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2 - Supermarket Tabloids


Drama! Drama! Read All About It!

    One of my core memories from my childhood was being in the checkout like at the supermarket and watching my mom turn all of the magazines and newspapers at the front around. As a child I always thought she was being outrageous, but looking back at it, she had the purest of intentions trying to shield my young innocent eyes from the images and headlines that these supermarket tabloids depicted. Tabloids used be simple small newspapers "that contained condensed storied hat were easily read by everyday readers". This innocent definition became contaminated once stories of scandals, graphic crime, and celebrity news became the focus of these newspapers.

    People access news from their phones, and have almost no need for paper copies. This change in the way Americans access news has drastically affected the circulation of supermarket tabloids. Surprisingly, tabloids still occupy a place in American culture as well as in our supermarket checkout lines, despite the plummet of viewership. For decades, the National Enquirer led the market of supermarket tabloids, with circulation in the millions. As of 2018, this newspaper has a total circulation of around 265 thousand readers. Posting outrageous accusations over the years was no doubt going to cause trouble. The National Inquirer got its hands on juicy stories that it "caught and killed" and this was the downfall of the National Enquirer. The magazine found itself involved in countless scandals, but involvement with Donald Trump was its demise. The former National Enquirer was fined $187,500 for violating campaign law. He had paid a model $150,000 to keep quiet during the 2016 elections about her former affair with Trump. The shadiness behind supermarket tabloids is highlighted by this instance, and many others that the National Enquirer found.

    "Even though newspapers like The National Enquires, The Star and The Globe regularly leave famous people fuming about what those people consider to be lies, half-truths and innuendo, the tabloids face few lawsuits and almost never lose trials." In court cases in the past, the National Inquirer and other tabloid newspapers have avoided major law violations by claiming that everything they publish is legal under the First Amendment. These newspaper's lawyers know how to address these lawsuits, helping build up intimidating reputations for the newspapers. It is easier for these celebrities who are burned by these tabloids to settle out of court or  keep quiet and let the drama be free publicity. The issues with these newspapers have declined as they lose circulation. Unfortunately, celebrities face scrutiny and 'false accusations' regularly; those working for supermarket tabloids are not the only ones trying to dig up dirt. Personally, I am thankful to see the demise of supermarket tabloids as I have always found them outrageous and an eye sore in the checkout line. Goodbye and good riddance. 

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