blandy Posted December 21, 2006 Moderator Share Posted December 21, 2006 Whats depressing is how papers that were once worth something have become crap. The Daily Telegraph and The Times were once worth something. Now they are shite. But the biscuit has to be the Sunday Times. That paper was something once, now its dreadful. I like the New York Times alot, and of the course the Gruinad. I think this might be down to what Wurzel's point gets at. With people looking at other ways to get their news/opinion, papers have adjusted in different ways. Some have become arms of the murdoch world media/Government empire, that promote a particular interest or viewpoint, some have shrivelled and died and some have become simply a means to make (or lose) money and have gone not for news, but for percieved interests of a sector. The ones that people admire are the ones that either stand by a set of principles, or an ethos, or ones that have adapted to the interweb (The Grauniad being perhaps the best example). I can't stand the Daily stormtrooper, but it has a set vision of what it thinks, what it's target market is, and it goes for that, and seems to do well as a result. Never straying from it's agenda. I prefer papers that don't have the same owner imposed discipline. Whether right left or centre. It's nice to have the choice, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DurhamVilla Posted December 22, 2006 Share Posted December 22, 2006 Thanks to Yes, Minister. The Daily Mirror is read by people who think they run the country; The Guardian is read by people who think they ought to run the country; The Times is read by people who actually do run the country; The Daily Mail is read by the wives of the people who run the country; The Financial Times is read by people who own the country; The Morning Star is read by people who think the country ought to be run by another country; The Daily Telegraph is read by people who think it already is. The Sun is read by people who don’t care who runs the country, as long as she’s got big tits Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wurzel Posted December 22, 2006 Share Posted December 22, 2006 None, they are a very poor way of being informed. They (proper papers, not comics) are a very good way of being informed, IMO. They're portable, contain news and analysis, opinon, images, cover a wide range of subjects, both national and international. Some of, if not most of, the best journalists writ for national papers. They often challenge the orthodoxy of whoever is in power in way that TV and radio doesn't, and they are better edited than lot of the internet. And the Guardian has a typeface hand crafted by a Villan of some repute. Papers are great. The reason I say that papers are a poor way of being informed is because unless you are a media student or such like, people tend to buy the paper which mirrors their particular view on the world, hence their ideas are never challenged, and their own ideas are only reinforced, safe in the knowledge that they are not alone. Therefore they are not a good way of being informed. TV and radio are much better mediums, as your attitudes to different topics can be constantly challenged (Radio 4, Radio 5 for example). Papers are a dying medium, all major papers in the UK have seen their circulation figures fall, and its not surprising as the editorial stances have hardened, and the standards of journalism have slumped so badly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cyrusr Posted December 22, 2006 VT Supporter Share Posted December 22, 2006 I am an Independant man myself. Find that they tell you whats happening, and although they give opinions, they do not impose them onto you. They allow you to think for yourself. The Guardian and the Times provide very good coverage of what is happening in the world, but they do put their slant upon the news, especially the Times. Red Tops (Sun, Mirror, Sport... sort of... etc) are read by people who do not take the news very seriously. They tell you what to think, though they are not very set in their opinions, they still don't allow you to think. Perhaps this is one reason why they are popular, because you can just read it without having to think to heavily on the issues. At least with the Red Tops you do get a decent sport section, which the Independant is missing IMO. The Daily Mail (and Express - the alternative but basically identical paper to the Mail) is generally read by people who want to look intelligent but really aren't. Also by upper middle class that think that they should have all the money and everyone else is evil in the world, especially non-white gay libertarians. I do not like the Mail... at all... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thetrees Posted December 22, 2006 Share Posted December 22, 2006 I am in the none camp. I dislike the lack of objective reporting in the UK press and object to any foreign ownership, as I believe that is against the interests of the nation as a whole. S'pose I should move to France really. Thanks to Barnesi for pointing out two papers that are not foreign owned, but unfortunately neither offer any balance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thetrees Posted December 22, 2006 Share Posted December 22, 2006 Also by upper middle class that think that they should have all the money and everyone else is evil in the world, especially non-white gay libertarians. I thought that the evil minority in Blair's Britain were white, male, heterosexual, employed people? They are only allowed to exist because of all of the lovely taxes that they pay. "Upper middle class"? As any wealthy person will tell you, they can't make money under the Tories. Labour on the other hand flood the economy with money, and guess where most of it ends up. The 'old' rich donate to the Tory party. The increasing majority of 'new' rich donate to Labour. And we all know why :winkold: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awol