NORTHERN PLANNER

So we move on to the Sun. I’ll review today’s Times on Monday.

This is the paper that alledgedly decides British General Elections, easiest the nations best selling newspaper. If you want to get into the mindset of the people, this is a good start.

First off, Page 3. Today it’s Keeley. It doesn’t stop with the press though, you can text a number and get more saucy pics on your mobile. A British insitution or a bastion of sexism? Dunno.

Front page is devoted mainly to David Beckham’s move to L.A. Which is fair enough, according to a Learning Skills Council survey last year, he’s still a big role model.

The Paper follows a similar format to The Mirror, a bit a news, a bit of opinion and loads of gossip and lifestyle. Which is fair enough, this what they want to know about.

The main front section news stories are The Home Office fiasco and a deperssingly small report on Bush’s decision to send more troops to Iraq.

Naturally the subtle tone is at odds to The Mirror. As opposed to John Reid ‘sorting out’ the problems, The Sun has him ‘knowing nothing’. The opinion section includes, ‘labour has lost the war on MRSA’. The Sun’s true colours are clear. It’s unclear yet if Ruper Murdoch will support Cameron or Brown, but he’s certainly had enough of Blair.

So that’s the tabloids finished. I can also tell you that the Express is a watered down Mail and the Star is not really a newspaper. Is it a problem that there is little real, factual news? I suppose not, I don’t believe you can ram serios issues down people’s throats if they’re not interested. These papers give their audience exactly what they ask for – The Mirror’s slump in sales when it went serios shows that.

I was a bit harsh on the Mirror yesterday, since their bending of the facts is no worse than the Sun. All papers have an agenda, red top or no (although we’ll see what the Times is like), all use fact to fit whatever they want to say. I’ve more of a concern with the Mail and the Express that pretend to be serious.

That said, I find it disturbing that the tabloids choose what to report. it’s one thing to have a more fun balancem it’s another to only report on the things you want to people to know.