Sobhanund Seeparsad
Editor of News On Sunday. Did university studies in the UK and India. Holds an MA , BA (Hons), BCom, PGCE, PCCGE, Diploma in Journalism (IPI-Zurich). Worked in Nairobi and Mumbai. Was chief Sub Editor Indian Express Group of Papers in 70s. Author: Effective Notes on Milton Paradise Lost BK IX (1963); Granper Rakont Nu Enn Zistwar (1998). Also acted in many short and feature films, including popular TV serial C'est La Vie. Tells a folk story in Bhojpuri on MBC radio daily.
GEMSA tabloids
- By Sobhanund Seeparsad
- Published 16th May, 2008
Gender and Media Southern Africa (GEMSA) has published a research on “Gender and tabloids in Southern Africa” that focuses on gender representation and portrayal in tabloids and audience response to them in three countries: Mauritius, South Africa and Tanzania.
I wish to make one point clear. There are no tabloids in Mauritius if we go by GEMSA's definition of a tabloid for its research purposes. The three French weekly papers it chose for its survey look like tabloids in size but they are definitely not, either in content or layout. They give the same treatment to their news and features like any other broadsheet paper, albeit in a condensed form. There's hardly any sensationalism,
over-dramatisation or focus on violence, sex and scandal as the research wants people to believe. These items find their way to the main pages only for their news value - nothing more, nothing less.
In the case of Mauritius, the researchers conclude tabloids do not necessarily respond to community concerns or the wishes and sensitivities of their readers. This is highly debatable. It raises a number of questions on the number, kind, sex, academic background, income bracket, reading habit, etc of the people that were part of the research sample. A comment by women that purports tabloids in Mauritius are of poor standard remains a figment of one's imagination. I am sure those who made the remark never even buy any of the three newspapers.
I wish to make one point clear. There are no tabloids in Mauritius if we go by GEMSA's definition of a tabloid for its research purposes. The three French weekly papers it chose for its survey look like tabloids in size but they are definitely not, either in content or layout. They give the same treatment to their news and features like any other broadsheet paper, albeit in a condensed form. There's hardly any sensationalism,
In the case of Mauritius, the researchers conclude tabloids do not necessarily respond to community concerns or the wishes and sensitivities of their readers. This is highly debatable. It raises a number of questions on the number, kind, sex, academic background, income bracket, reading habit, etc of the people that were part of the research sample. A comment by women that purports tabloids in Mauritius are of poor standard remains a figment of one's imagination. I am sure those who made the remark never even buy any of the three newspapers.
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