Less than a decade after the advent of democracy in South Africa, tabloid newspapers have taken the country by storm. One of these papers -- the Daily Sun -- is now the largest in the country, but it has generated controversy for its perceived lack of respect for privacy, brazen sexual content, and unrestrained truth-stretching. Herman Wasserman examines the success of tabloid journalism in South Africa at a time when global print media are in decline. He considers the social significance of the tabloids
Includes bibliographical references (pages 197-208) and index
Shock! Horror! Scandal! The tabloid controversy and journalism studies in post-apartheid South Africa -- Attack of the killer newspapers! Tabloids arrive in South Africa -- Black and white and read all over : tabloids and the glocalization of popular media -- Not really newspapers : tabloids and the South African journalistic paradigm -- The revolution will be printed : tabloids, citizenship, and democratic politics in post-apartheid South Africa -- Truth or trash? Understanding tabloid journalism and lived experience -- Often they cry with the people : the professional identities of tabloid journalists