I didn’t realise until recently what sort of unspoken cultural language we have about newspapers in the UK.
In the same way that someone from England might watch Fox news and mistake it for the same sort of (mostly) unbiased [comparatively] news coverage we get on terrestrial channels over here, someone from Virginia might link to a news article from the Sun, or the Star, or the Daily Fail, and not realise the context of the paper.
The Sun? It’s not just a paper. It’s a working-class, right-wing, non-intellectual tabloid paper.
The Guardian (Or the Grauniad, as Private Eye calls it)? Left-wing. Liberal. Wishy-washy broad sheet (and my favourite).
The Telegraph? (Torygrpah)? Right wing. Upper class. Broad sheet.
The Star? See the Sun, but trashier, and more sensationalist.
The Daily Fail? I don’t even.
Each one reports stories in their own way. And when you, a smart, cultured, not-politically-extreme foreigner, from America, or Australia, or Canada, link to one of these papers you’re inadvertently making a statement.
Personally, I’d link to the Guardian or the BBC. But I’m left-leaning, liberal, middle class and a little snobby.
(Yes, I made two posts in one week. Don’t worry, I won’t keep it up. I’ve never kept up anything like this in my life. So say my 8 other blogs and journals. Although by all means keep checking back or subscribe to the RSS feed and bully me to post more or just watch me fail.)
- This is a man. On a bench. In a park. Reading a Red-top. Which I didn’t mention in this blog. Which is badly-drawn. RELEVANCE!