Not Kidding: Politics in Online Tabloids (Studies in Critical Social Sciences, 283)

Often reduced to the role of sensationalist gossipmongers, online tabloids are a vital source of political news for the public. This book offers a deep dive into Pudelek, Mail Online, and Gawker coverage of 2015-2016 political campaigns in Poland, the United Kingdom, and the United States, where votes led to major populist shifts. Thanks to a close study of news stories, anonymous comments under articles, and interviews with online-tabloid journalists, Helena Chmielewska-Szlajfer exposes the emotional public sphere of comment sections, as well as the key tabloid "(not) kidding" frame: ambiguous, reactive to readers, and shielding online tabloids from accusations of deteriorating democracy. Front Cover Half Title Series Information Title Page Copyright Page Contents Acknowledgements Figures and Tables Chapter 1 How Did We Get Here?: Tabloidization of News and the 2015–16 Elections in Poland, UK, and the US 1 What Happened? The Unexpected Results of 2015 Elections in Poland, 2016 Brexit Referendum and 2016 Presidential Elections in the United States 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Explanations of Flawed Polls 1.3 Explanations of Flawed Media Coverage 1.4 Politics in Online Tabloids as a Lens for Underrepresented Voices 1.5 Tabloid Authority 1.6 Popular Passions 2 A Short History of the Tabloidization of News in Poland, the United Kingdom and the United States 2.1 Tabloid Influence on News in the UK, US and Poland: In Brief 2.2 United Kingdom 2.3 United States 2.4 Poland 3 How Did We Get Here? Tabloidization of News-Making Today 3.1 “Tabloidization,” or a Definition of Power 3.2 Default Online Tabloid Style: Backstory 3.3 Tabloid Influence: Political Scandal 3.4 The Cultural Frame for Politics in Online Tabloids 4 Short Note on Methods and the Following Chapters References Chapter 2 Politicians Are Crooks, Votes Are Rigged, and Other Visions of an (Un)just World 1 Background on Gawker, Mail Online, and Pudelek: The Rise of Online News, and News Media Struggles for Profit 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Emergence and Rise of the Three Online Tabloids 2 Politics of Online Tabloid Attention 2.1 Game Frame, Scandal Frame, “Elite” Insult 2.2 Entertaining Politicians 2.3 The Commenters 3 What’s Popular in Online Tabloid Political Coverage? A Close Look at Campaign News 3.1 Numbers and Themes 3.2 Poland 2015 Presidential Campaign 3.2.1 Pudelek 3.2.1.1 Criticism towards Celebrities and Journalists 3.2.1.2 Negative Attitudes towards Bronisław Komorowski 3.2.1.3 General Comments 3.2.1.4 Mentions of Paweł Kukiz 3.2.2 Gawker & Mail Online 3.2.2.1 PiS Victory in the Fall 2015 Parliamentary Election 3.3 United Kingdom 2016 EU Referendum Campaign 3.3.1 Mail Online 3.3.1.1 European Union 3.3.1.2 Immigration 3.3.1.3 Negative Attitudes towards Leavers/Brexit 3.3.2 Gawker 3.3.2.1 General Comments 3.3.2.2 Conversations between Commenters 3.3.2.3 Economy/Recession 3.3.3 Pudelek 3.3.3.1 General Comments 3.3.3.2 European Union 3.3.3.3 Poles in the United Kingdom 3.4 United States 2016 Presidential Campaign 3.4.1 Gawker 3.4.1.1 Negative Attitudes towards Donald Trump/Republicans 3.4.1.2 Conversations between Commenters 3.4.1.3 Sex and Sexism 3.4.2 Mail Online 3.4.2.1 Negative Attitudes towards Hillary Clinton/Democrats 3.4.2.2 Negative Attitudes towards Donald Trump/Republicans 3.4.2.3 Sex and sexism 3.4.3 Pudelek 3.4.3.1 General Comments 3.4.3.2 Photo Galleries 3.4.3.3 Negative Attitudes towards Hillary Clinton/Democrats 4 A Brief Summary, and Moving on to the Next Chapter References Chapter 3 Backoffice, or How Online Tabloid Journalists Write on Politics 1 Getting to Talk to Online Tabloid Writers. A Personal Methodological Note on Finding Sources in Different Journalistic Cultures 2 Content and Comments 2.1 Content 101: Newsworthy, Entertaining, Reactive 2.2 Comments, Commenters, Language 2.3 Journalists on Commenters 2.4 Commenters on Journalists 3 Newsroom Agendas 3.1 Newsworthiness and Traffic 3.2 Newsroom Routines 3.3 Newsroom Changes 3.4 Professionalism 3.5 Politics, Principles, and Secrets References Chapter 4 Conclusion: Online Tabloid Voices and Democracy 1 Producing Knowledge and Inclusion in Journalistic Authority 2 Voicing Popular Passions and Exposing (Im)morality 3 The L(e)ast Credible Source and Democracy References Index Back Cover