George Parkin

1. Profile of the Journalism Industry
Newspapersinthe UnitedKingdom –
UK newspaperscangenerallybe splitintotwodistinctcategories,the more conservativeand
political newspapersare usuallyreferredtoasBroadsheets.Theytendtobe more pro-establishment
and be writtenbyintellectual conservativesasopposedtoideologuesanddemagogues.More
EdmundBurke or WilliamF.BuckleythanRichardLittlejohnorRodLiddle.Perhapsthe bestexample
of the Broadsheetpressis TheDaily Telegraph.
The lessseriouspapersare knownasTabloids,while the Broadsheetsare collectivelyknownas“the
qualitypress”these papersare bandedtogetheras“the popularpress”i.e.blue collar.Theyhave
tendedtofocusmore on celebritycoverage andhumanintereststoriesratherthanpolitical
reportingorinternational affairs. These paperssuchasthe Daily Mirror or the Daily Mail are
describedaspopulist.Theyappeartothe lowestcommondenominatorandpropagandise oncertain
issues,appealingtothe people’sfearsandinsecurities,the bestexample of thisisimmigration.
Paperslike TheSun are oftenaccusedof sensationalismandpandering.
The Guardian – isa Britishnational dailynewspaperfoundedin1821.
Most townsand citiesinthe UK have at leastone local paper,such as the Evening PostinBristol and
The Echo inCardiff. These papersare notknownnationallyfortheirjournalismandtendto provide
coverage of storiesthatdefine theirrespective regionsof publication.Despitethiscity-based
newspaperscanbecome nationallysyndicated andwell knownnationwide.The bestexamplesof
thistake place in the UnitedStates;the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Boston Globeetc.
The exceptiontothisinthe UK was the well-regardedManchesterGuardian whichdropped
“Manchester”from itsname in1959, and relocateditsmainoperationstoLondonin1964. This
enabled TheGuardian tobecome one of the few papersto transitionfromlocal newstonational
paper. The unique birthof The Guardian isnot the onlywayit bucksthe trendset byother
BroadsheetandTabloidnewspapers.The papersetitselfonthe centre-leftof the political spectrum
and currentlyidentifieswithsocialliberalism.Itspastpolitical affiliationsinclude beingthe only
majornewspapertosupportthe Liberal Democratsat the 2010 general election.
It wouldundoubtedlybe astretchto describe TheGuardian asa dissidentpublicationbutithas
neverthelessestablishedareputationforitself inregardtoinvestigatejournalism,muckraking
editorials,andleftistcontributors. Notable scoopsinclude the newspaper’sbreakingof the News
International phonehackingscandal in2011, whichresultedinthe Newsof theWorld becoming
defunct.There wasparticularemphasison TheGuardian’s revelationsthatmurderedteenagerMilly
Dowler’sphone hadbeenhacked.The newspaperalsobroke newsof the secretcollectionof Verizon
telephonerecordsheldbythe ObamaadministrationinJune 2013, and subsequentlyrevealedthe
existence of the PRISMsurveillance programme afteritwasleakedtothe paperbyNSA
whistleblowerEdwardSnowden. TheGuardian wasnamednewspaperof the yearat the 2014 British
PressAwards,foritsreportingongovernmentsurveillance.
WhenGlenGreenwald the manmostresponsibleforhelpingleakEdwardSnowden’sclassified
documentstothe publicelectedtoleave TheGuardian he wascriticised.He subsequentlybecame
the editorof the online publication TheInterceptalongsideLauraPoitrasandJeremyScahill.The
publicationwascreatedandfundedbyeBayfounderPierreOmidyar,networthestimatedat$8

2. Profile of the Journalism Industry
billion.InMay2014, one of Greenwald’sformercolleaguesat TheGuardian Ed Pilkingtonasked
whetherithadbeen "wise toleave TheGuardian,anorgan withnoowner,run bya trust,inorder to
embrace a billionaire techtycoonwavinga$250m cheque?Andwasit,givenhisscathingcritique of
bigbusiness,true tohisownvalues?"