Posted December 22, 2006 Share Posted December 22, 2006 Times or Indy during the week, Observer or Torygraph at the weekend so get a good idea of what everyone is thinking. I loathe The Sun but it's by far the best for footie. Also a US podcast called 'Democracy Now' gives a decent unvarnished opinion of news across the pond. Pretty much the only homegrown left of centre view of America IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted December 22, 2006 Share Posted December 22, 2006 I use the internet so don't use newspapers but when i fly BA always give The Telepgraph so I guess thats what i read "most often" what do Easyjet give you when you fly Drat ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted December 22, 2006 Share Posted December 22, 2006 The Daily Mirror is read by people who think they run the country; The Guardian is read by people who think they ought to run the country; The Times is read by people who actually do run the country; The Daily Mail is read by the wives of the people who run the country; The Financial Times is read by people who own the country; The Morning Star is read by people who think the country ought to be run by another country; The Daily Telegraph is read by people who think it already is. The Sun is read by people who don’t care who runs the country, as long as she’s got big tits Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drat01 Posted December 22, 2006 Share Posted December 22, 2006 I use the internet so don't use newspapers but when i fly BA always give The Telepgraph so I guess thats what i read "most often" what do Easyjet give you when you fly Drat ?You de funny man - By the way BA give the Mail not the Torygraph as the paper of choice - Gold card yourself? :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted December 22, 2006 Share Posted December 22, 2006 You de funny man - By the way BA give the Mail not the Torygraph as the paper of choice - Gold card yourself? it's def the Torygrpah when I fly , none of this take it from the stand as you walk on the plane , someone irons it and brings it over to me with my glass of bucks fizz ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drat01 Posted December 22, 2006 Share Posted December 22, 2006 Bucks Fizz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sit_Down_Potato_Head Posted December 22, 2006 Share Posted December 22, 2006 I get the Observer on a Sunday pretty much every week. Great music and sport supplements. As for a daily, I don't buy one very often. I like to glance at the football pages in the Sun because along with the date, that's the only thing that's usually accurate. But if I wanted to buy one regularly I'd probably buy the Birmingham Post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted December 22, 2006 VT Supporter Share Posted December 22, 2006 Whats depressing is how papers that were once worth something have become crap. The Daily Telegraph and The Times were once worth something. Now they are shite. But the biscuit has to be the Sunday Times. That paper was something once, now its dreadful. I like the New York Times alot, and of the course the Gruinad. Totally agree. I used to buy the Sunday Times many years ago, when their advertising slogan ("The ST is the Sunday papers") was true. Then I stopped buying Sunday papers for years, but got the ST out of curiosity a few months ago. Feking hell! I could not believe how shite it had become. No better than the Sun. I'm also amazed at how many of us on here are Grauniad readers - I'm sure you'd get a different result if you could poll the non-internet-using footie fans. Must also agree with the respondents who praised the Saturday Guardian - apart from the Sports and Guide sections (and the quiz!), the Review is excellent - I get many good book recommendations from there. But, as has been quoted elsewhere - You Never See A Nipple In The Daily Express. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob Posted December 22, 2006 Share Posted December 22, 2006 Why do people put Grauniad for the Guardian? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Posted December 22, 2006 Share Posted December 22, 2006 Grauniad and The Times for me, although i don't buy 'em myself. Our works office gets the Times each day and my folks get the Grauniad. My gran is a bit of a right wing scaremongering type so no prizes for guessing which is her paper of choice .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gringo Posted December 22, 2006 Share Posted December 22, 2006 Why do people put Grauniad for the Guardian?Years of being conditioned by Private Eye. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blandy Posted December 22, 2006 Moderator Share Posted December 22, 2006 Why do people put Grauniad for the Guardian? To expand on Gringo's answer, it was once renowned for typographical errors (spelling mistakes, basically) Private Eye, therefore called it the Grauniad, and it's stuck. Like Mike I'm quite surprised by how many Guardian readers and Independent readers we have. Much greater percentage than the national average. Is it Villa specific, or Football specific, I wonder? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob Posted December 22, 2006 Share Posted December 22, 2006 Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thetrees Posted December 22, 2006 Share Posted December 22, 2006 I'm also amazed at how many of us on here are Grauniad readers - I'm sure you'd get a different result if you could poll the non-internet-using footie fans. I guess that Socialists have more time to spend surfing the internet as they are paid vast sums for working 'normal' hours in jobs with great conditions and final salary pension schemes. Capitalists meanwhile need to work all the hours God sends in order to create the wealth of the country. :winkold: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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