Newspaper: Difference between revisions
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In the past newspapers have often been owned by so-called [[press baron]]s, and were used either as a rich man's [[toy]], or a [[politics|political]] tool. More recently in the United States, a greater number of newspapers (and all of the largest ones) are being run by large media corporations such as [[Gannett]] (the largest in the United States), Cox, Knight Ridder, LandMark, Morris Corp., [[Tribune Company|The Tribune Company]], etc. Many industry watchers have concerns that the growing need for profit growth natural to corporations will have a negative impact on the overall quality of journalism. |
In the past newspapers have often been owned by so-called [[press baron]]s, and were used either as a rich man's [[toy]], or a [[politics|political]] tool. More recently in the United States, a greater number of newspapers (and all of the largest ones) are being run by large media corporations such as [[Gannett]] (the largest in the United States), Cox, Knight Ridder, LandMark, Morris Corp., [[Tribune Company|The Tribune Company]], etc. Many industry watchers have concerns that the growing need for profit growth natural to corporations will have a negative impact on the overall quality of journalism. |
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There is no doubt, however, that newpapers have, in the modern world, played an important role in the exercise of freedom of expression. Whistle-blowers, and those who 'leak' stories of corruption in political circles often choose to inform newspapers before other mediums of communication, relying on the perceived willingness of newspaper editors to expose the secrets and lies of those who would reather cover them. However, there have been many circumstances of the political autonomy of newspapers being curtailed. In [[2003]], there was widespread outrage and condemnation when the [[Spanish]] Civil Guard closed down the offices of [[Egunkaria]], the only [[Basque]] [[language]] |
There is no doubt, however, that newpapers have, in the modern world, played an important role in the exercise of freedom of expression. Whistle-blowers, and those who 'leak' stories of corruption in political circles often choose to inform newspapers before other mediums of communication, relying on the perceived willingness of newspaper editors to expose the secrets and lies of those who would reather cover them. However, there have been many circumstances of the political autonomy of newspapers being curtailed. In [[2003]], there was widespread outrage and condemnation when the [[Spanish]] Civil Guard closed down the offices of [[Egunkaria]], the only [[Basque]] [[language]] newspaper, and arrested its staff, with allegations of collaboration with the terrorist [[Basque]] seperatist movement, [[ETA]]. |
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Even though the opinions of the owners are often relegated to the [[editorial|''editorial'']] section, and the opinions of the readers are in the [[op-ed|''op-ed'']] ("opposite the editorial page") and [[letter to the editor|''letters to the editors'']] sections of the paper, newspapers have been used for political purposes by insinuating some kind of bias outside of the editorial section and into straight ''news''. For example, ''The New York Times'' is often criticised for a [[left-wing politics|leftist]] slant to its stories, or, by others, for supporting the American political establishment in nearly all cases, whereas ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'' has a history of emphasising the position of the [[right-wing politics|right]]. |
Even though the opinions of the owners are often relegated to the [[editorial|''editorial'']] section, and the opinions of the readers are in the [[op-ed|''op-ed'']] ("opposite the editorial page") and [[letter to the editor|''letters to the editors'']] sections of the paper, newspapers have been used for political purposes by insinuating some kind of bias outside of the editorial section and into straight ''news''. For example, ''The New York Times'' is often criticised for a [[left-wing politics|leftist]] slant to its stories, or, by others, for supporting the American political establishment in nearly all cases, whereas ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'' has a history of emphasising the position of the [[right-wing politics|right]]. |
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Revision as of 16:44, 7 March 2006
A newspaper is a publication containing news and information and advertising, usually printed on low-cost paper called newsprint. It may be general or special interest, most often published daily or weekly. The first printed newspaper was published in 1605, and the form thrived even in the face of competition from technologies such as radio and television. Recent developments on the Internet are posing major threats to its business model, however: Paid circulation is declining in most countries, and advertising revenue, which makes up the bulk of a newspaper's income, is shifting from print to online sources.
