on every street corner, and it was an instant success. The Daily Mail, which is still running today, was the mother of the modern tabloid, and the beginning of a whole new subculture in the British press. Today, more than twice as many tabloids are sold than the so-called ‘quality press’ tiles such as The Times or The Guardian.

Originally, the world tabloid referred to the size and format. But today, for most people, the word tabloid has nothing to do with shape and size. What makes a tabloid a tabloid is content, and above all, style. Tabloids follow a special formula

they report the news, but only certain kinds. Tabloids dedicate most of their pages to stories about celebrities. This involves photographing them in embarrassing situations, gossiping about their private lives and generally making them look a bit silly. However, the tabloids are not simply an irritation for celebrities; they are also a vehicle for self-promotion.

Though they have millions of devoted readers, tabloids are also widely criticized in Britain. They are accused of being sensationalist, in bad taste, and of having no ethical standards in their reporting and ‘researching’ methods. They may tap celebrities’ phones or even break into their house to know about everything, but celebrities have no rights to privacy at all.

So why does Britain, which has access to the best press agencies and the highest journalistic standards, consume tabloids like chocolate? Maybe the reason is that we have enough news on the television, the radio and in the quality newspapers. Tabloids are not actually about news at all; tabloids are just about gossip. And when it comes to gossip, what matters is not what is true or what is kind, but what is entertaining and what is funny. The more in bad taste a story is, the funnier it seems. And bad taste is what the British tabloids have made into an art. (Adapted from “Oxford Exam Excellence” by Danuta Gryca et al.)