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16 July 2013updated 22 Oct 2020 3:55pm

Guys, come on, we all know newspapers are doomed

Why are headlines trying to persuade us otherwise?

By Spencer Neal

Just look at the latest circulation figures for the UK’s “unrivalled” stable of national newspapers. Now look at the headline of the article that included these numbers in the main body.

 

Per cent change year on year

Daily Titles

 

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Daily Mirror

-3.94%

Daily Star

-10.20%

The Sun

-13.15%

Daily Express

-13.31%

Daily Mail

-6.86%

The Daily Telegraph

-4.63%

Financial Times

-13.03%

The Guardian

-11.59%

i

11.16%

The Independent

-18.82%

The Times

-2.29%

 

 

Sunday Titles

 

Daily Star Sunday

-29.05%

The Sun (Sunday)

-14.37%

Sunday Mirror

-4.68%

The People

-7.78%

Sunday Express

-11.10%

The Mail on Sunday

-10.21%

Independent on Sunday

-8.65%

The Observer

-12.94%

The Sunday Telegraph

-6.15%

The Sunday Times

-8.27%

The headline probably says more about the real problem at the heart of the media establishment than anything that was said during last year’s Leveson enquiry.

The circulations of Britain’s national newspapers are in terminal decline. This has been obvious for some while and you only have to speak with the millions of well-informed, articulate people under 30 years old to know why. The numbers presented in the report show quite how badly the circulations are falling. The dailies are down about 8 per cent, year on year and the Sundays by more than 11 per cent.

So you have to wonder what inspired the headline ” Telegraph enjoys summer lifts in June”?

More importantly, could the article have looked at the issues that newspaper publishers face? Take distribution, for example. Delivering newsprint all around the country is costly and getting more so with every week. And papers like the Guardian are already loosing millions every year.

There will come a time when publishers calculate that the costs simply outweigh the return. Thus there are two dilemmas. First, is to calculate exactly when the newspaper groups will cease trying to sell papers at the news stand. Second, is to ask why the UK’s supposedly diligent and rigorous cadre of journalists is so reluctant to investigate why an industry in such trouble is getting such misleading headlines?

The answer to the first question is: sooner than you think. The answer to the second probably doesn’t matter.

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Select and enter your email address Your weekly guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture every Saturday. The best way to sign up for The Saturday Read is via saturdayread.substack.com The New Statesman's quick and essential guide to the news and politics of the day. The best way to sign up for Morning Call is via morningcall.substack.com Our Thursday ideas newsletter, delving into philosophy, criticism, and intellectual history. The best way to sign up for The Salvo is via thesalvo.substack.com Stay up to date with NS events, subscription offers & updates. Weekly analysis of the shift to a new economy from the New Statesman's Spotlight on Policy team. The best way to sign up for The Green Transition is via spotlightonpolicy.substack.com
  • Administration / Office
  • Arts and Culture
  • Board Member
  • Business / Corporate Services
  • Client / Customer Services
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  • Construction, Works, Engineering
  • Education, Curriculum and Teaching
  • Environment, Conservation and NRM
  • Facility / Grounds Management and Maintenance
  • Finance Management
  • Health - Medical and Nursing Management
  • HR, Training and Organisational Development
  • Information and Communications Technology
  • Information Services, Statistics, Records, Archives
  • Infrastructure Management - Transport, Utilities
  • Legal Officers and Practitioners
  • Librarians and Library Management
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  • OH&S, Risk Management
  • Operations Management
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