I've always loved fantasy stories and things that are too good to be true. My life reads a lot like that, but it's totally true. So, it should come as no surprise that I love tabloids. Not the celeb news though—I’m not a Perez Hilton, National Enquirer, or Star fan. I couldn't care less if Britney’s snatch is blue, Lady Gaga fired her crew, or they found Michael Jackson’s nose in Bubble’s poo. I don’t know those people, and I’m not interested in their drama. I don’t read much in terms of newspapers or watch the news unless something important is going on in the world that I need to be informed about, and even then, I somehow know what’s going on. Tabloids are just so much more fun to read anyway.
Give me Bat Boy or stories of a 500-pound infant and his mom who’s a mere 97 pounds. I don’t mind GLOBE or National Examiner—they feature stories of real people along with a little bit of celeb fluff. My favorite was Weekly World News, but the only thing that remained in print similar to WWN is the SUN and it's no longer printed wither. WWN is online now, but it’s just not the same as when I was a kid. When I was younger, I’d secretly ride my bike down to the Jr. Food Store, where other kids spent their money on candy, sodas, Slush Puppies, and bags of potato chips, while I spent mine on the Weekly World News and a cheap Faygo Root Beer. It would take me a week to read the stories in the paper completely and then a day or so to reskim it and enjoy the advertisements.
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Did I care if the stories were made up? Nope. I loved that part of them. There was something magical about headlines like "Woman’s Breast Implants Explode Thanks to Low Flying 747." Did I believe it? At the time, yes. And even now, I’m sure there was some truth to some of the stories. The point of a tabloid is to go into them knowing there is a requirement to suspend your disbelief. You can’t deny the entertainment value in stories with headlines like "Grossed Out Surgeon Vomits in Patient" or "North Korean Sub Probing US Lake: Is Kim Jong Il Poised to Attack?"
Silly purchases? Definitely. Waste of money? ABSOLUTELY NOT!
During a period in my life, I even became a content provider for a tabloid paper. It was an incredible experience to let my imagination run wild and create the most random, outlandish stories. There was something so satisfying about concocting tales that were just on the edge of believability, playing with the fine line between reality and fantasy. I loved the process of making up these stories, knowing they would entertain and astonish readers, just as the Weekly World News had done for me as a kid. It was a dream come true to contribute to the world of tabloid journalism, even if it was just for a while.
What about you? Do you have any favorite tabloid stories or memories of reading them? Have you ever worked on something similarly creative and whimsical? I’d love to hear your thoughts and stories in the comments below!
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