National and local newspapers

In Britain there are 10 national daily newspapers and most people read one of them every day.  There are two kinds of newspaper.  One is large in size and has many detailed articles about national and international events.  There newspapers are called the serious papers or the quality papers.  The other kind,, called the tabloids are smaller in size, have more pictures, often in colour, and shorter articles, often about less important events or about the private lives of well-known people.  Although some people disapprove of the tabloids, more people buy them than buy the serious newspapers.  The Sun, for example, which is a tabloid, is the biggest newspaper in Britain.  People who disapprove of the tabloids very strongly sometimes call them the gutter press.

There are daily or weekly newspapers in all parts of Britain which 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 neighbourhood, including, for example, information about local people who have been married or died recently.  National papers generally given information about film, concerts and other events happening in London.  In Scotland, many people read the Glasgow Herald or the Scotsman (serious newspapers) and there are Scottish editions (= newspapers with special news for Scotland) of the tabloids.

There are also many free local newspapers which are delivered to people’s homes whether they ask for them or not.  These contain a lot of advertisements and also some news.
 

Politics

Most national newspapers in Britain express a political opinion and people choose the newspaper that they read according to their own political beliefs.  Most of the newspapers are right-wing.  These are the Daily Telegraph (serious newspaper), the Daily Express, Daily Mail, Daily Star and the Sun (all tabloids).  Or the other serious newspapers, The Times, the oldest newspaper in Britain, did not formerly have one
strong political view but it is now more right-wing.  The Guardian is slightly left-wing.  The Independent does not support any one political party, and neither does the Financial Times, which concentrates on business and financial news.  The Daily Mirror (tabloid) is left-wing.
 

Daily and Sunday newspapers

Daily newspapers are published on every day of the week except Sunday.  Sunday newspapers are larger than daily newspapers, often having 2 or 3 sections.  There is also often a magazine, called the colour supplement.  All the Sunday newspapers are national.  Serious newspapers include the Observer (which is slightly left-wing), the Sunday Times, the Sunday Telegraph and the Independent on Sunday, the Sunday Mirror, the Sunday Express, the News of the World (right-wing and known for containing stories about sex and scandal) and the Sunday Sport which is considered to lack much serious information.