To analyse the main differences between Broadsheet newspapers and Tabloid newspapers I chose four newspapers on the same day, two Broadsheet newspapers and two Tabloids.
A Comparison Between 'Quality' and 'Popular' Newspapers in the UK
. Introduction
.1 Newspapers in the United Kingdom are generally divided into two main styles. There are quality newspapers, often called 'Broadsheets', and popular newspapers, often called 'Tabloids', according to their page size. Tabloid newspapers are smaller and easier to hold than broadsheets. Broadsheet newspapers are larger, more serious papers that you have to fold to read. I will explain the main differences between these two kinds of newspaper in this report.
.2 Methodology
* To analyse the main differences between Broadsheet newspapers and Tabloid newspapers I chose four newspapers on the same day, two Broadsheet newspapers and two Tabloids. These were 'The Times' and 'The Guardian' to represent the Broadsheet market and 'The Sun' and 'The Mirror' to represent the Tabloid market.
* There newspapers have been analysed in terms of:
a) Front page and Article
b) Picture
c) Headline
d) Structure
e) News Stories
f) Layout
g) Target audience
.3 Background
* These four newspapers were chosen because they represent a spread of political persuasion. Politically, of the tabloids, only the Mirror is left wing, and of the broadsheets. The Guardian is left wing, while The Times is left wing socially but right wing economically.
* 'The Sun 'is the most popular of these four newspapers with an average daily circulation of approximately 3.5 million. 'The Mirror' closely follows it with a readership of just over 3 million. In contrast the broadsheets have a much lower circulation. 'The Guardian' reaches approximately three quarters of a million readers. Despite being one of the oldest and most famous newspapers in the world 'The Times' achieves a circulation of less than half a million.
. Findings
2.1 Front Page and Article
* Newspaper front pages fulfil several different functions. These are to 'Attract ...
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* 'The Sun 'is the most popular of these four newspapers with an average daily circulation of approximately 3.5 million. 'The Mirror' closely follows it with a readership of just over 3 million. In contrast the broadsheets have a much lower circulation. 'The Guardian' reaches approximately three quarters of a million readers. Despite being one of the oldest and most famous newspapers in the world 'The Times' achieves a circulation of less than half a million.
. Findings
2.1 Front Page and Article
* Newspaper front pages fulfil several different functions. These are to 'Attract readers', 'Strengthen the newspaper's identity through an easily recognizable style', and 'To display the news items clearly and the newspaper's attitude towards the news that day.
* In the tabloid newspapers, there is always shorter articles with more pictures and less 'in-depth' reporting
2.2 Picture
* Tabloids will usually have a large picture on the front page. If there is another picture, it will often be very small, so that the main picture looks larger by comparison.
* Pictures in broadsheets will be rather briefer to take out unfitting information, and headlines will be used to ensure that reader get the main meaning.
2.3 Headlines
* Type size will be used to differentiate between the main headline, and the main text of the article. Readers will be led easily into the story.
* The front page is given over to a banner headline referring to the story and urging readers to turn to the relevant pages inside
* In tabloids, puns and jokes can be made in headlines.
* In broadsheets, all the headlines must be serious ones.
2.4 Structure
* In both tabloid and broadsheet newspapers, stories will usually fit into a square or rectangle, and continued if necessary on another page.
* A tabloid front page uses all these methods to make life easy for the reader. It is obvious which are the news stories; which is the main news story, and in which order we should read the story.
* In comparison, a broadsheet will use many of the same methods but in a less pronounced way, offering readers a choice rather than directing the reader into one story.
* The gap between tabloids and broadsheets is wide. They look different, they contain different news, they have a different style of writing and they aim to attract different readers. However, the competition for readers is intense, and tabloids and broadsheets may steal tricks off each other in order to win the circulation war such as many broadsheet newspapers in Britain run 'Fantasy Football Leagues' which originated as a tabloid tactic.
2.5 News stories
* Stories are organised methodically
* In a tabloid, the main news story may occupy several times the space of the second story. Type size will be used to differentiate between the main headline, and the main text of the article. Readers will be led easily into the story.
* Tabloid newspapers present news items clearly by using big headlines and large pictures, scandalous and gossipy stories, simple and colloquial language.
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2.6 Layout
* Tabloids use bold layout: colour on the masthead, very bold typeface, easy to read, with large, dramatic pictures.
* Broadsheets use plainer layout: smaller typeface suggests readers will make more effort to read it, and accurate, possibly smaller, pictures.
2.7 Target audience
* Broadsheets: Aimed at higher social groupings. For serious news such as political and economic news, international news, discussion of important social issues, and information about the arts read a broadsheet.
* Tabloids: Aimed at lower social groupings. For gossip and scandal about celebrities (extraordinary people involved in ordinary things like getting married/divorced) and for human interest stories (ordinary people involved in extraordinary things like crimes, adventures, accidents and winning lots of money), read a tabloid.
3 Conclusions
In this report the differences between broadsheet newspapers and tabloid newspapers have been analysed. These two kinds of newspapers have lots differences such as front page, article, picture display, headline, structure, news stories, layout, target audience and so on. Broadsheets is a quality newspaper, it is more formal ones. Tabloid is a popular newspaper, it is more entertaining ones.
