Do you think the following are true (T) or false (F)?

British people read a lot of newspapers
Broadsheets are more popular than tabloids
Advertising MAKES you buy things?
More boys than girls buy magazines in Britain

More newspapers are sold in Britain per person than in most other European country-More Britons (48%) read a newspaper every day than the EU average, 40%.
But the Swedes in Sweden read more newspapers than anyone (72%), (A non-European country).
In Britain, 75% of people over 15 read a newspaper. National newspapers have a circulation (sell) of 13 million everyday, and 17 million at the weekend. The readership (the number of people who read the newspapers) is twice the number if people who buy them (why do you think this is so?).

The popular newspapers, (or tabloids) are mainly read by working class people, (they are like sports newspapers in Japan), and the ‘quality newspapers’ (or broadsheets) are read mainly by middle class people. The ‘contents’ (the stories) of the newspapers are very different. Long and short versions of the same stories or completely different stories. There are completely different topics as well, scandal and Hollywood news in the tabloids, and political analysis and world news in the broadsheets.
There are many newspapers but very few owners. All the newspapers are owned by only one or two people, or even only by one person. The most powerful ‘media tycoon’ in Britain is the Australian Rupert Murdoch. Think of computer companies, like Microsoft and Bill Gates. Rupert Murdoch owns the Mirror group, which owns the Times, The Sun and the News of the World, and, B sky B satellite television (and he also used to own 8.1% Sky Perfect, in Japan until 2003).
Rupert Murdoch owns both working class and middle class newspapers. However, the Mirror group promotes a strong right wing line of thinking, one of its famous front page headlines in the Sun, the day before the general election was…

Vote Tory

‘Tory’ is the other name of the Conservative Party. There are two main parties in Britain, the Conservative Party (led by David Cameron) and the labour Party led by Gordon Brown, so his newspaper wanted everybody to vote for the Conservative party. This shows a clear preference or ‘bias’ of views by the newspaper. Margaret Thatcher, of the Conservative Party (right wing) won that election. Although the Sun changed to support Tony Blair later, and Tony Blair won that election (for the Labour Party is left wing). Private ownership affects the political viewpoints of the newspapers and until the 1990’s 70% of the newspapers supported the conservative government. Among the tabloids, ONLY The Daily Mirror expresses a left of centre view, and among the broadsheets ONLY The Guardian and The Observer express left of centre views.

What we read in the newspaper, what we hear on television affects our thinking: Do you agree?

An example of bias in the newspaper would be a debate on the death penalty in parliament. There is no death penalty in Britain, and the left wing newspapers would say why it is wrong. The right wing newspapers would say why Britain needs the death penalty. The majority are right wing newspapers so the majority of information about the death penalty would be about why the death penalty is necessary. In fact left wing people choose their newspapers very carefully and would never read the ‘conservative press’.

 “It was in the newspaper, it must be true!”

(=just because it is in the newspaper, this does not mean that I believe it).

This is a kind of joke which many (typically left wing people) British people make about the news they read in the newspaper. It means that they know that what they read may not be true, but may be what the newspaper wants them to believe. Interestingly enough, according to a recent EU survey, British newspapers are not trusted by their readers. Far less than any other country in the European Union, (The Guardian, 2002).

• The trust in newspapers in Britain was only 20%, (the EU average was 46%).
• 75% said they ‘did not to trust’ the written press.
• In Italy the trust was 39%.
• Belgium has the highest level of trust at 60%.

Do you believe all the news in the newspapers in Japan? Are all the stories true? Are the stories fair (equal)?

Why should newspapers tell you only some information and not all information? Because they are businesses, and they need to make money from advertising. Businesses are always conservative, and are closer to the Conservative government than the Labour government.
So, for example if a newspaper says that people who work in Toyota factories should get more money then Toyota might get angry, and stop advertising its cars in that newspaper. So the newspaper would not print such a story.

The Media Test

Many people think that the stories you hear on the news and read in the media many people believe shape our thinking, and help make us what we are. This may have a negative side. Do you agree?

Ask you neighbour……..
Why do people buy Louis Vuitton bags?
a) Because Louis Vuitton bags are good quality.
b) Because Louis Vuitton is a nice name.
c) Because they see pictures in magazines of beautiful and happy women with Louis Vuitton bags.  They think of they buy a Louis Vuitton bag they will be happy and beautiful.
d) Any other reasons........?

Television and the Radio

How much television do you watch a week?
What do you usually watch? What about your family?

Television is the most popular form of entertainment in Britain. People watch an average of 3.5 hours everyday (1995) (about 7 hours a day in America. Until 1997 there were only four 'terrestrial channels' to choose from. BBC1, BBC2, ITV (independent) and Channel 4 (independent). Now there is Channel 5 as well, since 1982. Satellite programmes started in 1989. The biggest is B Sky B, with 7 million members, owned by Rupert Murdoch.

The BBC

British people like the BBC or ‘the beeb’ as we call it. We are very proud of the BBC. It is VERY GOOD television. The BBC (the British Broadcasting Corporation) was set up by the government. In 1936.  The BBC has no commercials. Until 1955 there was only the BBC. In 1955 independent commercial television began, (private channels with commercials). The BBC also has radio stations, Radio 1, Radio 2, Radio 3, Radio 4 and Radio 5, each with a different music/ news/sport/drama/comedy focus. My favourite is radio 4, news, art and documentaries. Many people prefer the radio to the television in Britain and listen to the radio (e.g. Radio 4) all day long.

The BBC gets its money from the television license which everybody has to buy in Britain, even if you say that you do not watch the BBC, you still have to buy a license. People come to check on you (like Japan), and there are yellow vans which drive around trying to find people who are watching television without a license. Sometimes you can see them. There are no adverts on the BBC which means no advertisers.

The most important thing about British Television is the quality. For me, and many other people, it is the best in the world. Mainly due to the fact that invents new styles (comedy, drama), and takes risks. The Muppets started in Britain because it was rejected by the stations in America. For Drama, comedy, and documentaries Britain is a world leader, and the BBC sell many of its programmes and makes money this way as well.

By the way..PODCASTS. If you are interested in listening to British radio you can download the podcasts, or listen live on the internet.

The Soaps

British people love soap operas. These are like shufu dramas. Light stories about families usually on television at about 1.00 p.m. in the afternoon.  They run for many years, 20-40 years, (like Sazai san). Many of them such as Neighbours, are from Australia, and this is very popular with university students. One such long runner, Coronation Street, started in 1960 and is set in a working class area of Manchester.
Note that in your book on page 56, it says ‘a working-class area’. This shows that British people do think terms of class. What information can you find with a partner?

Conclusion

So why does the media matter?

The media is one of the most important sources people have for gaining information about what's going on in the world-not just in official politics, but also about how society is developing, what problems exist, and what possibilities seem open for changing things.

Imagine an African country or China where the government is corrupt, or worse.....

'There are two sides to every story'.

The media are important for democracy. If people have information about the world, and different opinions aboutJapan or Britain, they can have an opinion.

Are the media in Britain biased?

Some people say ‘of course’, and some newspapers are even considered to be racist (The Mail and the Sun are said by many to be against refugees). But the bias can go deeper. Some people say that the topics covered by TV and newspapers and magazines usually only show the ‘good life’.

And they say that the media only focus on the government’s views, not on different views, and on celebrities more than on crime and daily struggle. Think about the role of talentos in Japan. There are not so many programmes which ask: Why are there only a few women company bosses? Why do people have to work overtime with no money? These stories are ‘not news’ People do not want to read about peoples’ problems they say. But what if we read about the small problems in our countries, would things change? Maybe.