Treat Less Serious Tabloid Content

TABLOIDS IN THE MODERN SOCIETY
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I. Introduction
Tabloids are largely rejected by mainstream professional journalists due to their tendency to prioritize sensational and entertaining content without regard for the established boundaries of the media profession. Some of the common types of tabloid content include scandalous headlines, celebrity gossip, and provocative image. Most of the criticism levied on tabloid content can either be in terms of the perceived low quality of the information in such publications or the concern about the absence of a moral or ethical framework that guides the actions of tabloid journalists (Sparks 2000). There is a need to take less serious tabloid content seriously and engage in critical debate about its function, content, and place in readers' lives. While tabloids may be dismissed as frivolous elements of popular culture, the impact of the genre in shaping public opinion and societal norms should be acknowledged. An examination of the function, content, and role of the tabloid in readers’ lives can inform an understanding of tabloids’ role in shaping cultural values and the role of journalists in the process.
II. Debates on Tabloid Content
While tabloids have always stirred emotions, their widespread usage has raised concerns about their potential influence on society. One of the main frameworks in the debate has been the view that tabloids have contributed to a shift in media priorities in terms of content. As opposed to a focus on informative and insightful reporting, the rise of tabloids has seen a shift toward sensationalism, entertainment, and celebrity culture (Sparks 2000). The success of tabloids in contemporary society has influenced traditional news outlets to “dumb down” their content through the prioritization of provocative content, with extreme cases characterized by misrepresentation of news. Consequently, questions have been raised about the quality of journalism given that media outlets compete in terms of the number of views and clicks as opposed to traditionally espoused journalistic virtues such as accuracy and journalistic integrity (Cross 2014). The increased tabloidization has also been observed to encourage the popularization of celebrity culture that focuses on the private lives of an individual as opposed to their impact on society.
Notably, the shifts towards tabloidization of content can be attributed mainly to technological and economic forces. Technological forces have afforded the audience instant access to news, which leads to increased pressure on journalists to deliver instantaneous content. In terms of economic forces, the deregulation of media ownership and internalization has led to increased consideration of the financial bottom line when deciding on the news to be delivered to the public (Sparks 2000). Given that high-quality journalism requires significant investment in time and resources, most news outlets and journalists are driven towards the production and dissemination of tabloid stories to maintain their relevance in public. Tabloid stories
Consequently, the shift in media priorities has led to the view that tabloids is increasingly debasing the political process. As opposed to substantive policy discussion, the proliferation of tabloid is considered to encourage a focus on superficial issues such as scandals and personality. The ordinary citizens, who are the large audience for tabloid content are bombarded with an unending stream of sensationalized stories that disengages them from serious political issues. With time, tabloidization debases the political process as most readers will stop viewing politics as an essential aspect of their lives. Further, the rise of tabloids is considered to dilute the role of media as government watchdogs. Instead of holding politicians accountable and providing insightful analysis of political events, tabloidization shifts newspapers’ focus on entertainment and sensationalism leading to absence of scrutiny on politicians and a failure to report on important political issues. Thus, tabloidization is viewed to be problematic owing to its negative influence on the political process.
III. Debates on Tabloid Functions
Critics are divided with regards to their view of the function of tabloids in the society. Some of academics and scholars argue that tabloids serve an ideological function in the society. Curran and Seaton (2003) view tabloids as instruments of pushing the conservative ideology to the public using radical rhetoric. For example, an analysis of most of the stories that are covered in The Sun and Daily Mail in the United Kingdom reveal that the two tabloids serve to push conservative political views and take an anti-immigration stance given that the stories covered in the two paper mainly examine issues such as immigration, national identity, and crime (Pursehouse, 2008). The tabloids have also been observed to features stories that advance racism, militarism, and racism (Holland 1998). Notably, Holland (1993) posits that tabloid do not serve an ideological function and largely tends to speak for the people. The view is also supported by Currans and Seaton (2003) who describes the various stories that are covered in the tabloids to mainly affirm the commonality among the readers and offer a palatable explanation and moral solution to the political events within a society. Thus, even though tabloids are considered to spread the conversative agenda in most cases, there are some scholars who view the ideological function of tabloid as establishing a common ground in a society.
Equally, th...