Just how tabloidized is tabloid press? Personalization, sensationalism and negativism in the coverage of the Romanian presidential elections, 2009

The problematics of the public sphere, as firstly outlined by Habermas, has triggered many reflections concerning the metamorphoses in political communication. In this regard, one of the most prominent phenomenona approached in the established literature of media transformations refers to that of tabloidization. According to different scholars, not only are journalistic discourses heading towards a tabloidized style of reporting, but also these practices tend to hinder the creation of public spheres. The present study wishes to understand the relation between these two assertions and empirically, to test their validity on the Romanian tabloid media. Particularly, it aims at exploring whether the tabloids news coverage of the last presidential elections meets the general standards of what is called tabloidization; and if so, how this may affect our definitions of the public sphere.