British Newspapers

In Britain there are 11 national daily newspapers and most people read one of them every day. There are two kinds of newspaper. One is large in size and has many detailed articles about national and international events. These newspapers are called the serious papers or the quality papers. The other kind, called the tabloids is smaller in size, have more pictures, often in colour, and shorter articles, often about less important events or about the private lives of well-know people. Although some people disapprove of the tabloids, more people buy them than buy the serious newspaper. The Sun, for example, which is a tabloid, is the biggest-selling newspaper in Britain. People who disapprove of the tabloids very strongly sometimes call them the Gutter Press.

There are daily or weekly newspapers in all parts of Britain which cover local news as well as some national and international stories. Local papers give information about films, concerts, and other things that are happening in the local neighborhood, including, for example, information about local people who have been married or died recently. National papers generally give information about film, concerts and other events happening in London, in Scotland, many people read the Glasgow Herald or the Scotsman and there are Scottish Editions of the tabloids.

There also many free local newspapers which are delivered to people’s homes whether they ask for them or not. These contain a lot of advertisements and also some news.