Trial by Tabloid

If you go down to the newsagents today, you may be in for a surprise. Glaring at you from every angle are savage headlines, shrieking down at you in bold black print. Barbaric broadcasts designed to cause maximum damage; you can almost hear the crash as a previously well-respected reputation comes tumbling down into the gutter. In times gone by, justice was served in a courtroom by a judge and jury. Yet nowadays crime and punishment is handed to a new authority: Trial by tabloid.

A recent example of tabloid hysteria is the ‘Kate Moss Case’. “EXCLUSIVE: COCAINE KATE” ran the headlines as her drugs faux pas was revealed. The Croydon girl-come-Catwalk queen was the subject of a public crucifixion by the tabloid justice system. Over a year later, the tabloids were still determined to degrade her image further by running headlines such as “MOSS IS A MESS” and branding her a cocaine Queen. Such unashamed hounding and disparaging treatment is deemed acceptable by the Tabloids, ironically, ever the advocates of British justice. How can such harsh treatment ever be deemed just? True, the actions of many popular figures that front the pages of our tabloids are questionable, but surely such a witch hunt on the part of the press is equally dubious.

It is true of course, that tabloids have always been guilty of sensationalism. As long ago as 1897, reports of Mark Twain’s death appeared in the newspapers. The ‘deceased’, in his own defense, replied; “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.”

In the 21st century, if anything, our tabloids are much more medieval. Journalists and editors rule over a court of hypocrisy, where a celebrity can be crown prince or princess of the front page one day and by the next they find themselves tossed down into a dungeon of disgrace.

Perhaps the most notorious tabloid of all, The Sun, has been a stalwart ‘Red Top’ for many years. The routine hanging, drawing and quartering of any politician or public figure who dares to go against their values is almost a formality.

Of course, the dark art of a journalist is to cut, paste and twist. Distorting facts is commonplace for the average tabloid hack. Take the example of Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, who was exposed playing Croquet while acting as prime minister. Public outcry ensued, with demands for him to even resign as deputy prime minister. The truth? Prescott had been enjoying a rare break from duty. Who knows what wild exaggerations will emerge from a dark, cigar smoke filled boardroom in London in the future?

Another gross exaggeration on the part of the Red Tops was their documentation of the “Emo” subculture in mid August. The Daily mail accused young girls, such as myself, of celebrating self harm and this harmless teenage fad as ‘a cult of suicide’. Do I, ladies and gentlemen, look like the morbid creature the Red Tops would have you believe?

Furthermore, one of the biggest “crimes” our tabloids commit is their maxim of sensationalism before sensitivity. Take the example of Princess Diana, turned from fairytale princess to wicked witch at the will of the press. Before her death, she was hounded by the press. After her death, and even to the present day, she is still placed on a pedestal.

However, distorting facts could be the least of our worries. During the Falklands war, The Sun published perhaps their most infamous headline; “Gotcha”. This first edition was published before the news that the Belgrano had actually sunk. Has it ever been known for a tabloid to miss an opportunity for an exposé? Our tabloids could be accused of irresponsible reporting in favour of huge headlines.

Perhaps our Tabloid Justice system would care to take example from their European neighbours. Now, ladies and gentleman, I am not suggesting we adopt the Euro. The French refuse to plaster political scandal over their front pages and show none of the sensationalism British press thrives on. Compared to our tabloids, the French press may appear strict and prudish. But is that quite true?

With the pressures of fame ever more prevalent, and it becoming all the more easy for the Z list celebrity or latest Big Brother reject to occupy our front pages, are the standards of journalism truly declining? For, let us not forget, Tabloid newspapers are very much in demand. And with circulation figures for Red Tops such as The Sun far eclipsing those for the more benign broadsheets, the demand is undeniable. However, where does this leave the reader of the tabloids? Surely, if there was no demand for such journalism, then I would not need to be here today. Is this a sad reflection of how judgmental our society has become?

Are the tabloids truly the big bad wolf of this tale, or are we, the unsuspecting readers the truly bloodthirsty creatures?