UK: the two ends of the news market
Happy Easter bloggers! And for today a good paper from Peter Wilby in The Independent about the differences (or similarities) between tabloids and quality newspapers: "In principle, I applaud the decision by the editors of up-market papers to withdraw from the British Press Awards. But I also detect snobbery. The posh papers do not like being judged alongside the tabloids...
The secret of most big tabloid stories is that they are not the result of genuine investigation, but of somebody getting a fat fee or wanting their 10 minutes of fame. Nearly all "kiss-and-tell" stories fall into this category: a woman has sex with a footballer or a pop star and decides to cash in, usually through an PR industry intermediary such as Max Clifford. Is this journalism as traditionally understood? Probably not. But I do not think most broadsheet journalism today is significantly different."
'First, broadsheets are just as driven by the public relations industry as the tabloids. My friend and admirer, Dylan Jones, recently estimated that over half the content of GQ magazine, which he edits, is generated by PR. I would guess the proportion for the national press, broadsheet as well as tabloid, is higher: not just film, theatre, books and music PR but also the PR of pressure groups, unions, companies, government departments and political parties. News in the classic sense - of something that someone somewhere does not want known - is very rare indeed.
Second, the broadsheets are as obsessed with personalities as the tabloids: they are just different personalities, being more often politicians, international leaders or highbrow novelists, for example. You may object that these are more important people, of greater than ephemeral interest. So try this simple test. Can you remember why Stephen Byers resigned? And who won the Booker the year before last? No, nor can I."
Source: The Independent.
Peter Wilby is the editor of the 'New Statesman' and a former editor of 'The Independent on Sunday'
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