THE 16 TYPES OF NEWSPAPERS AND THEIR CHARACTERISTICS - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The types of newspapers that exist are classified according to their formats, sizes, subject matter and periodicity. Each one of them has particular characteristics and they are usually read by different kinds of readers.

A newspaper is a publication that has a certain frequency and that contains relevant information for a certain group of people. This characteristic makes it a very important means of communication.

Types of newspaper according to the publication format

Printed

It is the traditional newspaper. It was born after the invention of the printing press and developed alongside the evolution of technology associated with paper, photography, graphic design and commerce.

This type of newspaper is also divided according to the dimensions of the paper used for its production in tabloid or standard:

Tabloid

Although it is currently associated with a newspaper in which sensationalist information is disseminated, the tabloid is a newspaper that usually measures 28 x 35 cm, that is, it is a small format.

Normally, it favors photographs and illustrations over text. This feature and its smaller size makes it more practical for reading. It is also usually cheaper.

In the UK this format was also subdivided into red tabloids and compact tabloids. This subdivision was due more to the type of content that was incorporated in the newspaper.

A red tabloid, it featured sensational crime stories, astrology, and gossip columns in simple, direct language; while the compact tabloid uses an editorial style similar to that of large-format newspapers.

Standard or sheet

It is the largest format. It measures approximately 38 x 58 cm. It is common to the most traditional newspapers.

Sheet format vs tabloid format

Digital

They are designed to be displayed in digital format on electronic devices for personal use. They are generally free, although there are those that charge per subscription. Normally, this charge has to do with a greater depth in the information it contains.

Website of the digital section of The New York Times newspaper

At the beginning, they were a simple transcription of the printed version of the newspaper, but the development of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), prompted them to develop new content formats that today include audio, video, infographics and other resources that they involve interactivity and feedback from your readers.

Mural

Made with collage and clippings from informational and specialized magazines, it is a type of newspaper aimed at the school-age population. It is usually inserted in the educational center as a specific project to learn about a specific topic, but there can also be cases in which they become a means of communication within the center.

According to its periodicity

Diaries

In this type of newspaper you will find the most recent and important news that is broadcast, as the name implies, every day. The news content covers almost the entire space of these publications.

Weeklies

They are distributed once a week, normally Saturday or Sunday, and usually contain the news expanded and supplemented with additional details or with the information that is linked to it. They also tend to give more space to investigative journalism works as well as opinion articles from recognized personalities in their field.

Biweekly, monthly or semi-annual newspapers

Institutional or business publications are usually distributed with this periodicity. The type of content that is included in this type of newspaper is usually limited to the interest of a much smaller audience and usually refers to the achievements and projects of the organization in question.

XL Semanal, the weekly newspaper of ABC

According to the time of distribution

Morning

They are usually circulated daily and are distributed before dawn so that its readers can "consume" it in the early hours of the morning. They are eminently newsworthy.

Evening

It is distributed in the afternoon and may contain information that happened in the morning. On many occasions it complements the information published in the morning newspaper.

Press kiosk in Seville

According to its content

General information newspapers

They include in their pages information on different topics arranged in sections and distributed in the order of priority imposed by the editorial line of the newspaper owners.

Specialized newspapers

They are limited to a very specific content that interests a very particular group of people, for example sports newspapers or those of economic affairs.

Italian press specialized in sport

According to the scope of the information it contains

local

They offer the freshest and most relevant information that concerns and interests the inhabitants of a specific locality. Its format, design and distribution points are adapted to the needs and customs of the inhabitants of that geographic space.

Normally, it dedicates an important space to reflecting social complaints and their corresponding responses by the competent authorities.

Community

Its scope of action is smaller. It promotes the concept of popular journalism, since it usually includes texts and information written by people who are not necessarily journalists.

Nationals

They include topics of interest to a whole country and are distributed over the largest possible extension of that territory. They are larger because they usually include sections that reflect the interests of the different sectors that make life in that nation.

International

Although national newspapers normally include a section referring to issues that occur in other latitudes, there are also newspapers that are in a specific country. Their distribution points are very specific because they are usually aimed at immigrant communities.

Paris local press

According to its cost

Free

Its distribution is free and is usually linked to a larger newspaper that supports its production. It includes summary information from this larger newspaper and is usually distributed in public places with large crowds such as means of transport and commercial establishments.

Payment

It is the most common way to find newspapers; a small sum of money is paid for them at the various points of sale.

By subscription

It is another payment method in which the reader signs up for a distribution list and pays a fee from time to time to receive the publication every time it goes directly to his home, work or email.

Common features of newspapers

These are some ways to distinguish different types of newspapers, but it is also worth saying that there are common characteristics in this type of publication:

• It is usually identified with a name alluding to its place of origin, the theme it serves or the editorial line it intends to follow.
• Its sections can all be in the same body or separated.
• It is an information medium such as radio, television or the Internet.
• It is usually affordable.
• It has great reach.
• It can be archived.
• It usually reflects the reality of the place where it occurs.

In the organizations of national and international journalists, awards are usually generated to the different newspapers according to different criteria: circulation, sales, awards of their journalists, research works, innovation and technology involved in their production, etc.

For example, there is an international directory of online newspapers, 4 International Media & Newspapers, which is dedicated to ranking the best newspapers in the world according to the web metrics produced by three different search engines and here is the one from 2016.

References

1. History of Journalism. The Different Elements of Newspapers and Magazines. britnipetersen - December 8, 2009. Recovered from: historyofjournalism.onmason.com.
2. com, writing team. (2016). Types of Newspapers. Educational Gazette. Recovered from: lostipos.com.
3. Newspapers Recovered from: mastiposde.com.
4. Newspapers Recovered from: lostipos.com.
5. 2016 Newspaper Web Rankings (2017). Top 200 Newspapers in the World. Recovered from: 4imn.com.