Purely as a matter of interest

More irresponsible reporting from the Mail. Not scaremongering at all. Not barefaced lies, no, of course not.

(No, didn't read it in the Mail, saw it on Prof. Sridhar's twitter feed.)

You would have to pay me to read the Guardian. ?

The Daily Express, which was running an anti-common market campaign in the 1960s, is IMO, even more dishonest and extreme than the Daily Mail, but it has a much lower readership and therefore less influence.

It is the proprietors of newspapers, several of whom are tax exiles (like the Barclay brothers who owned the Telegraph for many years) or foreign billionaires (like Rupert Murdoch who owns The Times and The Sun) who steer their content and political agenda.

People often say that they read a certain paper but are not influenced by its politics. The influence is invidious. It is not just the way that stories are reported but the selection of material, what is included and what is excluded, that influences readers, whether they are aware of it or not.

Littleannie

Purely as a matter of interest, please can somebody tell me why all Gransnetters seem to be so anti Daily Mail? And which paper do they prefer instead? This is a polite question.

Alegrias, the op asked why all gransnetters seem to be anti daily Mail, so the question was about the paper and also the people who dismiss it.

Some people have been commenting on the newspaper.

Other people have been commenting on the people who are commenting on the newspaper.

I don't much like the Guardian either any more. Too doom laden.

Alegrias I said The Guardian was humourless, not its readers, and I have not described anyone as a left wing snob.

I regularly try to read The Guardian. It ought to be my kind of paper, I knick the Saturday Food supplement whenever DS, who is a Guardian reader visits. It is excellent, but the rest of it, but it is far too worthy for my taste. I like my newspapers like my food, to be full of flavour.

I buy the Daily Mail on Saturday as it's fairly cheap and I like the giant crossword and the TV pages have clear details. I get the Sunday Times as it's a good read and I like the supplements. I take little notice of the politics. I often get Private Eye for a different perspective.

The Daily Mail is certainly not perfect. I have no interest whatsoever in any so called ‘celebrity’ articles, most of whom I have never heard of, but those pieces are thankfully in the minority.
The paper’s editorial section reflects my views as do a lot of articles written by the resident and guest journalist.

I do understand what people mean when they say they read a selection of newspapers reflecting different political views but honestly having tried the Guardian, it is just so irritatingly ‘woke’ and sanctimonious that I gave up.

My OH, (plus a most of his family and friends as far as I know) always bought the Daily mail - or the Daily Express if the DM wasn't available - so after we got together when I was 18, that was all I ever read, though I have to admit that at that time, I had no interest whatsoever in politics, so that side of it went over my head.

Fast-forward many years, and one particular political topic interested me a great deal, so I started researching it on the Internet and following the ins and outs of its introduction.

That's when I learnt what a load of untrue BS that paper spouted, and also discovered that those 'friends and family' who I mentioned previously believed every word of it, and regularly spouted its trite soundbites if ever the topic came up.

Their blind belief in its claims (for instance the one about the 'banning' of bent bananas,) actually played a large part in their votes for Brexit in the referendum).

Is the DM any worse than the other 'popular' newspapers in this respect?
Possibly not, but I have always felt that that it targets a socio-economic group that has a potentially bigger influence on our country's political landscape, a group whose views are taken more seriously.

That doesn't mean that I never read articles from the DM.
If a topic interests me, I will read as much as I can about it from multiple sources, to get a balanced view (so there's no need to jump on me if I ever post a link to an article from it), but would never take any of its claims at face value. It should come with a truth warning!

(And yes, I do try to do the DM cryptic crossword if OH has bought a copy of the paper. I also use its pages for my vegetable peeling ?)

I also read the Liverpool Echo EllanVannin because it's hard-hitting and also I miss that place where I lived! The i is my other bought paper of choice but mostly I read news online, avoiding the tabloids.

Times and a Telegraph, too large and all those supplements, the recycling bin can't take it. Guardian, so pond aced and boring. The others never bought' the covers put me off. I love my Daily Mail or I. I do not read all of the articles, does anyone? I enjoy the crosswords and quizzes, TV suppkements, their campaigns to right injustices, many I have supported. There is a lot of snobbery about the Mail, if you find read the Times or Telegraph you are not so bright..however I find their crosswords easier. I wouldn't be surprised if it sells more copies than the other two.

Agree that DM is a bit celebrity for me, and the Telegraph makes my arms ache!

We have the Telegraph because DH likes the crosswords. He reads paper from front to back these days, so have to watch him as he is worse than a teenager after being on Xbox.
I pick and choose which articles I read, and read the Guardian on line, plus local papers. Like to make up my own mind on who I believe but can't bring myself to read the DM.

I subscribe to the online Times and Telegraph and read the Guardian. Although the layout and colours used in the Guardian are quite attractive, I have to agree I too find it humourless and po faced.

Aye, right

I repeat many people don’t read the Daily Mail or watch light entertainment for a variety of reasons, fine, no problem.
What I said was that there are some who will say so with disdain, which makes them seem like an intellectual snob. Most often these types have little to be snobbish about.
So no need for the OMG comments. It was purely observation from my own experience of some acquaintances. I don’t know anyone on here personally and therefore make no judgement of anybody.

Used to read the Telegraph but the i is easier to read and has a wider variety of puzzles.
The DM -always available in the hairdressers, had too much stuff about ‘celebrities’ to interest me much.

I used to read the Telegraph but it made my arms ache.

The OP asked a polite question and most people managed to answer it with serious observations about journalistic standards and political bias.

For which they get called left wing snobs with no sense of humour.

Go figure.

I don’t read any national newspapers anymore. I rely on BBCRadio4, channel 231. Bbcsorld news & 233/sky news.

OMG I’m a (not far left) inverted and intellectual snob because I don’t read the Daily Mail, or like soaps. If I hadn’t also had a humour bypass I’d go and wash my mouth out (but not with soap, obviously..).

OP I wonder if you’re any the wiser?

I read the Guardian and have done since I was a student.

I do occasionally buy the Telegraph if I spot something of interest that I want to read.

The mention of soaps was more about the snobbery angle. Many people don’t watch soaps or other light entertainment or in fact read the DM for a variety of reasons but there is a certain section of society with a sneering attitude when saying they don’t which implies that those who do are of lesser intelligence.
I did have a very challenging job in my early career and found that switching off with some light entertainment was very beneficial.

My Great Uncle was a High Court Judge. Rather well to do old chap.

He would never miss his News of the World

He loved it.

He had none of the hang ups that many have.

Absolutely agree with you JenniferEccles. My politics is left of centre, but I have been reading the DM and enjoying it for decades. I have tried to read The Guardian, I really have, but to quote my previous post. I read the Guardian as a penance it is so self-righteously holier than thou and humourless

Why leftwing worthiness is always accompanied by a total lack of any sense of humour or sense of the ridiculous - unless of course that humour is heavily politica and humourless. Compare the comic strips in the DM and the Guardian.