All The Tropes

British Newspapers: Difference between revisions

Page Discussion

British Newspapers (view source)

Revision as of 10:07, 8 April 2014

8 bytes removed ,  10 years ago
m
Mass update links
VisualWikitext
m (fix quote templates)
m (Mass update links)
Line 16:
* ''The Times'' - One of the UK's oldest newspapers (founded in the 1780s), currently owned by [[Rupert Murdoch]]. A neutral-to-conservative-leaning paper which, unlike ''The Sun'', is editorially independent and therefore doesn't necessarily have to toe the Murdoch line. Famous for its cryptic crosswords, and also the origin of the ubiquitous [[Useful Notes/Fonts|Times New Roman typeface]]. Occasionally referred to abroad as ''The London Times'' or ''The Times of London'' to distinguish it from other papers which imitated its name.
** ''The Sunday Times'' - sister paper to ''The Times'' and also owned by Murdoch, but they were founded independently. Remains in broadsheet format with several supplements, making it a heavyweight in more ways than one. Publishes the famous annual ''Sunday Times'' Rich List, a league table of the UK's richest people.
* ''The Guardian'' - Formerly ''The Manchester Guardian''. AKA "The Grauniad"<ref> To the extent that grauniad.co.uk redirects to the Guardian website</ref> or "General Belgrauniad", for its (historical reputation for) frequent printing errors. Officially a "centre-left, liberal" newspaper its columnists and readership often veer further left and its letters page can sometimes read like the outpourings of ''[[Private Eye]]'''s parody Trot, Dave Spart (often to the point where people can't tell if it's [[Poe's Law|a parody or not]]. The term "''Guardian'' reader" or "Guardianista" is sometimes used as a derogatory comment on a person's political leanings, similar to the US "latte liberal" or (more to the point) "''New York Times'' liberal". Has gained some notoriety in recent years for its pre-occupation with middle-class navel-gazing "lifestyle" aspirations and London-centric tendencies (ironic for a newspaper which began in the English North-West). When the chips are down, it will support Labour, although in the most recent election it declared for the Liberal Democrats (well, it actually declared for "Liberal Democrat, but Labour if they're the only people who can beat the Tories in your constituency"). Although less widely known than that of the Times, its crossword is arguably better regarded among enthusiasts. [[The Bourne Series (Filmfilm)|One of its journalists was once shot as part of a CIA cover-up of the Treadstone Project.]]
** ''The Observer'' - Sunday-only sister paper to ''The Guardian''. Basically the same, but even more smug. Also leans more towards the arts.
*** ''The Observer'' does have some reason to be smug - it is oldest Sunday newspaper in the entire world.
Line 34:
=== Mid-market tabloids: ===
 
