Read the text about the types of press publications, their challenges and the possible future of the press market, then do the exercises below.

Marcin Legeżyński The Endangered Species of Newspapers

Media experts have now been foreshadowingforeshadowing [foreshadow]foreshadowing the decline of classic newspapers for decades. The onset of internet‑based social media platforms and other alternatives to paper publications seems to be a serious threat to the traditional papers. However, print journalismprint journalismprint journalism has continued to be popular among many readers despite other, readily available options. It appears that newspapers are still not a thing of the past after all. What types of newspapers are available on the market and how are they different from one another?

A type of newspaper that is very popular is a tabloidtabloidtabloid. The term usually refers to a small format publication, measuring around 30 by 40 centimetres, featuring no more than five columnscolumns [column]columns of text across. The size is quite practical, allowing city dwellers to take the paper with them and read it on a bus or underground. One of the very first tabloids in the world, The New York Sun, started in 1833 costing only one penny. Since that time, tabloids have, of course, become more expensive, but they are still affordableaffordableaffordable to nearly anyone. Their front page newsfront page newsfront page news often include argumentative statementsargumentative statements [argumentative statement]argumentative statements and they usually focus on sensational crime reportssensational crime reports [sensational crime report]sensational crime reports, gossip from the world of celebritiesgossip from the world of celebritiesgossip from the world of celebrities, film reviewsfilm reviews [film review]film reviews, and articles on catchy social issuesarticles on catchy social issues [article on catchy social issues]articles on catchy social issues presented in a simplified way. Many celebrities compete to be on the coverbe on the coverbe on the cover of well‑known tabloids and magazines. In Britain, tabloid papers are also known as  „red topsred tops [red top]red tops” for their front‑page headlinesfront‑page headlines [front‑page headline]front‑page headlines printed in red.

Broadsheetsbroadsheets [broadsheet] Broadsheets, in turn, are usually aimed at fairly affluentaffluentaffluent, educated readers. They used to be very large in size, measuring around 40 by 50 centimetres. This featurefeaturefeature, however, has been gradually reduced due to the rising printing costsprinting costs [printing cost]printing costs and most of them preserved their broad sheets only in their name. Apart from the cover, broadsheet tend to feature six columns and are editededited [edit]edited to take a traditional approach to news gatheringnews gatheringnews gathering that emphasises in‑depth coveragein‑depth coveragein‑depth coverage and an objective writing toneobjective writing toneobjective writing tone in articles and editorialseditorials [editorial]editorials. Subjects such as political issues, global economy, and cultural news are often discussed on the front pagesfront pages [front page]front pages of well‑known titleswell‑known titles [well‑known title]well‑known titles, such as The Washington Post or The Daily Telegraph.

Due to the changes in the readers’ demand and preferencesreaders’ demand and preferencesreaders’ demand and preferences, many of the traditional newspaperstraditional newspapers [traditional newspaper]traditional newspapers, both tabloids and broadsheet titles, have been forced to make a move to the world of the internet. Numerous reputable publicationsreputable publications [reputable publication]reputable publications operate now electronically as subscription‑basedsubscription‑basedsubscription‑based variants of their paper counterpartspaper counterparts [paper counterpart]paper counterparts. The size and form of the text becomes less significant and quite similar in all types of electronic newspaperselectronic newspapers [electronic newspaper]electronic newspapers. However, they tend to preserve their established character and tone as they are still addressed to different groups of readers. Still, many internet users prefer independent, free‑to‑use options, such as social media or RSS news readers as having to pay for reading the news does not seem appealing. Will professional journalismprofessional journalismprofessional journalism survive the times when any smartphone owner with access to the internet can become a publisher? Time will tell.

1 Źródło: Marcin Legeżyński, licencja: CC BY-SA 3.0.