President Clinton Abducted By Aliens or Toy Poodle Robs Bank are headlines that promise entertaining, if not accurate, stories. But those kinds of headlines and stories have earned one tabloid, The National Enquirer, 20 million readers weekly -- two times the circulation of The New York Times.

The New York Times even quoted The National Enquirer on an O.J. Simpson story and, to some, acknowledged The National Enquirer as a reliable source on the case, but tabloids are still not getting the respect they think they deserve.

Generally known for their absurd sensationalism, tabloid newspapers are devoting more time, money and ink to the O.J. Simpson trial than mainstream newspapers in an effort to erase their negative image. And some tabloids are now garnering some respect and credibility with this aggressive reporting on the Simpson saga.

Iain Calder, editor in chief of The National Enquirer, said the paper has always been a dependable news source, contrary to popular belief.

"The mainstream press, maybe for the first time, has had a chance to really see how The Enquirer works and -- surprise, surprise -- they find out we're very good," Calder said.

Although The National Enquirer was acknowledged as a reliable source on the Simpson trial, some question the rest of the paper's content.

Karen Freeman, assistant professor of journalism, said The National Enquirer's coverage of the Simpson trial is an isolated incident and inconsistent with the rest of the newspaper's content.

"I don't think it tells you a lot about the credibility of tabloids in general," Freeman said.

In December, The New York Times quoted an anonymous source from the The National Enquirer on their story about Simpson's outburst and alleged confession in his prison cell. Because The New York Times ran an article confirming the reliability of The National Enquirer's coverage of the Simpson case before it cited The National Enquirer as a source, The New York Times was justified, Freeman said.

"As a general rule, I don't think quoting anonymous sources is a great idea but sometimes we change the rules a little bit when people are just enormously curious about something," Freeman said. "I don't think it was a particularly good decision, but I can understand why (the reporter) made it."

Warren Hoge, assistant managing editor of The New York Times, said his paper was justified in quoting The National Enquirer, but said the paper does not regularly quote tabloid newspapers.

"The National Enquirer would not be on my list of publications whose word I would (normally) trust to republish in The New York Times," Hoge said.

Although their coverage sometimes meshes, mainstream newspapers and tabloids are two different news sources, appealing to two different audiences.

Rex Martin, Ph.D. candidate of mass communications, attributes tabloids' popularity to their appeal to the emotional aspect of news.

"The American tabloids are just now starting to realize that they are the best venue for reporting the emotional side of the news," Martin said, "and emotional impact is just as important as the rational."

Mainstream newspapers concentrate on rational, objective reporting when a much larger readership thrives on the emotional aspect of reporting, Martin said.

"The National Enquirer has done, and could do a better job of covering events like the Simpson trial than The Wall Street Journal," Martin said, "and to get a balanced view, you do need the emotional side of it."

People have been attracted to this emotional side of news since the beginning of time, said Ronald Bettig, assistant professor of mass communications.

"This interest in the dark and dramatic side that's depicted in these tabloids, that's something that goes way back in human history," Bettig said. "It's a way for society to come to grips with what it is to be human."

The main difference between tabloids and mainstream newspapers is the lack of credibility or nonexistence of sources, Bettig said.

"Their sources lack the credibility that you get with mainstream newspapers and elite newspapers," Bettig said.

Shannon Weller (senior-journalism) does not think The National Enquirer, or tabloids in general, are reliable sources of information. She, as do many other Americans, finds those papers entertaining and fun to read.

"A lot of people really buy into them," Weller said, "and they've done a good job of selling their paper. That's what they're for --to entertain."

Melissa Di Nardo (senior-journalism) also does not take tabloids seriously but enjoys reading them as much as some mainstream newspapers.

"If it's laying around, that's the first thing I pick up," Di Nardo said. "If The New York Times was sitting right next to The Enquirer, I'd read The Enquirer first."