Course: The Society and Culture of Major English-speaking Countries Instructor: Mr.

Zhang 2004-1-8

Newspapers in Britain and the USA

Outline A. Introduction: my intention B. Body: a. Early newspapers in Britain and the USA b. Daily newspapers in Britain c. Daily newspapers in the USA d. Sunday newspapers in Britain and the USA C. Conclusion: my understanding D. Reference.

From: Class 2, Grade 1 010214210

The American humorist, Will Rogers, used to say, All I know is what I read in the newspaper. This was an exaggeration for humorous purpose, but it is true that reading newspapers can widen our scope of knowledge, enrich us with common sense, and improve English-learners competence, thus I took the the Reading Course in American and British News Publications this semester. Getting more familiar with newspapers reading, I decide to make a comparison of newspapers in Britain and the USA for this course paper. Early newspapers in Britain and the USA The United Kingdom has one of the worlds oldest established newspaper industries, which can be dated back to the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century when the British economy began to industrialize and the democratic franchise was extended to larger segments of the population and the rising literacy levels resulted form the introduction of mass education did great contribute to the appearance of

more and more newspapers. But according to the Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition (2001), the first daily paper in England was the Daily Courant (1702). While in the United States, 82 years later, the first daily, the Pennsylvania Packet and General Advertiser, appeared in Philadelphia. Daily newspapers in Britain There are now more than 1400 different newspapers that cater for all walks of life, among which there are about 130 daily newspapers and 11 of them are delivered nationwide. 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 popular papers or the tabloids is smaller in size, have more pictures, often in color, 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. For most British people, most days starts with a look at the morning newspaper. On an average day, 90 per cent of Britons over the age of 15 read a national or local paper, which makes British newspaper culture differ from American newspaper culture where newspaper reading is mainly middle-class habit. Therefore, Britain has one of the highest levels of newspaper sales per head of population. And newspaper plays an important role, together with other means of media, in producing a national culture. People from different parts of the country all share the same experience. Even though they might live on the coast of Scotland or in Belfast or in London or in Welsh, if they were to meet, they could discuss what they had read or seen and this would remind them that as people living in Britain they are all part of a particular culture. Besides, there are daily newspapers in all parts of Britain that 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). Daily newspapers in the USA There are more than 1500 daily newspapers in the US, of which fewer are available throughout the whole country, USA today and the National edition of the New York Times and the Christian Science Monitor, to name just a few. Another two newspapers, the Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post are know and respected all over the US but cannot be bought everywhere. Some other important newspapers are: the Boston Globe, sold in New England, the Chicago Tribune, sold in the Midwest, and the Washington Post on the East Coast. So, people from different parts of this vast land might not be able to talk as the Britons do without difficulty in discussing the news issues from the papers they read. In larger cities there is often more than one newspaper and the different ones express different political opinions.

As the U.S. population in the latter half of the 20th cent has shifted from cities to suburbs, and with the growth in competition from other media, many large city newspapers have had to cease publication, merge with their competitors, or be taken over by a chain of newspaper publishers. And in the 1960s a group of newspapers began to appear that were later called in alternative press. They expressed extreme political opinions, especially left-wing opinion. Many of the newspapers, which were part of this movement, such as the Village Voice in New York or the Reader in Chicago, are less extreme today and more widely read. One more thing that is unique to the newspaper in the USA is that a number of American newspapers are published in languages other than English. An example of a foreign-language paper published in an urban area is El Dirio in New York.. This, to some extend, reflects Americans melting pot characteristics. The population of the United States includes a large variety of ethnic groups coming from many races, nationalities, and religions. Sunday newspapers in Britain and the USA
Daily newspapers are published on every day of the week except Sunday in Britain. Sunday newspapers are larger than daily newspapers, often having 2 or 3 sections. There is also other a magazine, called the color supplement. All the Sunday newspapers are national Serious newspapers include the Observer, the Sunday Times, the Sunday Telegraph and the Independent on Sunday, the Sunday Mirror, the Sunday Express, the News of the World and the Sunday Sport which is considered to lack much serious information. And in the USA, Sunday newspapers are more or less the same. Sunday newspapers, which are delivered on Sunday as well, are

very big, often having several separate parts. They contain many longer articles and a lot of advertisements. Each section deals with a different subject. E.g. national and international news, sport, travel, etc. One section, the classifieds has advertisements for jobs and things for sale. Another section is called the funnies. There is often also a magazine, which is in color. In conclusion, British newspapers succeed in engendering a national culture while American newspapers display its countrys multicultural characteristics. And both of these two developed countries have long established it newspaper industries and people are always choosing to read the newspaper according to their own taste and political beliefs and most of the readers have the strong awareness of what their governments are doing and the problems their countries my be facing and they are completely free to express their own opinions all the time.

Reference:
. John hill and others. An Introduction to The Society and Culture of Major English-Speaking Countries. Book One.( ). 1997. Newspaper. The Columbia Encyclopedia, sixth edition. 2001.

 2000,Newspapers in Britain and the USA