How Tabloids Work

Everyone knows that the information in a Tabloid magazine is not nearly as credible as newspapers such as the Washington Post or the Wall Street Journal. One significant difference is that tabloids incorporate every piece of news they receive into their magazines where as more credible newspapers include only the information that will impact everyone's lives. Often times, the information in tabloid magazines seems like it is not true at all, but how do these magazines come up with their stories, and more importantly, how do they get away with it?

Most stories in tabloid magazines start with a kernel of the truth and then get blown up into a story that is not fully true containing a lot of "fluff". The fluff, or made up details, often include sentences from people that are not quoted directly. For example, if a reporter were to ask, "How did the celebrity look when you saw her?" and the person being interviewed answered "bad" the reporter may quote the person as saying "the celebrity looked as if she was on drugs". This is the beginning of how stories become untrue. Also, the sources used in magazines with names that are uncommon and not specific, to the point where the reader becomes suspicious, may be made up completely.

In order to find stories, tabloid magazines have many people on call. Thousands of hairstylists, personal drivers, security guards, and even police officers are linked to magazines and have their number on speed dial. These people simply call up tabloids as soon as they have news to report about the celebrity they are with daily. The incentive is definitely worth it for the sources. If a person provides news about a minor celebrity they may get payed a hundred dollars for one phone call and if it is a story about Britney Spears or another big name, for example, the reward could be thousands of dollars. Some celebrities themselves even contribute news to tabloid magazines because they want to get the publicity. Especially when they are first starting off, celebrities want their names to be known and gain a fan base.

Although the information is untrue, tabloids get away with their business because most celebrities fear that the amount of bad publicity that would come with a lawsuit is much worse than the original false statement written about them in a tabloid magazine. Also, to have a lawsuit against a tabloid magazine would cost a lot of money on both sides and many tabloid magazines would not have enough money to pay for the damages even if the celebrity won in court.