How much influence does the press really have?
Just one daily national title bucked the trend last year by increasing circulation - and all their sales are generally reducing year by year. Or do people register online and now read their 'morning paper' that way?
Daily titles Avg circ, December 2014 Y/y % change
Daily Mirror 912,291 -5.49
Daily Record 201,089 -10.39
Daily Star 426,300 -13.31
The Sun 1,892,207 -7.42
Daily Express 455,590 -9.27
Daily Mail 1,648,853 -5.29
The Daily Telegraph 485,513 -10.17
Financial Times 215,429 -8.92
The Guardian 177,880 -12.40
i 278,101 -4.92
The Independent 60,463 -10.11
The Times 390,765 1.64
So do newspapers significantly influence peoples attitudes, or do we buy the paper that most represents our views in the first place?
Comments
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I think its not just 'sales' figures, but the number of people who read them.
for instance someone in the office always buys the Sun, everyone slates him etc.....................but everyone wants a read of it !0 -
I think that newspapers have far less power than some people make out. Look at the demise of the NOTW to see how easily they can crumble.
People who bang on about the right-wing press generally do so to avoid having to consider whether there are other reasons as to why their ideologies don't gain any traction with the voters.3 -
Sterling sold for £49 million... I think the press definitely have an influence.1
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Funny how people who dismiss the influence the largely tory press then get their knickers in a twist about the supposed lefty influence of the BBC.
: - )
PS I read the Sunday Times partly because it doesn't reflect my socio - political views10 -
I have a choice which if any paper I buy. But I have to pay for the BBC3
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We'd all like to think we're above being influenced, but that's the beauty of it. We largely don't realise it is happening.3
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Tight sod as ever, NormanNorman_Smith said:I have a choice which if any paper I buy. But I have to pay for the BBC
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You'd be better off looking at NRS figures (readership) rather than ABC (circulation). The figure you've quoted is also likely to just cover dailies (Mon-Fri). Out of the list, despite a declining market in general, those most associated as Tory papers have higher circulation and readership anyway, so if any newspaper / newspaper group is going to influence views then they have a bigger share to be able to do so. You've also haven't taken online visits into consideration or social media impacts.Addickted said:A lot is made of the 'influence' of the Tory press or the Guardanistas on this site. As someone who always used to buy a daily paper and now cannot remember the last one I did buy, does the press really influence people as much now as, say 20 years ago, politically?
Just one daily national title bucked the trend last year by increasing circulation - and all their sales are generally reducing year by year. Or do people register online and now read their 'morning paper' that way?
Daily titles Avg circ, December 2014 Y/y % change
Daily Mirror 912,291 -5.49
Daily Record 201,089 -10.39
Daily Star 426,300 -13.31
The Sun 1,892,207 -7.42
Daily Express 455,590 -9.27
Daily Mail 1,648,853 -5.29
The Daily Telegraph 485,513 -10.17
Financial Times 215,429 -8.92
The Guardian 177,880 -12.40
i 278,101 -4.92
The Independent 60,463 -10.11
The Times 390,765 1.64
So do newspapers significantly influence peoples attitudes, or do we buy the paper that most represents our views in the first place?0 -
I am purely influenced by this site, i am basically the political love child of @brogib and @Henryirving24
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websites, especially the BBC have become important news outlets with up to the minute reports .. the BBC site is getting more 'redtop' by the week, it is vital that the BBC remains neutral and a commentator rather than 'opinion maker' ..
newspapers are becoming more like magazines filled with articles and opinions as well as 'uncovering scandal and crime' .. they have become expensive, a newspaper a day over a year is the price of a (cheap) weekend away0 -
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Online presence from each of these papers are huge as well, so don't think just simply taking circulation into account is truly accurate anymore.1
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I've grown up (well 27 now), in the generation where news among my age group is based on things that are distributed online through social media more often than not. A quick flick through my Facebook news feed will show that the majority of people my age who I went to University with often shout from the rooftops about 'out of the box thinking' articles by The Guardian.