* ''Daily Express'' - AKA "The Daily Sexpress" since its owner is Richard Desmond, a porn baron<ref> Shhhh! [[You Fool!]]! He sues people who call him that!</ref>, and the paper advertises his channels' programmes. Amusingly, however, the paper itself is very reactionary, and manages to convey an impression of being against porn in general terms. It seems to have an obsession with [[Useful Notes/Conspiracy Theories|Conspiracy Theories]] about the death of Princess Diana, which generates a surprising number of front-page stories for the paper even today and has led to the use of the nickname "The Di-ly Express" (most notably, when every other paper was printing front page stories about the anniversary terrorist attacks on London, the two Desmond titles used a Diana headline (''Express'') and a B-list-reality-show-contestant headline (''Star'')). However, it usually runs Diana stories on a Monday. [[Schmuck Bait|Guess which day has lowest newspaper sales.]] Subscribes to [[Missing White Woman Syndrome]] on occasion, having an almost unhealthy obsession with Madeleine McCann. Strangely missing in Hacker's speech<ref>though ''Express'' journalists showed up from time to time on ''[[Yes Minister]]''; William Hickey is noted as having described Hacker as "[[Unusual Euphemism|overwrought as a newt]]" in "[[Christmas Episode|Party Games]]"</ref>, although he'd probably say that it's "''read by the people who think the country ought to be run [[Nostalgia Filter|like they think it used to be]]''". Interestingly enough, the first newspaper in Britain to have a crossword and one the first to [[Foreshadowing|report on gossip and sports to a significant degree]]. Leon Trotsky wrote despatches for the ''Express'' for a while after Stalin chucked him out of the USSR.
** For an example of the advertising for his own channels: in the issue after Desmond acquired [[Channel Five]], ''[[Private Eye]]'' observed that they mocked ITV's paltry audience share of 13.6% and praised Five's groundbreaking share of 5% in the same article.
** Probably better noted for being out and out racist, on occasion making the ''Daily Mail'' look moderate by comparison (and the rest of the time, not far away from the ''Mail'''s general tenor), regularly running front page stories demonising immigrants and/or minorities, often on a very very flimsy basis. Essentially, the ''Mail'' off its medication.
** Had a [[Kick the Dog|Crowning Moment of Tastelessness]] when it ran an article attacking ''the grown-up survivors of the Dunblane massacre'', for the heinous crime (a [[Moral Event Horizon]] in the paper's eyes) of...having pictures of them drinking on their Facebook pages.
* ''Daily Mail'' - [[Bloc Party|Says the enemy's among us,]] [[Waxing Lyrical|taking our women and taking our jobs.]] Ultra right-wing, populist, nationalistic, xenophobic, isolationist often [[You Can Panic Now|hysterical]] and notoriously obsessed with the immigrants and house prices and, lately, campaigns against same sex marriage and claimants of state benefits. Infamously supported fascism in a big way in the 1930s (hence the common "Daily Heil" nickname); prior to [[World War II]], it openly advocated an alliance with [[Adolf Hitler]] and claimed German Jews seeking refuge in Britain were "exaggerating" the bad treatment they claimed to be getting from Herr Hitler's sound and firm government. In the Mail's opinion, they were just economic migrants taking advantage of Britain's lax generosity, (and besides we have far too many Jews in Britain as it is.)<br /><br />Currently, it likes to present itself as [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eBT6OSr1TI the voice of the "silent (moral) majority"]. It provoked a protest march from [[Emo]] kids due to some [[Cowboy Bebop Atat His Computer|shoddy journalism]]. Has an Irish edition that is similarly populist in its editorial policy, humorously leading to [http://www.layscience.net/node/507 scare stories and editorial campaigns printed in different markets that contradict one another]. Notable for having some pretty controversial columnists on its staff; Richard Littlejohn is usually the most commonly cited example. After its flirtation with the British Union of Fascists (until the events of 1939-45 made this unthinkable even for the ''Mail''), it will now always support the Conservatives, although its tone verges into BNP territory a lot, leading to the occasional condemnation of the latter to (unconvincingly) make itself appear moderate (in 2012 it raised some eyebrows by publishing a column endorsing the far-right candidate Marine Le Pen in the French presidential election).<br /><br />Some journalists, notably the ''Guardian'''s Paul Davies, have pointed out the ''Daily Mail'' isn't right wing as a rule; it's just slavishly devoted to its huge market, the white 30+ middle class. If this market is resentful towards bankers (most recently), the Tories, etc., then the ''Mail'' is not afraid to bash bankers and the Tories. So it all comes down to the bottom line in the end. The ''Mail'' is very similar to ''The Sun'' when at its worst, but likes to pretend it's more upmarket. Obsessed with [[Karen Gillan]], [[Katie Price]] and [[Kim Kardashian]]. Only escapes being considered 'gutter press' due to tradition, but is even losing that battle, with its journalists famously trying to distance itself from their editor, Paul Dacre. Saving graces are that it sometimes does some pretty interesting historical articles (thanks to the presence of respected historian and ex-war correspondent Sir Max Hastings on the writing staff), and often has very nice nature and landscape photographs. The crossword isn't bad either.
