Who would happily be defined by their choice of paper?

[Otta]

Quids and SJ's regular little digs at each other are sort of amusing in a slightly uncomfortable way. Quids often refers to "Guardian Readers" as a label for what I guess he sees as soft lefty liberals. I sometimes agree with his stance and sometimes don't.

Anyway, my point is, are there people out there who genuinely see THEMSELVES as a "Guardian Reader", or indeed a "Nameofanypaper Reader" in that they feel that the paper they read goes some way to defining them as a person?

I don't personally read the papers, but I guess if I did, The Guardian would be closest to my political views, but I find all newspapers really annoying. I find most columnists just smug in their comfort zone.

Not quite sure where I'm going with this, just Quids' use of the term, and other forumite's (not always SJ) responses, which suggest they feel that Quids is talking about them.

[HonaloochieB]

Does the NME count? Cause I use it.

[Bellenden Belle]

Thinking about this in the last twenty years I've lost track of how many different employers, houses, even boys I've had. I'm fickle and contrary - it's just the way I am.

And yet through it all I've read the Guardian. Don't know why I started - I come from a Sun/ Daily Mail reading family. But it's been a constant and so probably does define me in a certain way. It irritates me sometimes, bores me even - but when I flirt with other papers I always miss it.

I always check out what people are reading and I always feel slightly more comfortable when I see a guardian tucked under the arm. It's secret code for 'I'm a bleeding heart liberal who enjoys an organic crust too" and quite frankly I might as well embrace it, because after all these years it's the one certainty.

[Marmora Man]

Not, I hope, defined by my paper because I read many papers through the average week. However, would consider myself a broadsheet reader rather than a tabloid reader. Overall, I see more of the right of centre papers than left of centre (so Guardian / Times ratio probably close to 1 : 5) but generally an omnivore.

Not sure I could love anyone that defined themselves by their newspaper.

[El Pibe]

Oh to be able to sit and read a paper.

[Voyageur]

El Pibe Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Oh to be able to sit and read a paper.

Get your work life balance sorted - life's too short not to!

[malumbu]

Daily Mail = Daily Hate

Daily Express would be similar, but no one reads it

Buy the Grauniad for the TV guide on a Saturday.

Peed off with the increased price in the last couple of years

That 20p Indie looks good.

[woodrot]

I did a long stint of Guardin, as the postgrad common room of one of my universities has them for free each day.

The Times still produces good worldwide news copy, as does the Gaurdian- pretty consistantly. What kills me with the giardian is the comumnists- how do these people get away with it ? Guarden weekend pack, apart from the guide, makes me want to eviscerate myself in budgens

For the Lols, then you have to follow Melanie Phillips and Burchill, wherever they are.

[Bessie1974]

If the roads to hell are paved with good intentions, then the Guardian would be the ideal sat-nav to get you there.

Also these is something deeply disingenuous about harping against elitism but putting your own kids in private schools for example ( Poly Toinbee et al hope your Tuscan wine is to your taste).

[Otta]

woodrot Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

What kills me with the giardian is the comumnists

Exactly!

[Jeremy]

We all know people who smugly wave the guardian around in an effort to display their left wing credentials. But it kind of invites it by being a) the only mainstream left wing paper and b) the only broadsheet to wear it's political heart on its sleeve so prominently.

[Alan Medic]

Otta Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> woodrot Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> What kills me with the giardian is the comumnists

>

>

>

> Exactly!

Communists?

[Lilly Potes]

Hola Babe we are talking about the group Abba here hahaha you know about MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OR SHALL WE PAY AND LET THEM GO ......................... LIKE A GOOD FOOTBALL..........................................................

IF YOU DON'T PLAY RIGHT YOU CAN INJURE YOUR KNEE. GLAD TO READ A LOT OF LOVES AND CUDDLES ON MY FACE BOOK AND TWITTER AND MAMA MIA . HOW MANY OUT THERE READING THE SAME THING. I WISH I WAS FAMOUS LIKE NIGELLA LAWSON'S TO DO WHAT I WANT BUT UNFORTUNATLY IN MY CASE I HAVE TO FIND A NANNY JOB FIRST. :(

[PeckhamRose]

I read the Huffington Post. Happy to be defined by that. Mainly because I don't give a damn how people want to judge or define me. It's how they treat me that counts.

[HonaloochieB]

I get or take if you prefer, the Sunday Times, I don't read all of it, obviously, no one does, I get it for Ade Gill and a few others/features.

I'm aware that sometimes people point as I return from the newsagent and pass remarks such as 'Fat features', 'What an overblown article' and 'God, why would anyone want to give that house room?' I can regard them with pitying disdain, safe in the knowledge that many don't get us ST readers.

[Annette Curtain]

National Inquirer, but stapled into The Observer

[Salsaboy]

Saturday Times for me. No time in the week for anything.

[steveo]

Just porn for me

[uncleglen]

Private Eye

[StraferJack]

", but I find all newspapers really annoying. I find most columnists just smug in their comfort zone. "

on this point I'd have to partly disagree. Compared to TV news, which I almost literally cannot watch, newspapers (as a medium) are great.

I think they are in trouble and close to being a relic from a bygone age, but words will continue to matter even as images gain in currency

It is newspapers which have broken the sort of important stories that require investigation, leads, revelations (Telegraph and expenses scandal, Guardian and the newscorp/police/politicians collusion etc)

TV news just sort of shows things that are obviously happening

Columnists are what they are - there are only so many decent ones and they are spread thinly across all of the papers. But news alone, without opinion would make for a very dry read. And even the bad ones have to turn around a substantial amount of copy in a short space of time - with their mugshot attached it can look likey they are being smug, but it's a job

I started reading via newspapers (before books even) at a really young age and my regulars (in chronological order):

Cork Examiner (now gone national as Irish Examiner)

Today (before Murdoch took it over - at the time I had no knowledge of HIM but I immediately saw the paper I was reading turn to shite

Times/Telegraph for a few months (early days in UK I went from apolitical to not-rightwing-but -DEFINITELY-not-left-wing, to oh-tunrs-out-I-am-a-leftie-really)

Guardian

But I will read any of the "broadsheets" and with twitter being what it is, I tend to have a pretty even split of articles across the titles these days

I'm pretty close to abandoning a daily newspaper purchase - that feels wrong to me but there just isn't enough meat in any of them to justify me spending the cash. There has been a softening across all papers in terms of celeb/soft features as they try and attract more readers I understand the dilemma from an editorial point of view and I have no idea how they cope

I don't think as many people self-identify as "paper x" readers compared to how many people like to dismiss the views of others by painting them as "paper x" readers

[Otta]

I agree that papers have often gone and found the news, as opposed to just reporting it.

The columnist thing just bugs me because the majority of them know they're writing to a captive audience with a particular political leaning, and they just pander to that. That's what I meant by "smug in their comfort zone".

[StraferJack]

oh but the factions and sub-factions within a leaning, Otta!

But another good benefit of paper versus TV - you can just avoid the bits you don't want to read, and not wait for a segment to be over

[Otta]

I think TV News, even the formerly good C4 News, has just become more and more tabloid. The reporting and interview styles just make me angry.

I tend to hust read the BBC website to be honest.

[Mousey McP]

Southwark News... Born n Bred in Southwark.......

[JohnL]

Love reading a newspaper properly - Guardian, Standard or refresh my memories

from home Wales on Sunday/South Wales Evening Post - they're so indignant :)

More and more picking and mixing bits from social media and websites - you end

up reading Indian/Australian and mid US sites..