ChatterBank3 mins ago
The Sun Newspaper?
Do you think 'The Sun' newspaper is targeted at those people in our society who are: incapable of independent thought, and unable to reach an opinion on news events without being told what to think by' The Sun Says'? Or, does reading 'The Sun' eventually make you that way?
I guess what I'm asking is, do you think it's 'dumbed down' to appeal to thick people because they wouldn't buy a newspaper that challenged them, or has reading 'The Sun' made them thick?
Answers
No best answer has yet been selected by stevie_c2it. Once a best answer has been selected, it will be shown here.
For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.Stevie_c2it - I think it's a bit of both. I don't think that ALL Sun readers are thick, but I suspect they are perhaps more easily influenced (in general, again, not ALL of them) than broadsheet readers (in general, although it's of course not rally possible to split people that way). The red tops in general, do very well out of influencing their readers and of keeping them entertained. I bet a lot of Sun readers find themselves agreeing with the White Van Man says column, but I wouldn't like to speculate whether they could have written the column themselves.
For the record, I didn't see anything in the question that gave ANYTHING away about your views on broadsheets stevie, so I'm not quite sure what bazwillrun is on about.
Partly due to strict Editorial control, and partly due to it being �pitched� at a very specific demographic audience. �The Van Man� for want of a better term. (Thanks January_bug)
The odd reality is that the people who write for it don�t necessarily agree with much of what they put in it, and have virtually nothing in common with the average readership.
So I suppose another question is, would a �Sun� reader know or care if they�re being patronised?
Loosehead - haven't you been tempted by the new sized broadsheets? I would never read them before they got smaller, prefering to check their websites instead. But now, I can actually read the newspaper and find it relaxing, rather than a 1 hour struggle with the paper!!!
I've never read the Express - broadly speaking, which side of centre is it? (I realise this isn't necessarily why you personally buy it, I'm just interested to know).
Stevie - obviously we crossed posts there. I personally see a difference between a "Sun Reader" and someone who reads the Sun. In the sense that a "Sun Reader" (and feel free to insert the name of any paper there) is someone who only ever buys the Sun because (s)he feels that it's "their paper" and they're going to like what they read - in terms of content, style, layout etc. Also that they'll identify with the "The Sun Says" editorial column. Someone who read the Sun, is obviously just someone who picks it up every now and then or who, like your journalist friends, reads it for professional research reasons.
I think they'd care about being patronised. I think a lot of tabloid readers very much care about what happens to the country and are genuinely alarmed by the stories they read in the papers they buy. I think many of them feel "I might not be Stephen Hawkin, but I'm not stupid. I like to feel informed and I have my views on politics and moral issues and I don't need things dumbed down for me".
But it does appear that the tabloids do hand out opinions on a plate for it's readers to buy into. Hopefully some, many, or all of them actually tailor these ideas before spouting them off as their own. I'd like to think that they would.
Well I think it's slightly right of centre, often compared to the Mail, somewhat erroniously in my opinion. Interestingly it's owned by one of Tonies Cronies, Richard Desmond, though I think they must have fallen out as they are not afraid to criticise the Governement.
I have occasionally read the Times Tabloid format but I have not been able to find a tabloid Telegraph. I have read the telegraph but I need to be somewhere with a big table to get value.
Loosehead - know what you mean again! The news just isn't the same when it's got my cornflakes stuck to the back of it! LOL The Telegraph is in fact, I believe, the only true broadsheet available (besides the FT). My Grandad feels the opposite to you and I and switched TO the Telegraph from the Times because of the formatting.
I believe the Telegraph is available in small format from WHSMith, but I'm not about to advocate people stopping supporting their local newsagent/village stores.
The general consensus would be however, that a �Broadsheet� reader is perhaps more able to recognize when they are being manipulated by editorial content, and less likely to blindly accept it. The danger (in my opinion) occurs when editors are in a position to use there influence over readers to manipulate and control what they think, as this type of power is almost always abused at some point.
The Journalists I mentioned earlier, one of whom writes for �The Sun� (like most of his colleagues) has little in common with the average reader. Trust me they are unlikely to have been to the same school, live in the same neighborhood, eat at the same restaurants, holiday in the same destination and take home similar amounts of pay. That�s what I meant by being patronized.
Let me set the record straight, I�ve read �The Sun�, there I�ve said it, I�m not proud of it but I did it, I was young and foolish and mixing with a bad crowd. We used to meet behind the McDonalds at Butlins and look at the pictures.
But I got help, I can help you too. Step away from the news stand, and ask yourself �Should I question what this newspaper is telling me and why?� Well, should you?
As I read this post, I noted how everyone has been very careful not to tar all readers of ANY newspaper with the same brush. Observations were made, but no-one once suggested that "all Sun readers are thick".
Still 16 posts without things getting upset and nasty - it's good going for news stevie!! Hats off to ya!
I will conform and tuck the Guardian or the Times or even the FT under my arm in future.Do you think it will give me extra kudos Stevie?(Only the FT depending on the colour of my outfit)
I personally think I answered your original question quite succinctly - covered issues which had been raised (mostly by yourself).
In a nutshell I in my opinion would never have the audicity to pigeon hole people because of their personal daily reading choice.I also think that people are more than capable in making their own opinions regardless of the paper they read.I dont think its dumbed down nor do I think that the journos or the editorials are attempting to brain wash us.I think I can probably speak for most 'Red Top Readers' - we only want light reading and dont need a broadsheet to stimulate us or give us food for thought.We are capable of doing that on our own.If thats thick then I'm glad to be thick.
BTW Stevie I was absolutely not being over sensitive or whatever you said (memory of a goldfish).What does that tell you!!