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Brief 2: Supermarket Tabloids

The Power of Tabloids: The National Examiner.

Everyone has seen them while checking out at the store. "FBI Captures Bat Child," "Obama hid his Gay Lifestyle to be President," these are the headlines that line the check out counter next to the chewing gum and the Yu-Gi-Oh! cards. As a child, I would ask whoever I was at the store with about the headlines and if they were true. "Did they really find Tupac in Cuba with Elvis," is something I would've probably asked.

I'd like to think that this begs the question, "how much power do tabloids have?" I'm willing to bet the answer is, "a lot." Before taking a deep dive into the wondrous world of tabloid journalism, I can't help but to compare tabloid journalism to the 'Bias in Cable News' assignment, wherein the effort of outdoing competitors leads to a lack of credibility, but in a different sense as tabloid journalism is universally distrusted.

Whenever I think of a tabloid magazine, I think of The National Enquirer or The Sun, but I've decided to do my brief over a less popular tabloid, but one that everyone will recognize: The National Examiner.

The Examiner is the least expensive tabloid in America, containing the fewest pages in American Media's portfolio. The tabloid is targeted at older audiences, often featuring older or deceased celebrities in order to garner attention. Other than the catchy headlines, the magazine features articles often pertaining to daytime television reviews, as well as advertisements featuring products for the older generation.

Just like the younger generation, you could make an argument that the older generation is susceptible to being fooled by tabloids such as The Examiner. For those who may argue that age brings wisdom and no one in the right mind would believe tabloid headlines, I would draw the comparison of tabloid journalism to televangelists and their dubious money-making ways, stemming mostly from the older generation.

Something interesting I found about The National Examiner is that it has no website. Unlike it's sister magazine, The National Enquirer, The National Examiner is solely a paper-based publication.

I would be lying if I said I never looked at the magazines while checking out, then putting them back when it was my turn in line. I get a laugh from the dramatic and overly-saturated covers, but I've never really considered them to be true. On the other hand, there is always some truth behind the cover.

Maybe I'll take a closer look at the magazines next time I take a trip to the store.




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