Broadsheets

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of large-format newspaper that typically presents news and information in a detailed manner
2. Printed sheets used for distributing news to a wider audience in a newspaper format
3. Publications that often serve as serious, in-depth sources of current affairs and opinions in the journalism landscape

Etymology: "Broadsheets" is the plural of "broadsheet", a compound of the adjective "broad" and the noun "sheet", so the name describes the paper's physical format: a single large sheet printed on both sides and folded, rather than a smaller tabloid-sized page. The term is simple in its construction, and its meaning follows directly from that size. Over time the word has come to stand for a style of journalism as much as a format. Papers printed in this large size have traditionally carried longer articles, fuller coverage of politics, business and culture, and more detailed analysis, so the name now signals a certain seriousness of content. Some newspapers have since shrunk to a smaller "compact" size while keeping the same editorial approach, which shows how the term has drifted from measurement toward reputation.

Synonyms: newspapers, publications, periodicals