The newspapers in Britain are proud of the fact that they are different from each other – each tries to have a different profile. The following is a witty, but at least partly accurate, description of the people who read the different papers.
The Times is read by the people who run the country.
The Mirror is read by the people who think they run the country.
The Guardian is read by the people who think about running the country.
The Morning Star is read by the people who think they ought to run the country.
The Mail is read by the wives of the people who run the country.
The Telegraph is read by the people who think the country ought to be run as it
used to be.
The Express is read by the people who think it still is run as it used to be.
The Sun is read by the people who don’t care who runs the country as long as the
girl on page three is attractive.
Bearing in mind the readerships described above which of the following adjectives do you think fit the different papers?
1. controversial 5. reactionary 9. reliable
2. liberal 6. progressive 10. dependable
3. sensational 7. objective 11. responsible
4. intellectual 8. informed 12. reasonable
The following is an advert for the Guardian. The advert tells you about the sort of people the Guardian is trying to attract as readers. Who do you think the advert is aimed at?
You don’t have to be brilliant to read the Guardian but it does help to have a bit of common sense. The Guardian treats its readers as equals. Because that’s just what they are. It gives them the news straight and leaves them to make up their own mind about controversial issues.
It keeps to the point and doesn’t try to impress when all it should be doing is giving information. The trick of never using one word when four will do is foreign to the pages of the Guardian.
If you have the common sense needed to make the best use of the Guardian’s sober, unslanted (îáúåêòèâíûé) reporting – you should be reading it.
1. Does this advert remind you of any newspaper in Russia? What is it?