In UK terms, tabloid is nowadays just a newspaper format, however it is a useful label.
You will be aware that our papers are regaraded as being divided into two formats, the broadsheet and the tabloid.
During the 1970’s as new presses were installed, the large circulation newspapers took advantage of the newer technology to produce the tabloid sized publication.
The mere fact of their large circulation allowed them the finances to do so.
It was no coincidence that the high circulation newspapers had those numbers, as they appeal to the lowest common denominator, with stories of sex, vicars, schoolgirls, naughty nuns etc.
These papers printed anything they could to boost their circualtion, includung bare-breasetd females, sometimes in artificial “romantic” poses with bare breasted men, along with the celebrity gossip “Love rat had me and left me” kiss and tell stories.
These publications being The Sun, The Mirror, Daily Sketch(which folded).These have been joined in their salaciousness and somewhat overtaken in this matter by ,The Star, and The Sport - the latter is not really a newspaper at all and makes a tissue thin pretence.
Those newpapers already had something of a poor journalistic reputation(and indeed their editors call them “enetrtainments” rather than news) and when they went to the tabloid format it gave rise to the prejorative term.
Strictly speaking though, other newpapers did go to the tabloid format and these would not be considered ‘tabloidy’, though they are not above paying to prompt or instigate a story, The Daily Express,The Daily Mail.
The broadsheets simply had too low a ciruclation to justify the large capital outlay and stuck to quality analytical reporting, these were, The Observer,The Guardian(origianlly The Poor Man’s Guardian and Britains oldest national newspaper), The Times, The Daily Telegraph.
Those broadsheets were later joined by The Independant.
All those broadsheets are noted for good journalism, but with long ariticles, wordy issues, and relativley few pictures, they don’t appeal to the lazy reader, or the ignorant and stupid.
The Independant has recently strated printing in the tabloid format but is still regarded as a broadsheet.
Very many local newspapers are still printed in broadsheet but very few have any real national significance or real importance.
The exception to this is the London Evening Standard, although it is a local newspaper, it’s stamping ground ensures that it will tend to pick up on important issues which will then get re-reported or syndicated.
Tabloidy type papers, especially the Sunday Filthies, do have a habit of picking up very serious issues, things such as security lapses, fincancial wrongdoings by the respectable, or anything scandalous and as such do carry out a public service
