Chavs: the demonization of the working class

I can't speak for any other profession, but probation officers are not allowed to speak about cases or give opinions on the news. That would breach confidence and prejudice unbiased treatment of any case we were required to work with.

We usually wheel out Harry Fletcher from the PO union, to discuss policy or PO working conditions, but not cases.

What really gets my goat is the 'rolling news' or 24/7 news that seems to have come about in the last decade or so. Sometimes an hour is devoted to a story where there are only half a dozen facts known, but every Joe Soap and his wife, neighbour, retired police officer, former probation officer, social worker, etc etc is given the opportunity to air their opinion as if it is gospel. Or sometimes they concede it is all conjecture - but then go right ahead and pontificate anyway. Thankfully, there's always the off button. I was at a media seminar for work recently, and there is a huge fall off in print readers (and an increase in online readers of course) for all the major newspapers. The DM by far the most read in both online and print versions. The people who still buy the print versions of the newspapers are the ones who want the '40 minutes' that it takes to peruse a paper from top to bottom, and also those who like seeing the whole package instead of the bite sized chunks that online articles often offer. I do like to look at photos online but there's nothing better than sitting down with the paper and a .

Anagram Yes Prime Minister gave us some priceless witicisms that were spot on!

Well said wheni'm - not just a bunch of lies but a blatant bunch of lies. I know I have previously cited the day DH, on the phone to a Mail journalist said about a story they wanted a comment on "That is just not correct. if you print that it will be a lie." Of course they went straight ahead.
They are trying to create opinion not reflect it, but in an indirect way, rather than making reasoned arguments. Then you get people like Gove feeding them the lines, just to get on the front page. Thus they shape knee jerk policy formation.
They also deal in miserable negative, downbeat stuff. DM is not alone in lies and negativity but they lead the charge. Other countries manage without this kind of journalism. There is enough to be fed up about in the country without the DM talking it down so determinedly.
I guess it is becoming clear why the DM is so unpopular with some of us!
It will be interesting to see the conclusions and recommendations of Leveson.

PM Jim Hacker: "Don't tell me about the press. I know exactly who reads the papers: 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 and the Daily Telegraph is read by people who think it is."
Sir Humphrey: "Prime Minister, what about the people who read the Sun?"
Bernard Wooley: "Sun readers don't care who runs the country, as long as she's got big tits."
— Yes, Prime Minister

Couldn't agree more, when. I must admit that my Olympics obsession has made me neglect the press for the last two weeks!

I'm a Grauniad reader and observer and TES ..lucky to have them delivered! I also read Inde online and sometimes the Metro & Evening Standard if I am on a London based train! My father was Times reader, OH likes the Mirror sports writing and buys the Sat independent for the big Sudoku with letters and numbers!

I read lots of different online papers, and I often look at the DM first, then check out the reports elsewhere because the DM tells non-stories, stories that were reported elsewhere a few days previously, down-right lies and sensationalised versions of the truth. They aren't the only paper that does it, but they do seem to do it more than everyone else, especially now the News of the World has gone. Their view of women is frequently demonstrated in archaic terms, and the assumptions they make about certain classes of people is discriminatory. Children still do analyses of column inches of certain subjects at school, and just recently my grandson did a project in which five daily papers were examined, looking for the way different subjects were reported, such as political debates in parliament. The DM was top (?) for giving the age of female politicans and their husbands' occupations, as one small example.

As has been said, the majority on here are intellgent enough to be able to see the flaws in the DM's reporting methods. They say we get the press we deserve! Consumers who just want gossip and innuendo do us a disservice. If we read papers from around the world we don't have the worst press, but journalism is no longer a noble career, if we gauge it by the DM and some other papers.

Mr absent and I read the Guardian and Daily Telegraph on weekdays and the Observer and Sunday Telegraph on Sundays and occasionally buy the Independent. We used to read the Times but decided to stop buying it with recent New International scandals. We like to see the news presented from differing points of view to give us a more balanced perspective.

I read the Guardian and the Indy on line and the Observer on Sunday.

I used, to but it's changed, and got too heavy to carry home

I don't read any paper! I don't have time. I'm either working or on GN.

Hands up all those who read the Grauniad!

No but Anagram we are all influenced by what we read regularly! That is hy advertising is such an industry!

I too w I'll come out and agree with Kitty, I have The Mail online, read it every day,along with others, and it doesn't mean I agree with everything, or sometimes anything, in it.

Well said, kittylester - we don't buy a newspaper, but I read some of them online. Of course as a society we tend to prefer those papers which reflect our own views, but that doesn't mean we'll change our views to fit in with those of that paper. They all get things wrong sometimes as well!

The reason I am not a regular DM reader is because IMO it often does the same sensationalist style as the red tops but pretends it is a more serious paper! I agree it echoes the views of lots of people but what came first...the people's views or the paper's views??
The power of the media..never underestimate it !

JENI , what b-------s, you are such a card, laugh,laugh,laugh oh my ,girly,girly. tee hee

You DO REALISE you may now be declared "persona non grata" on GN now?

Can I come out and say we have the Mail Anagram. The thing is, although we read the DM, it doesn't mean we can't think for ourselves!

Silly old sausage , the " The Sun is a moveable feast " , which ever way the wind blows ! or they want it to blow

I thought the Sun was right wing (for the moment!)

Knew I would get under a few people's skin with that reference!

Huh!

Because Sun and Mirror are left wing papers , don"t u Know !!! [laff laff ]