** Another common theme in the ''Mail'' is that just about everything causes cancer, or cures it, possibly both on different days, and actually has a segment on ridiculous health theories, usually involving cancer, fruit, or fruit that gives you cancer. This is why it is nicknamed "The Daily Hypochondriac".The comedian Russell Howard created [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTu7GLfrmUI the Daily Mail Cancer Song] to [[We Didn't Start the Billy Joel Parodies|the usual tune.]]
** Also expect a similar obsession over house prices as well, how they are at their worst for years and too many people can't get on the property ladder. Almost as if they cycle through [[Captain Obvious|3 or 4 pre-selected topics a day...]]
** ''The Mail on Sunday'' - The Sunday sister paper of the ''Daily Mail''; while still staunchly conservative, it's far less alarmist and far more credible. Has journalists and columnists such as staunchly Anglican conservative and enemy of television Peter Hitchens (brother of the famous atheist/antitheist [[Christopher Hitchens]]). Tends to be read by conservatives who like reading a newspaper without hysteria (although Peter Hitchens can sometimes seem a little bit out-there; he regularly bashes the Conservative Party for being too left-wing and strongly criticises what he perceives as the modern right's idolisation of [[Margaret Thatcher]]).
** Throughout the ''[[Harry Potter (Literaturenovel)|Harry Potter]]'' books, the ''Daily Mail'' is the morning paper read by Vernon Dursley, Harry's snobby and politically reactionary uncle.
* ''Evening Standard'' - London's evening paper. Formerly an Associated Newspapers paper, it played a contributory role in Ken Livingstone's 2008 defeat in the Mayor of London election. This led to it being dubbed the "Evening Boris" after eventual winner [[Boris Johnson]]; the paper's particular dislike for Livingstone can be traced back to a controversial incident in 2005 where he was less than polite to one of its reporters, and what should have been a minor gaffe was blown out of all proportion, became a national scandal and left everyone involved (including Livingstone himself, the reporter who chose to make it an issue, the ''Evening Standard'' in its entirety, and the ''Daily Mail'' which had predictably come to its sister paper's defence) with egg on their faces. Recently bought by a former KGB agent for £1 and turned it into a freesheet. Despite no longer being part of Associated Newspapers, it was even more hostile to Ken and pro-Boris in 2012 than 2008, if that's even possible.
** The ''Evening Standard'' has something of a reputation for provincialism, in particular any other news story being overruled by something about a strike on the [[London Underground]] (for example, [[Worst News Judgement Ever|"TUBE STRIKE CALLED OFF; page 93, global thermonuclear war breaks out]]). Currently has added an obsession with the evils of squatting. Also subject to [[Memetic Mutation]] is the distinctive way its sellers shout out its title, "Eeeeevngggg-Stendeddddd!" That's all in one syllable, if you didn't know.
Line 63:
** In more recent years the Mirror has been targeting a primarily female audience, to the point where generally about half of the stories and articles are aimed specifically at women, with the remainder (barring the sports pages) being gender-neutral. The exception to this is the Saturday and Monday editions; since so much of the paper is dedicated to [[The Beautiful Game|football]] on those days anyway, the editorial team usually uses them for any male-specific content they want to publish.
* ''The Daily Star'', another Desmond title. More tits and less news than ''The Sun'', and is essentially a daily gossip magazine. The day after Prince Charles' engagement to Camilla Parker-Bowles was announced it led with the headline "BORING OLD GITS TO WED". Admittedly makes things up.
** Remember several paragraphs up when we mentioned the ''Express'' was "the ''Mail'' off its meds"? Well, as the ''Star'' doesn't have the need to kid anyone about its (lack of) journalistic integrity, it sometimes appears ''[[Up to Eleven|more racist]]'' than its sister paper, including cozying up to the <s>far-right</s> [[A Nazi Byby Any Other Name|Muslim-baiting]] English Defence League on several occasions. So basically, the ''Express'''s "special" little brother. Who is also off his meds.
*** Infamous for its misleading headlines. For instance: "JORDAN IN NEW CANCER SCARE! Shock Diagnosis for [[Katie Price|Kate]] and her Family!" From this, one might infer that Ms Price had cancer? Err, no. The "CANCER SCARE" was in fact this: Her boyfriend Alex Reid uses fake tan, which ''might'' cause cancer. Other examples: JORDAN CELEBRATES HOT BABY NEWS, JORDAN'S BABY BOY, (notice a theme here), TERROR AS PLANE HITS ASH CLOUDS (illustrated using an image from a documentary and not hinting that the whole thing was fictional) and ROYAL BABY ON WAY (the startling revelation that William and Kate, being married, might choose to conceive a child).
* For those who have read the opening quote carefully and are wondering, ''The Morning Star'', formerly ''The Daily Worker'', was the pro-Soviet daily newspaper of the British Communist Party. There are a number of weekly papers by other far-left groups, such as ''Militant'' and ''Socialist Worker'', but these are only sold in the street by supporters of the groups that print them. The ''Morning Star'' itself still exists and is still nominally affiliated with the British Communist Party (which also still exists) but aims itself at a broader audience among the radical left rather than focusing on the tiny minority of actual Communists remaining in the UK.
Line 86:
** Also known as 'the Daily Weedgie', 'The Daily Rangers' and 'The Daily Retard'.
* ''The Press & Journal'': Published in Aberdeen and only available in the North-East of Scotland. Incredibly parochial (the rumour goes that the sinking of the Titanic was reported as "North-East Man Lost At Sea"). Right leaning, but does not openly support the Conservative party. Independently owned and published.
* ''The Sunday Post'': Tartan, Heather and Shortbread in Sunday newspaper form. Published in Dundee and home to iconic Scottish comic strips ''The Broons'' and ''Oor Wullie''. No daily edition, because no one could take that level of "[[Bonnie Scotland]]" sentiment on a daily basis. Published by D.C. Thomson, better known for comics such as ''[[The Beano]]'' and ''[[The Dandy (Comic Bookcomics)|The Dandy]]''.
 