Overview
General-interest newspapers are usually journals of current news. Those can include political events, crime, business, culture, sports, and opinions (either editorials, columns, or political cartoons). Many also include weather news and forecasts. Newspapers use photographs to illustrate stories; use editorial cartoonists, usually to illustrate writing that is opinion, rather than news; and also often include comic strips and other entertainment, such as crosswords and horoscopes.
A daily newspaper is issued every day, often with the exception of Sundays and some national holidays. Saturday, and where they exist Sunday, editions of daily newspapers tend to be larger, include more specialized sections, and cost more.
Weekly newspapers are also common and tend to be smaller and less prestigious than daily papers. However, those Sunday newspapers that do not have weekday editions are not considered to be weekly newspapers, and are generally equivalent in size and prestige to daily newspapers.
Most nations have at least one newspaper that circulates throughout the whole country: a national newspaper, as contrasted with a local newspaper serving a city or region. In the United States and Canada, there are few truly national newspapers, with the notable exceptions of USA Today in the US and The Globe and Mail and The National Post in Canada. Large metropolitan newspapers with expanded distribution networks such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Toronto Star can fill the role of de facto national newspapers. In the United Kingdom, there are numerous national newspapers, including The Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian, The Observer, The Daily Mail, The Sun, The Daily Mirror and The Daily Express.
The owner of the newspaper, or person in charge, is the publisher. The person responsible for content is the editor, editor in chief, or executive editor.
Newspapers have been developed around very narrow topic areas, such as news for merchants in a specific industry, fans of particular sports, fans of the arts or of specific artists, and participants in the same sorts of activities or lifestyles.
Newspapers often refine distribution of ads and news through zoning and editioning.
Zoning occurs when advertising and editorial content change to reflect the location to which the product is delivered. The editorial content often may change merely to reflect changes in advertising - the quantity and layout of which affects the space available for editorial - or may contain region-specific news. In rare instances (e.g. Thursday school lunch menus) the advertising may not change from one zone to another, but there will be different region-specific editorial content. As the content can vary widely, zoned editions are often produced in parallel.
Editioning, also known as editionising, occurs in the main sections as news is updated throughout the night. The advertising is usually the same in each edition (with the exception of zoned regionals, in which it is often the 'B' section of local news that undergoes advertising changes). As each edition represents the latest news available for the next press run, these editions are produced linearly, with one completed edition being copied and updated for the next edition. The previous edition is always copied to maintain a Newspaper of Record and to fall back on if a quick correction is needed for the press.
Format
Most modern newspapers are in one of three sizes:
- Broadsheets: 600mm by 380mm (23½ by 15 inches), generally associated with more intellectual newspapers, although a trend towards 'compact' newspapers is changing this.
- Tabloids: half the size of broadsheets at 380mm by 300mm (15 by 11¾ inches), and often perceived as sensationalist in contrast to broadsheets.
- Berliner or Midi: 470mm by 315mm (18½ by 12¼ inches) used by European papers such as Le Monde in France, La Stampa in Italy or, from 12 September 2005, The Guardian in the United Kingdom.
Newspapers are usually printed on inexpensive, off-white paper known as newsprint. Since the 1980s, the newspaper industry has largely moved away from lower-quality letterpress printing to higher-quality, four-color process, offset printing. In addition, desktop computers, word processing software, graphics software, digital cameras and digital prepress and typesetting technologies have revolutionized the newspaper production process. These technologies have enabled newspaper to make publish color photographs and graphics, as well as innovative layouts and better design.
To help their titles stand out on newsstands, some newspapers are printed on coloured newsprint. For example, the Financial Times is printed on a distinctive salmon pink paper, the Italian sports newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport is printed on pink paper, while L'Équipe (formerly L'Auto) is printed on yellow paper. Both the latter promoted major cycling races and their newsprint colours were reflected in the colours of the jerseys used to denote the race leader; thus, the leader in the Giro d'Italia wears a pink jersey, while the Tour de France leader wears a yellow jersey, or maillot jaune.
