The application of tabloidization techniques as an element of editorial strategy in the regional press - the case of Szczecin

The paper examines the local version of the Głos Dziennik Pomorza newspaper, on the assumption that in order to maintain levels of readership, viewership and listenership even the quality media are beginning to resort to what has so far been the source of the popularity of tabloids. A total of 298 front pages of the Głos Dziennik Pomorza – Szczecin were examined, accounting for every issue published in 2010. The analysis covered the headlines and content of leading articles. Symptoms of tabloidization techniques were found in 169 of front page leading articles, which accounted for 56.71 percent of the material investigated. Therefore, it can be concluded that the editorial board of the Głos Dziennik Pomorza – Szczecin has adopted linguistic techniques typical of a tabloid-like style, applying them to the headlines of the leading articles published on the front page of the newspaper. Some results of the quantitative analysis appear to be quite low. Only a small percentage of the articles analyzed show some symptoms of tabloidization. This impression can be misleading, though. The analysis covered only the leading articles from the front pages of the newspaper, which are most influential for its image and most represen tative of the policy of the editorial board