=== Northern Ireland ===
Line 120:
* ''The Spectator'' - The right-wing weekly news magazine, which dates back to the nineteenth century (although it sometimes naughtily claims descent from a famous unconnected early magazine of the same title from the eighteenth century). Now owned by the Telegraph Group. Generally open to all strains of right-wing thought, from the libertarian to the Neo-Conservative to the old school up-the-aristocracy, and editing the magazine gets you a lot of cred in the Conservative Party (e.g. [[Boris Johnson]]). Likes to criticize [[Political Correctness Gone Mad]].
* ''New Statesman'' - The left-wing weekly news magazine, popularly known as "the Staggers" because of its perpetual financial precariousness. Lost a lot of prestige thanks to a recent period when it was owned by a slightly corrupt government minister and became slavishly [[Tony Blair|Blairite]]. Now seems slightly confused and looking for a role.
* ''[[The Economist]]'' - A weekly magazine (although it calls itself a newspaper) owned by [[Exactly What It Says Onon the Tin|The Economist Group]]. Known in the US mostly as that magazine whose name you throw around if you want to sound smart whether or not you actually read it. Covers foreign affairs and economic matters from a classic liberal perspective (as opposed to American liberal). In the British media, it is considered to be economically quite hard-right-wing but socially libertarian--placing it more or less halfway between the leftmost of the Thatcherite Tories and the rightmost of the Lib Dems--whereas in the US it tends to fall somewhere in the middle of the spectrum. It might be fair to say that it got its dream-government in the Tory-Lib Dem Coalition, which it has frequently praised (and criticized, but more often praised). The news magazine is mostly a loss-leader for the very expensive, specialised and high-quality business information and economic analysis provided by other bits of the Economist Group.
* ''The Week'' - Weekly digest of the week's big news stories, with a fairly dull middle-market middle-wing middle-brow viewpoint. The news and politics magazine for people who aren't all that interested but think they should be making an effort.
* ''[[Private Eye]]'' - a fortnightly satirical magazine edited by Ian Hislop of ''[[Have I Got News for You]]'' fame. Notable for having better investigative journalism than most of the proper papers, with the twin results of breaking many scandals earlier than anyone else, and being the subject of countless libel suits (Hislop frequently publishes the letters threatening legal action, and occasionally describes himself as "the most-sued man in British legal history"). Slightly split personality as the news pages tend to be quite left-wing while the cultural coverage tends to "all modern art is a con trick and all pop culture is trash" conservatism.
Retrieved from "https://allthetropes.org/wiki/Special:MobileDiff/890781"