Circulation and readership
The number of copies distributed, either on an average day or on particular days (typically Sunday) is called the newspaper's circulation, and is one of the principal factors used to set advertising rates. Circulation is not necessary the same as copies sold, since some copies or newspapers are distributed without cost. Readership figures are higher than circulation figures because many copies are read by more than one person.
According to United Nations data from 1995 Japan has three daily papers - the Asahi Shimbun, Mainichi Shimbun and Yomiuri Shimbun - with circulations well above 4 million. Germany's Bild, with a circulation of 4.5 million, was the only other paper in that category.
In the United Kingdom The Sun is the top seller, with around 3.2 million copies distributed daily (late-2004).
In India, The Times of India is the largest English newspaper with 2.14 million copies daily.
In the U.S., USA Today has a daily circulation of approximately 2 million, making it the most widely distributed paper in the U. S.
A common measure of a newspaper's health is market penetration. Market penetration is expressed as a percentage of households that receive a copy of the newspaper against the total number of households in the paper's market area. In the 1920s, on a national basis in the U.S., daily newspapers achieved market penetration of 130 percent (meaning the average U.S. household received 1.3 newspapers). As other media, such as radio and television, began to compete with newspapers, and as printing became easier and less expensive giving rise to a greater diversity of publications, market penetration began to decline. It wasn't until the early 1970s, however, that market penetration dipped below 100 percent. By 2000 it was 53 percent 1.
Advertising
Most newspapers make nearly all their money from advertising. The income from the customer's payment at the news-stand is small in comparison. For that reason newspapers are not expensive to buy, and some (such as AM New York) are free. The portion of the newspaper that is not advertising is called editorial content, editorial matter, or simply editorial, although the last term is also used to refer specifically to those articles in which the newspaper expresses its opinions.
Publishers of commercial newspapers strive for higher circulation so that advertising in their newspaper becomes more effective, allowing the newspaper to attract more advertisers and charge more for the service. But some advertising sales also market demographics: some newspapers might sacrifice higher circulation numbers in favor of an audience with a higher income.
Many paid-for newspapers offer a variety of subscription plans. For example, someone might only want a Sunday paper, or perhaps only Sunday and Saturday, or maybe only a workweek subscription, or perhaps a daily subscription.
Some newspapers provide some or all of their content on the Internet, either at no cost or for a fee. In some cases free access is only available for a matter of days or weeks, after which readers must register and provide personal data. In other cases, free archives are provided.
Newspaper journalism
Since newspapers began as a journal (record of current events), the profession involved in the making of newspapers began to be called journalism. Much emphasis has been placed upon the accuracy and fairness of the journalist - see Ethics.
In the yellow journalism era of the 19th century, many newspapers in the United States relied on sensational stories that were meant to anger or excite the public, rather than to inform. The more restrained style of reporting that relies on fact checking and accuracy regained popularity around World War II.
Criticism of journalism is varied and sometimes vehement. Credibility is questioned because of anonymous sources; errors in facts, spelling, and grammar; real or perceived bias; and scandals involving plagiarism and fabrication.
In the past newspapers have often been owned by so-called press barons, and were used either as a rich man's toy, or a political tool. More recently in the United States, a greater number of newspapers (and all of the largest ones) are being run by large media corporations such as Gannett (the largest in the United States), Cox, Knight Ridder, LandMark, Morris Corp., The Tribune Company, etc. Many industry watchers have concerns that the growing need for profit growth natural to corporations will have a negative impact on the overall quality of journalism.
