compact (newspaper)

A compact newspaper is a British term referring to a supposedly broadsheet- quality newspaper that comes in a tabloid-format. It first started when the Independent produced a smaller format for Londons commuters to read on the train/tube/bus, as it was difficult to read them. Then other people liked the format so the Independent distributed around the country, the other newspapers The Times and The Scotsman copied the format as the Independent increased sales. Newspapers currently published in a compact format include The Times, The Independent, and The Scotsman. All of these newspapers are now completely compact owing to the success of trial periods whereby a broadsheet and compact version were produced simultaneously. The term arises from a 1970s term coined by the Daily Mail, although that newspaper has long since admitted that it is a tabloid.

Compact (Newspaper)

See Also