Tabloid (newspaper Format) - Types - Red Top Tabloids

Red Top Tabloids

The red top tabloid is, for many, the prototypical example of the format; the ubiquity of this editorial style among newspapers of the tabloid format has made it persist in the minds of the public. Red top tabloids, named after their distinguishing red mastheads, employ a form of writing known as tabloid journalism; this style emphasises features such as sensational crime stories, astrology, gossip columns about the personal lives of celebrities and sports stars, and junk food news. Celebrity gossip columns which appear in red top tabloids and focus on their sexual practices, misuse of narcotics, and the private aspects of their lives often border on, and sometimes cross the line with, defamation.

Red tops tend to be written with a simplistic, straightforward vocabulary and grammar; their layout, more often than not, gives greater prominence to the picture than to the word. The writing style of red top tabloids is, ofttimes, accused of sensationalism; in other words, red tops have been accused of deliberately igniting controversy and selectively reporting on attention-grabbing stories, or those with shock value. In the extreme case, red top tabloids have been accused of lying or misrepresenting the truth to increase circulation. Irrespective of such criticism, it is undeniably true that red tops have more openly political leanings; stories can, and do, include calls for the resignation of a particular politician, or include political comment inside of an article. Poll results are oftentimes predicted by red top papers.

Examples of British red top newspapers include The Sun, the Daily Star, the Daily Mirror and the Daily Sport.