2.Newspapers and Magazines

It has been claimed that the British read more newspapers than any other people in the western world.More than thirty million copies of newspapers are printed in the country every day.In no other country is there such a close relationship between the news-papers and their readers.The basic reason for this is the fact that Britain is small area geographically，with a dense population，most of it concentrated in the south.This has made it possible to develop a distribution system that is able to supply Britain with more national newspapers than any other country.Then，too，the British are a highly literate people.The average daily readership of newspapers in the UK amounts to about 580copies for every 1，000people，as compared with 375per 1，000in the US.

The Times

The daily and weekly publications collectively referred to as“the Press”can be divided into national and provincial or local newspapers.The nationals are often colloquially called“Fleet Street”after the area of London in which many of their offices are situated.They are usually classed as either quality or popular papers.Quality papers are daily or Sunday newspapers that aim at the educated readers.They contain detailed news coverage and comment，authoritative editor-ials，a wide range of topical features written by experts in their fields，art and literary reviews and much professional advertising.The three Sunday quality papers have an accompanying colour supplement，with many photographs and advertisements.The daily quality papers are the Daily Telegraph，the Financial Times，The Guardian and The Times.The three Sunday papers are the Sunday Telegraph，The Observer and the Sunday Times.

The Guardian

Daily Express

Popular papers are also daily or Sunday newspapers whose formats and contents are designed for the undemanding readers.Most popular papers are tabloids（newspapers with small-size pages），and have brief and direct news reports and a large number of photographs.Emphasis is put on personal stories，and importance is also given to sport and to entertaining features such as cartoons and contests.The style of English is often colloquial or conversational，with much use of slang，nicknames and catchy headlines.Leading daily popular papers are the Daily Express，the Daily Mail，the Daily Star and The Sun.Leading Sunday popular papers are the Sunday Express，the Mail on Sunday，the Sunday Mirror，the News of the World and the Sunday People.Most popular papers have a lower class or lower middle class readership，compared with the middle class and upper class readership of the quality papers.

The three most famous provincial daily newspapers are The Scotsman，Glasgow Heraldand Yorkshire Post，which present national as well as local news.The Scotsman and Glasgow Heraldcould be considered national papers for Scotland and all three have a high standard of reporting.A few others，like the Western Mail（Cardiff）and Birmingham Post，have a good standard but are less well known.Apart from these，there are many other daily，evening and weekly papers published in cities and smaller towns.They present local news and are supported by local advertisements，but the standard of writing is not always very high.London has a famous daily evening paper，The Standard，which is noted for its lively，up-to-the-minute reporting，popular features and profiles of people in the news，and large advertising section.In 1980it merged with the Evening News to form the New Standard，and in 1981returned to its original name of The Standard.Its circulation was about 610，000in 2011.It is at present London’s only evening paper.

There are about 8，000periodicals in the UK，which are published weekly，monthly or quarterly.Of these，women’s magazines have the largest circulation.The three popular illustrated weekly magazines for women are Woman，Woman’s Own，and Woman’s Weekly.Women’s magazines often contain short stories and serials of strong romantic interest，as well as practical advice and hints for housewives.They also have articles of general interest.

There are magazines and periodicals for almost every trade，profession，sport，hobby or interest.The most important periodicals for the more serious readers are：the Economist，a weekly political economic and financial magazine influential in industrial and business circles，which tends to support the Conservative Party；the Spectator，a weekly magazine containing features and articles of political and general cultural interest，including news commentaries，readers’letters and book reviews，and generally supporting the Conservative Party；the New Statesman，a left-wing weekly political and literary magazine with a“progressive”attitude to its readers，which has a particular interest in matters of scandal and concern，startling literary disclosures and new intellectual movements；Tribune，a weekly political and literary magazine that gives the viewpoint of the left wing of the Labour Party；the New Scientist，which reports on the latest developments in science and technology in language that non-specialists can understand；Punch，a long-established humorous and satirical magazine which has a reputation for the high standard of its literary and dramatic criticism.The Times publishes separately a weekly Educational Supplement，Higher Education Supplement and Literary Supplement.

