science

Tabloid television

Tabloid television is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Tabloid television rather than just read about it. In short: Tabloid television, also known as teletabloid, is a form of tabloid journalism. Tabloid television news broadcasting usually incorporate flashy graphics and sensationalized stories.

Key takeaways

Tabloid television belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Tabloid television to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Tabloid television from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Tabloid television, also known as teletabloid, is a form of tabloid journalism. Tabloid television news broadcasting usually incorporate flashy graphics and sensationalized stories. Often, there is a heavy emphasis on crime and celebrity news.

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.

See also Shock value Trial by Media – 2020 series about notable media-covered true crime stories Low culture

References

Further reading Potter, Deborah (October/November 2003). A Story for All Seasons - American Journalism Review. Found at NewsLab.org (July 16, 2005). John Langer (1998). Tabloid television: popular journalism and the "other news". Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-06636-5. Joshua Gamson (1999). Freaks Talk Back: Tabloid Talk Shows and Sexual Nonconformity. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-28065-3. Kearns, Burt (October 1999) Tabloid Baby

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Tabloid television

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Tabloid television claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Tabloid television before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Tabloid television ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Tabloid television

In research: Tabloid television appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Tabloid television in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Tabloid television is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Broadcast journalism, Criticism of journalism, Television genres, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Tabloid television outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Tabloid television in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Tabloid television means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Tabloid television out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Tabloid television in simple terms?

Tabloid television, also known as teletabloid, is a form of tabloid journalism. Tabloid television news broadcasting usually incorporate flashy graphics and sensationalized stories.

Why does Tabloid television matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Tabloid television?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Tabloid television.