The Daily Mail

[iwantthatone]

I just happen to read this paper as my mum tends to get it over any others.  It's  not very popular on this site, but I just wondered why? In not too complicated words...can anyone tell me? I always keep an open mind anyway when reading any newspaper, but would help to know what the Mail does, so I bear it in mind when I'm reading it!

[andy hughes]

The Mail is considered by many to be a pretty right-wing paper - its editorial stance is certainly anti-Labour. in addition, it does tend to get bees in its bonnet - asylum seekers and benefit 'scroungers' being two issues itr regulalry has hissy fits over. I have been a long-term mail reader for aout thirty years now, and I am thinking about switching to something a little more balanced, like the Telegraph (only kidding!)

[bobtheduck]

it is one of the most popular papers in britain so i dont reckon it gives a toss :) and its anti labour which isnt a crime in my book

[ll_billym]

I read the Mail for the past 4-5 years but I gave it up after reading some comments on this site.  Easily swayed I know but now I see it as sensationalist and biased whereas I used to take it as gospel.  I now read The Times and I take it as gospel!  :)

[LeMarchand]

It's normally The Mail that starts such campaigns as "ban Child's Play" (over the Bulger case). These seem to me to have little to do with fact, but a lot to do with raising circulation through giving their readers something to hate/blame the problems of the world on.

 

There was this failed Austrian artist who used similar tactics in Germany in the middle of the last century...

[TTFresh]

I have to say that there is a distinct Left/Liberal feeling on this forum.  Reading a paper is a way of being informed of the daily news but also an indicator of your political stance.  I read the Telegraph and I am a Tory supporter if push came to shove.  I don't like left wing politics and I am very much against the liberal standpoint.  Right-wing associations make my blood boil and I do tend to feel that if you are not centre left then you must be far right.  Read what you like, don't let anothers opinions dissuade you from what you believe or enjoy.  Personally, the Independant is absolute rubbish, the guardian isn't bad in places and i think we all know the Mirror and the Sun are best for wrapping chips. Try the Times - new format makes it easier and if you're conscious about political bias, read one from each side.

[jills]

Or since you have on line capabilities, why not browse some of the many news sites on line.  Generally they appear to have less obvious bias, and often give you far more info than the dailys which are always several hours, if not days, behind any major breaking story. I used to get The Scotsman, but after a while stopped.  not because I had any qualms about the biased nature of their editorials etc, but because the only reason for buying it was the crossword, as I got my news elsewhere (news channels and websites.) 

[Flanker8]

TTfresh is bang on - the majority of contributors to this site are left leaning/liberal, and as the mail is unashamedly right wing, they decry it and all of its readers.

 

Personally, I find the mail slightly pernicious, but of all the tabloids (Evening Standard aside) I would probably plump for the mail: I do get sick of the fact that according to the mail absolutely everything gives you cancer/strokes/heart attacks/green monkey bum disease (delete as appropriate), but equally I feel it serves a purpose by highlighting the workshy with gazillions of kids who cost this country a fortune.

 

I like the Times, especially in its new 'compact' size (not allowed to use the term tabloid), because whilst broadsheets are a good to read (Grauniad aside - unless you want a job at the BBC, in a local authority or in the 'medya'), lets face it, the sheer size of them IMHO make them a pain in the backside to handle.

[saffstar]

I don't not like the Mail because it's right-wing, I dislike it because it's ridiculous.  I am a bit more left than right, but I read the Daily Telegraph, because I like it.  The three desks surrounding mine are occupied by Mail readers.  Each morning they come into work perfectly reasonable, intelligent people but within ten minutes of opening their papers they're ranting and raving about how Christmas is going to be banned/we're being flooded with asylum seekers/having our lives ruined by Europe etc. It drives me nuts.  Also, I was absolutely disgusted that the Mail printed the picture of the young girl whose school nurse arranged an abortion for her a few months ago.  It's just horrible, and it's worse than The Sun/Mirror etc. because it pretends to be a serious paper.

[kestrel]

I use to regularly buy the 'Daily Mail', for a number of years but at times I would get extremely annoyed at the stand this paper takes in relation to certain topics and I use to feel I was being preached at. It had a way of trying to brain wash you to believe whatever their agenda was. They try to preach to the middle classes coming up with stories that would concern, ie race issues, crime issues, and fears that could affect lifestyles.In the end they preached to me once too often. I like to read a balanced story and since this rarely happens I have stopped reading newspapers with their own agenda's and I now read answerbank instead.

