Fintan O'Toole investigates why British tabloids sell so well in Ireland. He speaks to Derek Jameson, who tells him that the Irish love sensation as much as the British. Jameson, who edited the Irish edition of 'The Daily Mirror', says that the Irish newspapers are parochial, boring and provincial and have nothing in common with the masses. Tabloids bring colour and excitement into people's lives.

Outside at a newspaper stand, a number of Irish readers talk about why they like the British tabloids: for sport, soap operas and because they're cheaper than the Irish newspapers.

O'Toole also speaks to Ron McKay of 'Media Week' and Eamonn McCann, journalist with 'The Sunday World'. McCann thinks that there is a lot of drivel in tabloids and while you can publish serious journalism in them as well, its harder to get these stories across when they're sitting by stories about people like Elizabeth Taylor.

'Slants' was a series about the media presented by Richard Kearney and Fintan O'Toole and broadcast in 1985 and 1986.

The report here is from the first 'Slants' programme and was  broadcast 14 May 1985.

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