Supermarket tabloid influence on mainstream daily newspaper editorial content

Daily newspapers\u27 content is influenced by the tabloid press in two ways. First, the dailies serve as a watchdog by criticizing tabloids\u27 sensational news, covering litigation against tabloids, and allowing the subjects of tabloid reports to rebut or criticize allegations tabloids make against them. Second, the dailies occasionally follow up on or repeat stories first reported by tabloids. This study compared the content of three weekly supermarket tabloids--the National Enquirer, Globe, and Star--against the content of six daily newspapers--the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Las Vegas Sun, Reno Gazette-Journal, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, and USA Today--over a 26-week period. The content of each daily newspaper was influenced by the tabloids to differing degrees, but the influence amounted to a few paragraphs per week, and the majority of tabloid-influenced reports were published in sections dedicated to news of entertainment, celebrities, and recognizable figures