I do think it has an influence, its just delivered by a far different means than it was years ago.0 -
Henry Irving said:
Funny how people who dismiss the influence the largely tory press then get their knickers in a twist about the supposed lefty influence of the BBC.
blockquote>
Yes, most peculiar that. I am sure there is a perfectly logical explanation...
The press influence cannot be overstated. Be it on line or printed. You only have to look at some of the balls stated as fact on all kinds social media that comes from manipulated, one sided press coverage of events of all kinds. Or indeed in the pub or workplace for that matter.3 -
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It suggests here that the BBC are paying you:Norman_Smith said:I have a choice which if any paper I buy. But I have to pay for the BBC
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Smith_(journalist)3 -
Is that the way to shoot armadillo?Addickted said:Some right junk here..... "Bullet aimed at armadillo hits gunman".
http://algarvedailynews.com/
Every night he's hugging his hospital pillow
Sha la la la la lal la1 -
The answer to this lies in the readers disposition to Confirmation Bias. Some readers will be more likely to be influenced than others depending on a number of factors such as accessibility to other sources of information, personal experience and even any basic awareness of the fact that their views are being deliberately influenced.
We see it all the time on here on threads from whether Church is a crap striker or not, through to how much bin men get paid, whether the public sector needs putting back in its box, if George Osborne has met any of his own targets and all the other political stuff...
We all have Confirmation Bias to one extent or another because we all have theories and views as to why stuff happens. We are all hard wired take more note of 'evidence' that seemingly supports these views, than that that doesn't. We even go as far as to disregard completely or at least downplay proven, empirical, hard facts if they don't fit our existing theories i.e. Church plays international football...oh...er...maybe not the best example, but you get the picture.
The newspapers know this and have been trading on this for decades. My dad gets ALL his political views confirmed to him from reading a certain newspaper. Even when I point out the "fact" he is using to back up his opinion or view is utterly wrong, overly simplistic, out of date, not news but an opinion, etc, etc, he refuses to accept this because it's a challenge to his Confirmation Bias.
Basically the most successful news media outlets are those that are the best at feeding back the existing views of their readers and they remain hugely influential IMO.
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You've not been hiring Henry at all have you?Bournemouth Addick said:The answer to this lies in the readers disposition to Confirmation Bias.
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Ha, ha, is that one of his sessions?Addickted said:
You've not been hiring Henry at all have you?Bournemouth Addick said:The answer to this lies in the readers disposition to Confirmation Bias.
It's actually a really interesting subject and our own Confirmation Bias is pretty vital to be aware of in some jobs. For example it's the reason the Yorkshire Ripper got away with it for so long (you'll remember the top copper on that job was convinced the offender was from Wearside and completely took his eye of the ball).0 -
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Their influence is in setting the agenda.
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Murdoch makes one piffling yet much-ballyhooed sacrifice, claims to have sorted his house out. The Sun starts selling on Sunday. Fuck's sake.Fiiish said:I think that newspapers have far less power than some people make out. Look at the demise of the NOTW to see how easily they can crumble.
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I really shouldn't respond to this sort of shit trolling. Fiiish has the gift, what can I say.0
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I very much doubt a green voter would be reading the daily mail, so it deffinitely relates some how0
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Sales might be down but how many people read the news from their smart phone or tablet?
Not enough people read a wide enough range of media, so I think the press have a huge influence.
The fact the Sun and Mail are the to highest sellers is quite worrying.3 -
I'm a Green voter who will sometimes read a DM Online article if it's relevant to my interests and is linked on a webforum thread I'm reading, tbf0
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Wait, people actually read all that boring bollocks in the paper between the pictures of tits and the sport section?
Weirdos.0 -
clearly by the amount of people who believe everything the daily mail prints, quite a lot.0