There is no doubt, however, that newpapers have, in the modern world, played an important role in the exercise of freedom of expression. Whistle-blowers, and those who 'leak' stories of corruption in political circles often choose to inform newspapers before other mediums of communication, relying on the perceived willingness of newspaper editors to expose the secrets and lies of those who would reather cover them. However, there have been many circumstances of the political autonomy of newspapers being curtailed. In 2003, there was widespread outrage and condemnation when the Spanish Civil Guard closed down the offices of Egunkaria, the only Basque language newspaper, and arrested its staff, with allegations of collaboration with the terrorist Basque seperatist movement, ETA.
Even though the opinions of the owners are often relegated to the editorial section, and the opinions of the readers are in the op-ed ("opposite the editorial page") and letters to the editors sections of the paper, newspapers have been used for political purposes by insinuating some kind of bias outside of the editorial section and into straight news. For example, The New York Times is often criticised for a leftist slant to its stories, or, by others, for supporting the American political establishment in nearly all cases, whereas The Wall Street Journal has a history of emphasising the position of the right.
Some ways newspapers have tried to improve their credibility are: appointing ombudsmen, developing ethics policies and training, using more stringent corrections policies, communicating their processes and rationale with readers, and asking sources to review articles after publication. Many larger newspapers are now using more aggressive random fact-checking to further improve the chances that false information will be found before it is printed.
The future of newspapers
The future of newspapers is cloudy, with overall readership slowly declining in most developed countries due to increasing competition from television and the Internet. The 57th annual World Newspaper Congress, held in Istanbul in June 2004, reported circulation increases in only 35 of 208 countries studied. Most of the increase came in developing countries, notably China.
A report at the gathering indicated that China tops total newspaper circulation, with more than 85 million copies of papers sold every day, followed by India with 72 million—China and India are the two most populous countries in the world—followed by Japan with 70 million and the United States with 55 million. The report said circulation declined by an average of 2.2 percent across 13 of the 15 countries that made up the European Union before May 1. The biggest declines were in Ireland, down 7.8 percent; Britain, down 4.7 percent; and Portugal, where numbers fell by 4.0 percent. One growth area is the distribution of free newspapers, which are not reflected in the above circulation data. Led by the Metro chain of newspapers, they grew 16 percent in 2003.
Another growth area is high-quality tabloids, particularly in the UK, where several of the major broadsheets are experimenting with the format (see "Switch to smaller sizes"). Smaller and easier to hold than broadsheets, but presenting serious journalism rather than traditional tabloid fodder, they appear to have drawn some younger readers who are otherwise abandoning newspapers.
Newspapers also face increased competition from the Internet for classified ads, especially for jobs, real estate, and cars, which have long been a key source of revenue.
However, many believe that the Internet can itself be used to newspapers' advantage. For instance, it allows newspapers to effectively compete with broadcast journalism in presenting breaking news online in a more timely manner than printing allows. The credibility and strong brand recognition of well-established newspapers, and the close relationships they have with advertisers (particularly in the case of local newspapers), are also seen by many in the newspaper industry as strengthening their chances of survival.
Responses to this sea-change in the competitive environment have varied. Some newspapers have attempted to integrate the Internet into every aspect of their operations, for example with reporters writing stories for both print and online, and classified advertisements appearing in both media; others operate Websites that are more distinct from the printed newspaper.
Newspapers in different countries
See also
- Alternative weekly
- Canadian Journalists for Free Expression
- Freedom of the press
- Graphic design
- Gazette
- History of British newspapers
- History of American newspapers
- International Freedom of Expression Exchange
- Journalism
- Journalism history
- List of journalism topics
- List of newspapers (by country)
- List of common newspaper names
- Magazine
- Mass media
- Muckraker
- News design
- Newspaper circulation
- Newspaper archives online
- Newspapers on demand
- Photojournalism
- Printing
- Propaganda model
- School newspaper
- Underground press
- Weekly newspaper
External links to lists of newspapers
- AllYouCanRead.com - 23,000 Newspapers and Magazines from 200 Countries
- Newspapers List Worldwide
- Turkish Newspapers