Broadsheet good, Tabloid bad. That's one way of characterising the distinction between so-called 'quality' media and the tabloids. Another view has it that broadsheets and so-called quality news outlets are elitist and out of touch with people's everyday concerns.

Copyright 2012 Christopher Scanlon / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

The Back Pages and Supplements (audio only)

Newspapers and magazines play an important role in economic, political, social and personal life. Focusing primarily on the press in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, this subject examines the history of the press, the principles that underlie and inform the press, ongoing debates about quality and 'tabloidisation' and the opportunities and challenges posed by new technologies. A core theme running throughout the subject is the changing business model that underlies the press and effects these changes are having on the traditional role of the press in liberal democratic societies.