Tabloids are a type of newspaper that features sensationalized media like criminal activity and scandal. They are named after the tabloid newspaper format, which is a small-sized newspaper also known as half broadsheet. Tabloids are a smaller form of newspaper than a broadsheet and present the news in a way that sensationalizes crime stories and celebrity gossip. There is no standard size for this newspaper format).

Tabloid newspapers, especially in the United Kingdom, vary widely in their target market, political alignment, editorial style, and circulation). Various terms have been coined to describe the subtypes of this versatile paper format. There are, broadly, two main types of tabloid newspaper: red top and compact). The distinction is largely of editorial style. Red top tabloids, named after their distinguishing red mastheads, employ a form of writing known as tabloid journalism; this style emphasizes features such as sensational crime stories, astrology, gossip columns about the personal lives of celebrities and sports stars, and junk food news).

In the United States and Canada, "supermarket tabloids" are large, national versions of these tabloids, usually published weekly. Alternative tabloids can be positioned as upmarket (quality) newspapers, to appeal to the better-educated, higher-income sector of the market; as middle-market (popular); or as....

Tabloid journalism is often criticized for its sensationalism and lack of accuracy. However, tabloid readers are often youths, and studies show that consumers of tabloids are on average less educated.