For almost a decade straight, Kerry Burke has been reporting on crime for the New York Daily News, primarily homicides—or "murder and mayhem," as he tends to call it. Burke was one of the reporters featured in Bravo's short-lived 2006 reality series "Tabloid Wars," which documented how writers and editors at the Daily News manage to put a great deal of the day's activities into a newspaper that's ready for sale the next morning. It got him a good bit of attention back then; now it's 2012, and he's still at it, contributing stories from all over the city, from waiting for Beyoncé to Occupy Wall Street [...]

This is way harsh back-cover treatment in light of, you know, his alleged naked pics. (via)

As a sort of appendix to thoughts about the New York Times and Carlos Slim, there are also these excellent thoughts about what makes a tabloid newspaper a news operation. A news product is, in many ways, made of its own delivery vehicle-and this is a point that's obvious to a man who, for example, essentially gave away cellphones to millions of people to then charge them for cell phone service. Hello! The basic circumstances that may make a story impossible to put on the cover of your newspaper on a given morning are not in the control of the editors: How is the paper distributed? When does [...]

A column dedicated to explaining Britain's manufactured celebrities to an American audience.

Friends of civilization, believers in freedom, supporters of self-serving celebrity visits to war zones, please brace yourselves for some disturbing news: al-Qaeda has a new enemy. She’s younger and perkier than The West, she’s a better dancer than The Jews, and she owns more jewelry than the Queen of England and Rudy Giuliani put together.

Wait, I sense your skepticism, but allow me to elaborate. The inflamer of whom I speak is a 28-year-old from the North-East of England by the name of Cheryl Cole. Ms. Cole, née Cheryl Ann Tweedy, is currently known to the American [...]

Yesterday Martin Dunn ended his seven-year tenure as Editor-in-Chief of the New York Daily News. Surprised? You wouldn't be if you'd been reading New York Post media columnist Keith Kelly, who was the first to report word of Dunn's exit. Repeatedly. Over the course of many years. Let's look back!

May 26, 2004 – NEW SNOOZE LOOKS LIKE OLD ; MASTHEAD SHIFT SHUFFLES DECK, BUT DOESN'T DEAL NEW BOSS "The deck has been shuffled at Mort Zuckerman's embattled Daily News, but there are few signs of new life at the paper. Editorial director Martin Dunn, who returned to the paper in October after several years in his native London, [...]

Awl friend (and contributor) suggests that you consider the National Enquirer and its methodologies, in light of, oh, John Edwards, George Steinbrenner, O.J. Simpson, A-Rod, Joe Biden and Vicki Iseman. (Remember that name? If you do, it's only because of the tabloid Times!)

Oh no. This is not actually how the "tabloid pun headline" is done. I will come over and explain it to your staff for $350 an hour though if you want. (THE STAFF! GET IT?) (via)

I don't really follow the whole celebrity stardom of Susan Boyle, of "Britain's Got Talent" fame, but still I find it intensely amusing that now the English tabloids are turning on her because she likes to tell people to fuck off. (Who doesn't like that? Particularly: Who doesn't like that in England???) On that subject, our favorite deranged homosexual writes: "If Susan doesn't win BGT, she's going to go nuts! HOOD RAT STUFF! Susan is going to shave her head, flash her apple fritter, run over the paparazzi, elope in Vegas, dangle Shaheen over a balcony, get three DUIs, go to rehab and get knocked up by KFed. Susan [...]

Today's tabloid covers: "Which is worse: devoting so little space to the season opener on page one that it does you no good, or choosing the wrong story to play big?"