Despite itbeingsomethingof aleftistpublication,inrecentyearsithasstruggledtoshake of the
image of privilege andevensnobbishness.The paperasa reputationas“an organ of the middle
class”,or in the wordsof C.P.Scott’sson Ted,“a paperthat will remainbourgeoistothe last”.“I
write forThe Guardian”saidSir Max Hastingsin2005, “because itisread by the new establishment”,
reflectingthe paper’sthengrowinginfluence.
“A Conflictof Interest”wasthe twelfthepisode of the BBCcomedyseries Yes,PrimeMinister first
broadcast in1987, the episode containsthe famousquotebyfictional Prime MinisterJimHacker:
“Don’t tell me aboutthe press,Iknowexactlywhoreadsthe papers:the Daily Mirror is readby
people whothinktheyrunthe country; The Guardian isreadby people whothinktheyought torun
the country…”
 A MORI poll takenbetweenApril andJune 2000 showedthat80% of The Guardian readers
are Labour Partyvoters.
 MORI poll takenin2005, 48% of readerswere Labourvotersand34% Liberal Democrat
voters.
 Guardian featureseditorIanKatzstatedin2004 that,“…it is nosecretwe are a centre-left
newspaper…”
 In 2008 columnistJackie Ashleysaidthe editorialcontributorswere amix of "right-of-
centre libertarians,greens,Blairites,Brownites,Labourite butlessenthusiasticBrownites,
etc" andthat the newspaperwas"clearlyleftof centre andvaguelyprogressive".She also
saidthat "youcan be absolutelycertainthatcome the nextgeneral election, The
Guardian'sstance will notbe dictatedbythe editor,still lessanyforeignproprietor(it
helpsthatthere isn'tone) butwill be the resultof vigorousdebate withinthe paper."
 The paper's commentandopinionpages,thoughoftenwrittenbycentre-leftcontributors
such as PollyToynbee,have allowedsomespace forright-of-centrevoicessuchasMax
Hastingsand Michael Gove.
 Since an editorial in2000, The Guardian has favouredabolitionof the Britishmonarchy.
 In the run-upto the 2010 general election,followingameetingof the editorialstaff, the
paperdeclareditssupportforthe Liberal Democrats,inparticulardue to the party's
stance on electoral reform.The paperalsosuggested tactical votingtopreventa
Conservative victory,givenBritain's first-past-the-postelectoral system.
 AssistantEditorMichael White,indiscussingmediaself-censorshipinMarch2011, says:"I
have alwayssensedliberal,middleclassill-ease ingoingafterstoriesaboutimmigration,
legal orotherwise,aboutwelfare fraudorthe lessattractive tribal habitsof the working
class,whichismore easily,ignoredaltogether.Toffs,includingroyal ones,Christians,
especiallypopes,governmentsof Israel,andUS Republicans are more straightforward
targets."
 The Guardian hada certifiedaverage dailycirculationof 204,222 copiesinDecember
2012 — a drop of 11.25% on January2012 — as comparedto salesof 547,465 for The
Daily Telegraph,396,041 forThe Times, and 78,082 for The Independent.InMarch2013,

3. Profile of the Journalism Industry
itsaverage dailycirculationhadfallento193,586, accordingto the AuditBureauof
Circulations.
 In August2013, The Guardian inpaper formhad an average dailycirculation of 189,000
copies,behind TheDaily Telegraph and The Times, butaheadof The Independent.
 The newspaper'sonlineeditionwasthe thirdmostwidelyreadinthe world asof June
2012. Itscombinedprintandonline editionsreachnearly9millionreaders.
 The Guardian iscurrentlyeditedby AlanRusbridger.
 Its sisterpapersinclude TheObserver(aBritishSundaypaper) and TheGuardian Weekly.
