The British and American press

In modern societies the mass media play an important role by providing information to large numbers of people. Since 1791, when the US Bill of Rights guaranteed American citizens the freedom of the press, a free press has been regarded as essential for a demo­cratic society. But there have always been controversies over whether the press should be limited in its freedom or not, be it for the sake of a higher national interest (e.g. at times of war) or in order to protect an individual against sensationalist reporting.

In England the first newspapers appeared at the end of the 18th century with the found­ing of the Times in 1785. Today the Times is still one of the better quality newspapers in Britain with a circulation of 390,323 copies a day (1992 figure). Other so-called "quality pa­pers", i.e. newspapers with a high standard of reporting, are the Guardian (418,026), the Daily Telegraph (1,043,703), the Independent (376,532) and the Financial Times (291,915).

"Popular papers" - in contrast to the quality papers - are directed towards a mass readership. They rely on eye-catching layout, sensational headlines and articles that can be easily read. Their format is smaller and easier to handle than that of the quality papers; for this reason they are often referred to as "tabloids", while the quality papers, because of their larger format, may also be called "broadsheets". The leading popular papers are the Sun (3,588,077), the Daily Mirror (2,868,263), the Daily Mail (1,688,808), the Daily Express (1,537,726) and the Daily Star (808,486).

Sunday papers are very influential in Britain. Again one can distinguish between the quality Sunday papers on the one hand, such as the Sunday Times (1,202,651), the Sunday Telegraph (561,533), the Observer (540,918), and the Independent on Sunday (385,142), and popular Sunday papers on the other, e.g. the News of the World (4,725,427), the Sunday Mirror (2,768,470), the People (2,129,592), the Mail on Sunday (1,960,130), and the Sunday Express (1,691,716).

Competition among the papers' publishers has increased as the financial success of a paper depends more and more on the advertisements it can attract to its pages. This has led to a gradual concentration in the media market of a few large and influential media companies, which each control a number of newspapers and sometimes television stations. The offices of most British national newspapers were originally located in Fleet Street in central London, which became synonymous with the British press. But since 1986 news organizations have been leaving Fleet Street and moving into new and larger buildings equipped with modern technology and located outside central London.

In the USA, unlike in Britain, there are very few national papers - exceptions are the USA Today (1,632,345) and the Wall Street Journal (778,584) - and one does not speak of quality papers and popular papers. Regional newspapers dominate the market - there were 1,570 daily papers in 1993 - while the New York Times (1,230,461) and the Washington Post (855,171) are regarded as the most influential newspapers (figures from 1991).

The rapid process of concentration in the news industry has influenced the American newspaper market just as it has the British market. In the USA, there are now "chain pub­lishers", who together have gained about one third of the market. As a result most cities in the USA have become so-called "one-owner towns", where readers have no choice between different newspapers.

Task 3. Answer the questions:

1. What is the main point of controversies over the freedom of the press?

2. What are the basic characteristics of quality and popular papers in Britain?

3. How has competition among the papers’ publishers influenced the media market?

4. Why is Fleet Street associated with the British Press?

5. What are the peculiarities of the media market in the USA?

6. What are the peculiarities of the media market in your country (in Russia)?

Task 4. Give English equivalents of the following expressions:

1) Предоставлять информацию большому числу людей;

2) Американский Билль о правах;

3) Свободная пресса считается неотъемлемой частью демократического общества;

4) Всегда существовали разногласия по поводу…;

5) Во имя высших национальных интересов;

6) Эта газета выходит тиражом в … экземпляров в день;

7) Газеты с высоким уровнем подачи информации;

8) Быть ориентированным на массового читателя;

9) Эти газеты легко держать в руках;

10) Их часто относят к «таблоидам»;

11) В противоположность чему-либо;

12) Финансовый успех газеты зависит от рекламы, которую она может привлечь на свои страницы;

13) Постепенная концентрация на рынке;

14) Стать синонимом чему-либо (ассоциироваться с ч-л);

15) Быть оснащенным по последнему слову техники;

16) Никто уже и не говорит о (и речи не идёт о…);

17) Преобладать на рынке;

18) Они считаются самыми влиятельными газетами;

19) Завоевать треть рынка;

20) В своей работе они делают ставку на привлекательный макет и сенсационные заголовки.

Task 5. Complete the sentences with the expressions below.