The Spectator

The freedom of press is an important concept in the British mind.Since the abolition of the Stamp Tax，newspapers have been free of fiscal manipulation by the government，and legislation affecting their publication has not been extensive compared with that of many other countries.Newspapers can say what they like about anyone and anything：the army，the Queen，the Prime Minister，private individuals，the people，the trade unions，provided they say nothing“libelous”or“obscene”.Libel is the making of accusations which can be proved to be false and which are harmful to a person’s reputation；obscene describes something that shocks because it is improper or in very bad taste.Regarding obscenity，newspapers have very much more freedom now than they had in the early 1960s.

In 1953the Press Council was established as an independent body to maintain the fundamental freedom of the British press，monitor its standards，and adjudicate on any complaints made against it.The Council includes representatives from both press and general public；its annual budget is raised by levies on all newspapers.It publishes an annual report，Press and the People，and an advisory handbook，Principles for the Press，summarizing past decisions.

Notes

1.Alexandra Palace：a large building on a hill in Alexandra Park，north London，used mainly for exhibitions and concerts.It formerly housed the main television studios of the BBC.The Palace was badly damaged by fire in July 1980and was later rebuilt.The outside was restored to its original Victorian style，while the inside is used for conferences and concerts.

2.Bush House：a large building in central London containing the headquarters and studios of the External Services of the BBC.It was named after its designer in 1931，the American business executive Irving T.Bush.

3.Oracle：a teletext service provided by the IBA.

Exercises

Ⅰ.Choose the correct answer.

1.The BBC began its regular TV service in________.

A.1922　　　B.1927　　　C.1936　　　D.1945

2.If an Englishman wants to enjoy light music，he can select the station of________.

A.Radio 1　　　B.Radio 2　　　C.Radio 3　　　D.Radio 4

3.According to the text，the most popular TV channel in Britain is________.

A.ITV　　　B.BBC-1　　　C.BBC-2　　　D.TV-am

4.“Fleet Street”is frequently used to stand for________.

A.London　　　　　　B.newspapers

C.the Press　　　　 D.national newspapers

5.Which one in the following is not a quality paper？

A.Daily Telegraph.　　　B.The Times.

C.Daily Express.　　　　D.The Guardian.

6.Which one is not a popular paper？

A.Daily Star.　　　　B.The Observers.

C.Mirror.　　　　　　D.Sunday People.

7.The Standardis noted for________

A.up-to-the-minue reporting

B.large advertising sections

C.popular features and profiles of the people in the news

D.all above

8.Which one in the following gives the viewpoint of the left wing of the Labour Party？

A.Economists.　　　B.Spectator.

C.Tribune.　　　　 D.Punch.

Ⅱ.Fill in the blanks.

1.The motto of the BBC is“________”.

2.The BBC was founded in________.It now has ________national radio stations，and________TV channels.

3.BBC-1mainly transmits programs of________，while BBC-2transmits programs that are more ________than those of BBC-1.

4.The BBC is managed bya board of ________governors，whose chairman is appointed by the Queen on the advice of the________.The board then appoints the ________and the board of management.It is the duty of the board of management to ensure that the BBC is free of ________and that no ________or biased programs are broadcast.

5.Quality newspapers are the ones that aim at the ________readers，while the popular papers aim at the ________readers.The style of English in popular newspapers is often ________or conversational with much use of________，________and catchy________.

6.Punch is a long-established ________and satirical magazine that has a reputation for the high standard of its ________and ________criticism.

7.In Britain newspapers can say what they like about anyone and anything，provided that they say nothing“________”or“________”.

Ⅲ.Questions lot Discussion.

1.Why is the average daily readership of newspapers in the UK larger than that in other western countries？

2.What are the differences between quality papers and popular papers？

3.What are the common characters of the women’s magazines？

4.What are the responsibilities of the Press Council？