In praise of the tabs (sort of)

Abstract

Time magazine's former Europe editor presents an American's eye-view of the British media and asks: "Reality tabloidism is bold, enterprising, lively and fun. But is it good journalism?" Tabloid sting operations have an air of spectacle and theatre, he writes, and continues: "The outlandishness of the stunts, and the rhetorical shouts with which the stories are delivered, doesn't necessarily have to mean there isn't real substance there. That is not to say, of course, that tabloid stories are invariably benign. Stings often go wrong and too far. Not everything about someone's personal life is fair game. And if the tabs are really interested in serving the public interest, many of them should change the irresponsible and ill-informed way they handle issues like immigration, asylum seekers and the European Union. But love them or loath them, the tabloids have got gumption - an impudence and impertinence toward power that is for me one of the defining characteristics of the British press. For good and for ill, nowhere else does this attitude exist with such vibrancy and virulence."

In Praise of the Popular Press: The Need for Tabloid Racism

“…Newspapers have been accused by Lionel Morrison (the first black president of the National Union of Journalists) of having a ‘shameful racist history’ ( RAM Bulletin , 2004, p. 1). James Geary agrees, maintaining that if the tabloids are really concerned with serving the public interest, they need to change ‘the irresponsible and ill‐informed way they handle issues such as immigration [and] asylum‐seekers’ (Geary, 2006, p. 44). A report commissioned by London Mayor Ken Livingstone argued that 91 per cent of British press articles on Muslims and Islam were negative, with stories ‘frequently emotive, immoderate, alarmist or abusive’.…”

“…The view persists of the British press as paranoid and jingoistic (Geary, 2006). Greenslade (2003) agrees, pointing out that their hatred, lies and exaggeration play upon the 'fears and prejudices' of the British people.…”