1. Heat caused a lot of environmental damage in central parts of Russia in the summer of 2010: wildfires, polluted rivers and lakes, _____________________ smog.

2. _____________________ over whether men and women are equal in the rights.

3. Japanese cars account for 30% of the U.S. car market. In other words, they have _____________________.

4. For many people success _____________________ money, power and social standing.

5. ‘Popular papers’ _____________________ as the gutter press. They _____________________ and sensational headlines.

6. I enjoy reading newspapers _____________________.

7. The value of Russia’s export of wheat has been cut down _____________________.

a) with a high standard of reporting

b) There have always been controversies

c) rely on eye-catching layout

d) has become synonymous with

e) gained about one third of the market

f) for the sake of a higher national interest

g) are often referred to

h) and one doesn’t speak of

Task 6. Give definitions of the following words and expressions:

Publisher

Editor (in chief)

Reporter/journalist

Daily/weekly newspaper

Popular/quality newspaper

Tabloid

The yellow press

The gutter press

Periodical

News service/wire service/ press agency

Investigative reporting/journalism

Source of information

Objectivity

Bias

To be objective/ balanced

To be biased/ unbalanced

To obtain/gather/withhold information

To seek confirmation of something

To interview somebody

To report on something

Sensationalism

To intrude on somebody’s privacy

To inform/mislead the public

Freedom of the press

A free press

The nationwide press

To impose censorship

Subscription

To subscribe to a newspaper

Newsagent

Task 7. Translate the sentences into English using the vocabulary from Task 6.

1. Группа экспертов продолжает искать подтверждение фактам посещения нашей планеты внеземными цивилизациями.

2. Если вы будете утаивать информацию от правоохранительных органов или добывать информацию незаконным образом, вы будете преследоваться в судебном порядке.

3. Этого политика обвиняют в предвзятом отношении к национальным меньшинствам.

4. Люди, работающие в суде, должны быть объективны и беспристрастны.

5. Представители этой партии считают, что новые законы – не что иное, как посягательство на личную свободу человека.

6. Государственная Дума предложила налагать цензуру на все программы, транслируемые каналом ТНТ.

7. Журнал Reader’s Digest можно получить только по подписке.

8. Миссис Н. является членом различных благотворительных организаций.

9. Я ежегодно оформляю подписку на все основные журналы по языкознанию.

10. Свобода слова – одно из основных прав, гарантированных Конституцией.

11. Этот источник информации не отличается объективностью, и люди могут легко быть введены в заблуждение.

12. Во время летних каникул студенты могут устроиться работать в газетные киоски.

13. Работа этого журналиста заключается в том, чтобы брать интервью у известных людей и затем преподносить материал с максимальной сенсационностью.

14. Корреспонденты, работающие в этом регионе, сообщают, что президент утратил контроль над происходящими в стране событиями.

15. Чтобы освещать ситуацию, туда были посланы 2 корреспондента первого канала.

? VOCABULARY PRACTICE

1.6. the news: gathering and delivering

Task 1. Match words and phrases in the first column (1-9) with their definitions below (a-i).

What is

1. a newscast? 2. a newssheet? 3. a news bulletin? 4. a newspaper? 5. a newsflash? 6. a newsman? 7. a news agency? 8. a newsreel? 9. a news stand?

It is

a. a printed publication, usually issued daily, with news, advertisements, etc. b. a stand where newspapers, and often magazines and books are sold. c. an agency that collects news and sells it to the press. d. a very short news programme on radio or television, broadcast suddenly in the middle of another programme when smth very important has happened. e. (AmE) news broadcast on sound or television. f. a short radio or television programme, on which only the most important news items are broadcast. g. a small newspaper with only 2 pages. h. a newspaper, magazine, radio or television news reporter. i. a short film of news that was shown in cinemas in the past.

Task 2. Make the right choice using the following:

News is

made gathered obtained written edited printed produced covered supplied processed treated played up played down selected presented handled hushed up broadcast transmitted announced distributed circulated set in type for printing

by people by reporters by editors by radio announcers by television announcers by telegraph by news agencies by printers by type-setters by journalists by newspapermen by mass media by news workers by rewrite men in newspapers in journals in magazines in dailies in weeklies by radio in the composing room on TV screens

Task 3. Study the following material and learn the vocabulary units you have been unfamiliar with.

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