Tabloid Tradition

1. Tabloid Tradition

2. Tab--loid • TABlet+alkaLoid

3. Tabloid’s tradition • 1833 The Sun (sold one cent on the street) • “ While newspapers until then were very much establishment media, aligned with business and political interests, the Sun was the first American newspaper written less for merchants and politicians than for the general reader.”

4. Newspaper Circulation in England • 1828-1840 • 78,000 to 300,000 ( attributable to the growth of the penny press )

5. Penny Press • Reporting skills: • Observation and interviewing • Not rely on documents e.g. court records

6. Tabloid’s tradition • 1883 New York World (Joseph Pulitzer founded) pushed a movement of Yellow Journalism • “ what is original, distinctive, dramatic, romantic, thrilling, unique, curious, humorous, odd, apt to be talked about….”

7. Tabloid’s tradition • Slogan for tabloid • All the news in 60 seconds • -New York Daily

8. Tabloid tradition in China • Tabloid 小報 = unofficial press • Official press = ordinary message • Unofficial press = extraordinary message

9. Father of Tabloid, he lectures to his fellow journalists on how to please the masses: “the things people talk about are news-and what do they mostly talk about? Other people, their failures and successes, their joys and sorrows, their money and their food and their peccadilloes. Lord Northcliffe

10. “ Get more names in the paper-the more aristocratic the better, if there is a news story round them. You know the public is more interested in duchesses than servant-girls…. Ask the Amalgamated Press (Northcliffe’s periodicals concern) whether they do better in Lancashire with serial or periodical stories of factory life, or stories of high life. Lord Northcliffe

11. Lord Northcliffe “ Everyone likes reading about people in better circumstances than his or her own.” News as “anything out of the ordinary….the only thing that will sell a newspaper”

12. Lord Northcliffe He requested his editors of Daily Mail to “make the paper a happy one, fresh and free from dullness”. The main news page is the “surprise page”. -in T. Clarke, My Northcliffe Diary, pp200-201)

13. Tabloid in China • People in Sung Dynasty used to read Ti Pao as a routine/official newspaper and treated Tabloid as non-routine/unofficial newspaper

14. Tabloid tradition in China • 1898 Ciao Fung Po 采風報 • Owner of Ciao Fung Po explained reasons to operate a Tabloid-it aims to raise up moral standard • 「昨有岸然道貌, 規行矩步, 狀若八股儒者, 惠然肯來, 揖采風主人：『貴報采風也, 顧名思義, 所采何風？』主人曰：『人間風氣, 采取無窮, 吾之所采者, 世風、文風, 下之則雌風、淫風, 凡是風, 無所不采….』

15. Tabloid tradition in China • A satirical dialogue to belittle newspaperman-a reflection against Wen Ren’s tradition • ….其人曰：『否。 昨日某在美仁里斗牌, 斗了一只東風, 被庄家和得五百十二合, 何以貴報不曾采入？』 主人不能答, 乃大笑而去。 其殆佯狂風世者乎？….」。

16. Tabloid tradition in Hong Kong • 1940《中發白》Chung-Fat-Pai • Use names of cards of Mah-jong as the title of a newspaper, reasons- • Chung-neutral position • Fat-unveil the cover • Pai-easy to understand

17. Tabloid tradition in Hong Kong 「夫中發白也者, 並非教你打麻雀也, 孔老二曰, 不偏之謂中, 做報紙佬, 最緊要執「中」, 如不執中, 尿壺都要丟矣, 今之世界, 奸狡之世也, 騙術之世也, 夫如是, 則為之報紙佬者, 其可不盡量揭「發」之乎。本欄既以言論執中, 逢奸揭發為宗旨, 則甚想人人能洞燭社會之奸, 掌柜德叔固可閱, 大嬸姑娘不能不閱, 學生哥何妨一閱, 一切打工老豆點能唔閱, 既望人人能閱, 所以文字亦以淺「白」為主也。….」

18. Tabloid tradition in Hong Kong • Manifesto of 《探海燈週報》Search Lamp Weekly 1941 • ….Several HK reporters to operate a tabloid to serve the country, to fight against Japanese troops, to wake up nation not to be fooled by Communists, to express grievances for the grass root level and not to be compromised….

19. The Bone 骨子報 June 2 1948

20. Apple Daily • Founded 20.6.1995 • Jimmy Lai • Investment:700 ~1000 millions • Circulation:200,000 • A Hongkonger’s newspaper • Defend HK’s core values-freedom and democracy

21. Apple Daily’sManifesto • We belong to Hong Kong • Readers orientation • Readers Focus Groups • Daily criticism and self-criticism meeting • New personnel policy • Dictatorship

22. Apple Daily 24.10.1998“Human Scum” Incident

23. Apple Daily 24.10.1998“Human Scum” Incident • Apple Daily reporter paid $5,000 to Chan and encouraged him to call two prostitutes…..

24. Front PageApology

25. Apple-tization • Graphics dominated pages • Designer call the shoot • Design graphics/dialogue • Information decreased drastically

26. Apple-tization • Lines blurred • Tabloid and quality newspaper • News and supplementary • Gossip and important events

27. Apple-tization • High structure • Division of labor • Reporter=assembly line worker

28. Apple-tization • Interactive • Electronic media and printed media • Media and message receiver • Media and web

29. Side effects of “Human Scum” • Journalists Code of Ethics • Established HK Press Council • www.presscouncil.org.hk

30. What makes a tabloid tick? • Urban Population • Price • Simple word/sentence • Interesting topics • Large photos • Sensational headings

31. Tabloid’s Features in Hong Kong • 1. Low Price • 2. No taboos • 3. No Advertising • 4. Flat structure • 5. Short life span

32. Tabloid’s Position in Journalism Tradition • A revamp of reporting skills since 16 Century in the West • A rebellious newspaper against the conventional and pro-establishment newspaper • A betrayal of Wen Ren tradition in Chinese culture • A pioneer of market-driven media

33. The Future of Tabloid • Your statement…..