The National Press

Having failed to get two Cotswold Green Pary press releases printed in our local paper - The Wilts and Glos Standard - I have been thinking about newspapers in general.  Indeed previous blogs on this site have centred on creating an alternative press and the power of the media.

I get my news from the Guardian and BBC websites and today at 9.00am the main headlines were as follows: 
The BBC website:

• Assad in Surprise visit to Moscow
• China to sign nuclear plant deal
• Canada to withdraw jets from IS battle
• Hosptials to get own savings targets
• Term-time fines 'unworkable'
• 70% in work scheme 'don't get jobs'

The Guardian website:

• XI Jinping/Nuclear deal announcement anticipated on day 2 of state visit
• Sugar tax could help solve Britain's obesity crisis, expert tells MPs
• Number of London's 'working poor' surges 70% in 10 years
• Naked 'tombstoning' advert for Hostelworld banned - as too dangerous
• Refugee boats wash up at UK military base in Cyprus
• Schools 'should be able to approve family holidays in term time'
• Tax credit cuts: Lords forced to back down as Tory rebellion grows
• Junior doctors/Seven in 10 to leave NHS if Hunt pushes through new contract
• Fears of a Christmas Lego shortage

From these two sources I felt reasonably well informed on world and national news.

I wondered what readers of other news websites would have seen at the same time so turned to - 
The Sun website:

• Singer George's rehab boost: Is he rake-in the Michael?
• Schoolboy's 'lets get naughty' lies ruined my life, says mum
• HeX Faxtor: 'Ghost' spooks Simon's team at haunted castle
• Suspected serial killer appeared on TV show
• Vaping burned a hole in my lungs
• My skin turned black after I overdosed on tanning jabs

Only after all this do we get:
Term time holiday fines for parents treble to over 50,000
Desperate GPs refuse to take new patients
Hammond: Saudis won't lash grandad

So it seems the readers were advised of the dangers of tanning parlours and taking drugs, but not much else.

Next stop The Telegraph website:

• Corbyn shakes the Queen's hand at state banquet, as UK seeks to secure £30bn Chinese Investment
• 'So unfair': World Rugby has hung referee Craig Joubert 'out to dry'
• Diamond Duchess meets Xi at the banquet - for Balmoral venison, and music by the Beatles
• Back to the Future Day
• Go teetotal to reduce dementia risks, NHS says
• Hundreds of migrants arrive in boats at Cyprus RAF base
• Worldwide Lego shortage

So a better coverage of news, but with a rightwing stance mocking Corbyn and no mention of topics embarrasing for the tories like tax credit cuts or junior doctors.

My last stop was the Daily Express website:

•  Millions face threat to retirement income after calls to slash pension payouts
•  Kate dazzles as she wears Queen Mother's old tiara to her first British State banquet
•  Horror as Christian migrant 'brutally beaten with baton in refugee camp'

I was almost impressed by the third headline, but decided to look at the article behind it and discovered it was really an anti-muslim migrant post - 'A MIGRANT was allegedly beaten inside a refugee camp in a brutal attack – for converting to Christianity.The 24-year-old was beaten with a baton by an Afghan man, who declared his conversion was a "sin", according to police.'

So to conclude, I admit I only looked at the headlines and on most occasions did not read the actual articles, but no wonder the population is so ill-informed of what goes on in the world.

We need to change this so that people can vote for political parties and policies from a sound knowledge base. This is an area where the Green Party and other progressive organisations must make a breakthrough somehow.