It has twoonline outletsbasedoutsidethe UnitedKingdom, Guardian Australia and
Guardian US.
 The paper isinfluential inthe designandpublishingarena,sponsoringmanyawardsin
these areas.
 The Guardian isprintedinfull colour, andwasthe firstnewspaperinthe UK to use
the Berlinerformatforitsmainsection,while producingsectionsandsupplementsina
range of page sizesincludingtabloid,approximatelyA4,andpocket-size,approximately
A5.
 The Guardian has a readingage of 14 andthe Sun hasa readingage of 8.
o ContributorsincludesatiristCharlie Brooker,dissidentTariq Ali and formeraide to
PresidentBill Clinton Sidney Blumenthal.
Journalism;an overviewofa profession andan industry –
A journalistissomeonewhoworksinanindustrythatis concernedprincipallywiththe
disseminationof informationforconsumptionbythe general public.The journalismindustryhas
manydifferentjobrolesanditsdifferentorgansperformdifferentfunctions,forexample;
informationhastoinitiallygathered,thisinvolvessendingoutreporterstotalktopeople involvedin
the story,conduct interviewswithexperts, andgenerallyframe the storywiththe keyfacts
surroundingit.Once the informationonthe groundhasbeengatheredbya reporterorteam of
reportersitisprocessed,thismightbe done bythe same reporteror itcouldbe passedontoa more
seniorjournalistperhapsbecause theyhave greaterexpertise onthe subjectorbecause theyare the
correspondentforthe particulartopice.g.culture editororeconomicseditorandsoon.
If the storyin questionwaspartof a seriesof ongoingdisclosuresthenawhole hostof different
journalistsmightbe requiredtoreportonthisongoingtopicwithseniorjournalistsandcontributing
editorswritingthe columnsandarticles;while the researchforthese pieces will have beenordered,
fact-checked,andcondensedbyyoungerless-experiencedreporters,whoseldomgetcreditfortheir
invaluable contributionswhichusuallyinvolve tirelessly trawlingthroughleakedcables,legal
documents,orsomethingof thatnature.
Duringthe processingstage there isalsoadditional researchconductedbythe journalistwhois
doingthe write-up,if the journalisthasanideological agendahe orshe might puta particularspin
on the story,or if the paperisovertlypartisantheymightbe expectedto-dosoinorderto please
theireditors.It’salsoaroundthistime thatpicturesandheadlinesandothermiscellaneaare agreed
upon.The final stage wouldbe liaisingwiththe editor-in-chiefof the publication,once the storyhas
beenapproveditwill be printedandappearonnewsstandsthe nextdayif it’sa dailynewspaperor

4. Profile of the Journalism Industry
perhapsthe nextweekormonthif the magazine or newsletteronlypublishesaset numberof issues
peryear.
The differenttypesof journalist–
 The establishmentpressoftenfeature writerswhoare well connectedtopeople inpower,
write best-sellingbooks,getpaidmillionsof dollarsfortheirarticlesorcolumns,are
regularlyhonouredwithprizes,andmake frequentappearancesontelevisionandthe
lecture circuit.Examples:
o NicholasKristof; TheNew YorkTimes; winnerof two Pulitzer Prizes. The Washington
Postdescribeshimashaving“rewrittenopinionjournalism.”Hisbooksinclude;Half
the Sky:Turning Oppression into Opportunity forWomen Worldwide, China Wakes:
The Struggleforthe Soulof a Rising Power, and ThunderfromtheEast: Portraitof a
Rising Asia.
o WilliamKristol;TheNewYork Times; founderandeditorof The Weekly Standard
widelyconsideredthe flagshipforthe Americanneo-conservative right.Chief of
Staff to the Vice Presidentof the UnitedStatesbetween1989 and 1993.
o George Will;TheWashington Post andNewsweek;he isa Pulitzer Prize winner.Who
The Wall Street Journalcalled,in1986; “perhapsthe most powerful journalistin
America,”rankedalongsidethe likesof WalterLippmann.
o ThomasFriedman; TheNew YorkTimes; three timerwinnerof the Pulitzer Prize. His
booksinclude; Longitudesand Attitudes:Exploring theWorld AfterSeptember11,
The World Is Flat:A Brief of the Twenty-firstCentury,Hot,Flat,and Crowded:Why
We Need a Green Revolution – And How It Can Renew America.
