The News of the World and Popular Journalism

The News of the World was first published on October 1st 1843. [1] It was and still remains a Sunday newspaper to which it’s aim is to entertain the working classes. When Sunday newspapers were first introduced, they emphasized that the working people could expect entertainment from their weekly reading, not simply political or didactic instruction.

Around 1850 it was said that journalism was an important means of collecting and communicating social information due to the improvement of technology, distribution and financial stake. However, John Stuart Mill thought differently on the subjected and stated:
"…Our daily and weekly writers are the lowest hacks of literature which…is the vilest and most degrading of all trades because more of affectation and hypocrisy and more subservience to the basest feelings of others are necessary for carrying it on…from that of a brothel-keeper." [2]

This viewpoint on journalism did not prevent the News of the World from becoming an extremely popular Sunday newspaper. It was not until the Stamp Duties were abolished that the News of the World became one of three Sunday newspapers to dominate in the era of mass readerships and the New Journalism. The other two weekly newspaper launched around the same time were, the Lloyd’s Illustrated London Newspaper and Reynolds’ Weekly Newspaper.

The News of the World had a compelling impact on popular journalism due to the content of its pages. Popular Journalism is that which discovers stories of entertaining value for its readers, associating itself with gossip, celebrity scandals, news and sensation. The News of the World appealed to its targeted audience, the working classes, because it concerned itself with these topics ensuring its aims were always achieved. It’s headlines and pictures are always capturing to their readership and its sensationalism illustrates why, on its launch, it claimed to be, ‘The Novelty of the Nations and the Wonder of the World – the cheapest, largest and best newspaper’. Being one of many ‘Red Tops’, readers of the News of the World are aware that their weekly read is not going to be strongly political or extremely educational because ‘Red Top’ newspapers are associated with popular culture rather than high culture and therefore lower market.

The News of the World had a circulation of 6,250,000 in the 1960’s due to the breaking news of the Profumo Affair. Within this story it was revealed that the Conservative Secretary of State John Profumo and Yevgeny Ivanov were sharing the prostitute, Christine Keeler. This story reinforced the radicalism of the newspaper. [3] A way in which the News of the World stands out from other ‘Red Tops’ is with its anti-paedophile campaign. This began in 2000 after the case of Sarah Payne, to which the newspaper wanted to name paedophiles to the public in an attempt to shame them. This controversial campaign led to dangerous acts towards suspected paedophiles by members of the public. The campaign was dropped after it was said to be ‘grossly irresponsible’. Although in this case the News of the World is seen as individual, there is an aspect which presents it differently.

The fact that this Sunday newspaper is now a subsidiary of the Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation suggests it is no longer one of a kind, which reinforces its association with popular culture as it is now part of mass media.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/News_of_the_World
[2]Journalism - A Critical History Martin Conboy
[3]Journalism - A Critical History Martin Conboy