My new found conclusions on tabloid 'journalism' (08.08.2010)

Due to the fact that I have different needs at different times, I happen to operate daily between a number of different computers; the thing that all of these computers hold in common however, is their browser homepage: the ABC “Just In” News page. I guess that’d make me an avid fan of being up to date with news but more than anything, I wish to impress upon my reader (YOU!) that I do generally try to read what one would consider to be the most objective and factual source of news that is, the most objective and factual source of news sans-subscription (unlike Crikey).

Although I do try to keep my mind clean and pure through this, I can’t help but occasionally find myself straying to the ‘dark side’ of journalism - tabloid media - be this lack of faithfulness because I have followed a link from a social networking site, or even just from flicking through someone else’s newspaper, I do find myself returning to follow the ‘saga’ of the time, the latest of which is that of missing child Kiesha.

This late story is a great example of many things that make modern media what it is, and upon thinking about it for this blog, further revelations did dawn upon me – which one could safely assume is the intended purpose of the exercise.
One thing that does form a large part of what tabloid media stands for is its unrivalled ability to get people behind a cause, to convince them of something, to essentially, manipulate both the truth, and their thoughts in order to serve an ulterior motive: to make money (they are a business after all). Prior to online media, this goal was to sell papers however given the fact that newspaper sales continue to dive, they are attempting to secure more revenue through sponsorship of their website by selling advertising spots.

To convince advertisers to commit, they must first show that there is an audience and this is achieved through publishing emotion evoking content such as Tribute: Light a candle for Kiesha and Missing girl: Please bring Kiesha back with feedback sections where readers are encouraged to voice their thoughts. This is further fuelled by what could be seen as side-taking by the journalists as they emphasise certain facts to imply a conclusion such as “family and friends ... can't remember seeing Kiesha for about three weeks ...” resulting in readers implicating the step-father.
They then counter this with a follow-up article on the following day with an “exclusive interview” where they empathise with the accused step father saying there is no reason for the “tough” accusations that the police have made against him.

This style of melodramatic reporting leads me to a sole conclusion and that is that as the average adult’s day to day life gets busier, they find they have less leisure time to be able to watch a dramatic television show such as Home and Away, so they can instead compress their informative and entertainment period into one session: the reading of a newspaper.