 At the otherendof the spectrumthere are independentcitizenjournalists,bloggers, media
analysts,social critics, radical intellectual,andactivistswhousuallycontribute toonline
publicationsoutside of the corporate mediastructure;theyoftenrebutwhattheysee asa
propagandisticmainstreampressthatis subservienttovestedinterests.Examples:
o DavidCromwell andDavidEdwardswhooperate the online non-profitmedia
analysiswebsite; Media Lens whichscrutinisesthe honestyandaccuracy of the
mainstreampresswhenreportingonprominentissues.Itreliesonthe workof
dissidentintellectualssuchasEdward S. Hermanand NoamChomsky’spropaganda
model andthe writingsof Erich Fromm.
o JohnPilger,journalistanddocumentaryfilmmaker. Pilgerhasbeenavocal and
sustainedcriticof American,Australian,andBritishforeignpolicydatingbacktohis
dayscoveringthe VietnamWar,the Cambodiangenocide,andthe occupationof
East Timor byIndonesia. He hasfrequentlycontributedto TheDaily Mirror and The
NewStatesman.
o AlexanderCockburn, foundedalongsideJeffreySt.Clairthe radical onlineandprint
political newsletter, CounterPunch, describedas“muckrakingwitharadical
attitude.”Cockburneditedthe publicationuntilhisdeath in2012. He also wrote a
column“Beatthe Devil”forThe Nation magazine foroverthirtyyears.He also
contributedto The Week and The LosAngelesTimes.

5. Profile of the Journalism Industry
o HunterS. Thompson,aninfamouscounterculture figure initiallyassociatedwith
NewJournalismalongsidecontemporariessuchas;Truman Capote,TomWolfe,and
NormanMailer.Later,Thompsonwouldpioneeranexperimentalstyle of journalism
knownas “Gonzo.”His booksinclude; Hell’sAngels:The Strangeand Terrible Saga of
the OutlawMotorcycleGangs,TheRum Diary, and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas:A
StrangeSavageJourney to theHeartof the American Dream.
o AbbyMartin, the co-founderalongsideherbrotherRobbie Martinof the citizen
journalismwebsite, Media Roots inordertocoverOccupy Oakland. Formerhostof
Breaking the Set onRT America, Martinworkswith Media FreedomFoundation,
ProjectCensored andco-directed 99%:The Occupy Wall StreetCollaborativeFilm.
o JeremyScahill, the foundingeditorof the onlinenewspublication TheIntercept,
alongside GlennGreenwaldandLaura Poitras.Formerlyacorrespondentfor
Democracy Now! andthe National SecurityCorrespondentfor TheNation magazine,
he remainsa fellowat TheNation Institute. Hisbooksinclude; Blackwater:TheRise
of the World’sMostPowerfulMercenary Army andDirty Wars: The World is a
Battlefield, he produced,narrated,starredin,andco-wrote the accompanying
documentaryof the same name.
o JohnPerryBarlowis a poet,essayist,political activistandlyricistforTheGrateful
Dead. An ardentcyberlibertarianandsometimesself-describedanarchistBarlow
regularlypublishedessaysavailableonthe internet.He isafoundingmemberof The
Electronic Frontier Foundation alongsideMitchKaporand JohnGilmore.He currently
sitson the board of The Freedomof the Press Foundation, anorganisationformedby
GlennGreenwald.Keypeopleassociatedinclude;JohnCusack,DanielEllsburg, and
Edward Snowden.
George Parkin.