Euro C1 Reading Page 1

Task One: Paragraph Headings (10 minutes) Question 1-6

Read the following article about tabloid journalism.

Choose the paragraph heading that best matches each paragraph from the choices
A I and tick the appropriate letter on the separate answer sheet.
There are two paragraph headings that you do NOT need.
The first one has been done for you.

Paragraph headings
A A winning layout

B What makes it different?

C Thrilled by calamity - Example

D The power of subculture

E Why so cheap?

F Teaching lessons in ethics

G The camera cannot lie

H Compact and shocking

I Snapshots trigger new boom

Euro C1 Reading Page 2

Example C
Tabloid journalism has been in existence for several centuries now. "People have long been fascinated
by death, adversity and tragedy, and one could argue that turning these tragedies into entertainment is...
natural... Sensational appeals, by engaging the emotions of the audience, serve as a powerful rhetoric of
persuasion for moral and political arguments.
1
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. These papers were commonly identified with
boisterous, brief news content, some fiction, and often they blatantly appealed to the human interest in
crime, sex, and disaster.
2
But tabloid journalism found its roots prior to the 20th Century in sensationalism of the time, laying the
foundation for the tabloid market of today. One of the first mass circulation objects of sensationalism
was Foxe's Book of Martyrs, (1570) which shows, quite explicitly, the consequences of the moral codes of
the religious authorities. It tells the dramatic story of some of the most thrilling periods in Christian
history.
3
Tabloids, as we know them today, were known as "penny papers" in the 1830's and 1840's. The New
York Sun, founded in 1833 by Benjamin Day, was the first successful "penny paper" in America. The
Sun's sensational news formula first appeared in lap-sized tabloid format and gained a daily circulation
of 20,000 within two years of life, possibly larger than any other daily in the world up to that time. Over
the next two decades many metropolitan printers tried to launch penny papers but only a handful had
success.
4
It was with the establishment of New Yorks Illustrated Daily News on June 26, 1919 by Joseph Medill
Patterson, that tabloid journalism started growing again at an incredible pace. Americas first picture
tabloid brought photos on events such as explosions, hunger strikes and executions. During the years
between 1920 and 1945, at a time when history shaped sensationalistic newspapers, it contributed to
history through photographs and stances on political issues.
5
In fact, the use of pictures was one of the primary reasons Joseph Patterson gave for printing the
Illustrated Daily News in the morning, for in a letter he stated, all morning New York papers are alike
and none of them print pictures. Contrary to other papers, the Daily News could even be appealing to
the flood of immigrants in New York that had yet to perfect their English. It was written on a level that
was easy to understand and relate to.
6
Over the years, tabloid journalism has become an important facet of our everyday life. From
reporting on the events and news in a non-biased manner, to shaping significant events of time
through its sensationalistic flare, tabloid journalism can be argued to be as important to history as
the historical events on which it report. One can see how the use of sensationalism has affected
the depiction of history, and one should be aware of the power that media possesses to shape the
pages of history whether correct or not.