[kestrel]

I use to regularly buy the 'Daily Mail', for a number of years but at times I would get extremely annoyed at the stand this paper takes in relation to certain topics and I use to feel I was being preached at. It had a way of trying to brain wash you to believe whatever their agenda was. They try to preach to the middle classes coming up with stories that would concern, ie race issues, crime issues, and fears that could affect lifestyles.In the end they preached to me once too often. I like to read a balanced story and since this rarely happens I have stopped reading newspapers with their own agenda's and I now read answerbank instead.

[Ralph]

I used to read it because a place I worked in had it delivered every day. The best bit was/is the tea break bit where people ask questions and others reply. It's a bit like this place in slow motion then!

The thing about The Mail (and many others) that really winds me up is the way it takes the opinion of a few journalists and twists it into irrefutable proof of thoroughly objectionable policies/ ways of life/ whatever's "important" today. Richard Hammond on BBC1 summed it up nicely in his "Should I worry about..." series where he investigated a Mail story about how farmed salmon would probably kill you in a year (or something like that). The programme's conclusion was that whatever wasn't made up was hyped beyond reason. When he tried to get an interview, no one would talk or even issue a statement. We can vote out a government that thinks it's unaccountable but we have to put up with shoddy reporting and the people who believe everything they read?

[j2buttonsw]

Flanker8: I thought the Evening Standard was the Daily Mail.

[Flanker8]

Same family, but that's where the similarity ends.

[secretspirit]

I like the Daily Mail, to be honest I think although their stories disapprove of everything and everyone if you take it with a pinch of salt it's not a bad read. I do think it's hilarious the way they turn on their own columnists like Petronella Wyatt and George Best but that's the way it goes in the press.

 

I don't want to read the self-consciously academic Times or Guardian, or go as low as the Sun. I don't care if it's unfashionable to be more right wing than left, it's the way I feel and it's good not to read something that isn't constantly sucking up to Labour.

[Flanker8]

Hear hear

[osirion]

Funny to read the many right wing comments on this all stating that this site is full of liberals.

It certainly doesn't appear to be on this question.

Anyway just to agree with the few. The main reason teh Daily mail is laughed at is due to the editorial sensationalsim it produces on a daily basis. Unlike certain tory rags like the Telegraph or the Times which at least appear to debate issues, the Mail will take a stance no matter how idiotic and campaign ad infinitum. Without the Mail we could possibly hope to start a decent debate on the likes or Europe, Corporal Punishment, Justice, Child Abuse etc etc. Unforunately due in no little part to the mails editorials Neither political party wishes to discuss Europe,  People do not know they can smack their kids without going to prison, a ;arge preportion think that if they meet a burgler they are not allowed to defend themselves, and every body is scared that their kids will be abducted at any moment, forgetting that Roads incredibly more dangerous, and most of us men would rather walk the other way nowadays than comfort a crying child.

The Mail of course blames all of these on liberal policies where of course they are nothing but a stream of exagerations,  propaganda, and occasional outright lies, (See Birmingham supposedly Banning Santa, or Straight Cucumbers / Bananas from the EU as perfect examples)

 

[LeMarchand]

I thought this site had a left/liberal bias because they're the ones willing to spend time helping others. Surely the right-wingers are all too busy making money at everyone else's expense to care? }:-) .

[robbieh]

or go as low as the Sun.

The daily mail is as low as The Sun. Its got about the same news content. Its just printed slightly better. Oh and the heavy reliance on adverts is slightly higher class. Its content is completely irrational. It likes to be seen as the last glimmer of hope from the Empire or something. Somebody in me house reads it and i take great delight in reading the news in the paper, or the stories that are worth reading. I can flick through the paper in about a minute. Occasionally to refresh my memory I delve into the articles they print to back up their latest campaign. I love the ludicrous "banning christmas" campaign or whatever it is. They have taken very loose occurences, and joined them together to start yet another laughable campaign. They talk about banning office parties etc, yet in the same paper or the day after, print another story about how unsafe it is to have office parties ie. alcohol and computers not exactly being the marraige made in heaven. Complete contradiction of itself. Makes a change from sneering at cherie blair or diana. Also makes a change from spiining the news stories to benefit its pro-tory stance, yet happily complains about labour spinning things. Surely the worst paper in this country???

[tracymort]

I'm a bit lefty i think (according to the political compass)  i don't really know an awful lot about politics but i'm learning.  I wasn't really brought up in a house that discussed such things.  However i do buy the mail on sunday, i don't read the paper though i just quite like the You magazine!   The rest of the time i read the news on the net.