The word "tabloid" itself has several definitions. In 1884 it was trademarked as a name for compressed drugs. Beginning in 1901, "tabloid" was used to identify a special type of newspaper--one that was condensed, usually half the size of a normal newspaper.¹ These papers were commonly identified with boisterous, brief news content, an abundance of pictures, some fiction, and often they blatantly appealed to the human interest in crime, sex, and disaster. One definition of tabloid from Webster's College Dictionary describes it as luridly or vulgarly sensational. This web page will deal specifically with journalism that employs sensationalism as a device to capture readers' attention. Sensationalism is the use of material intended to produce a startling or scandalous effect, especially one pertaining to the senses.

The tabloids attempt to captivate or persuade the masses with their colors and headlines about wonderful, amazing, and even shocking stories. Persuasion is a deliberate attempt by one individual or a group of individuals to modify the attitude, beliefs, or behaviors of another individual or group individuals through the transmission of some message. These stories are not confined to newsprint. Although many tabloids come in the form of a newspaper or a magazine, today we have tabloid television and even Internet tabloids.