40 yrs of the sun newspaper

[jeffhaskeft]

been a topic of disscusion on radio 2 today
good or bad for the country?
personally i don't care as long as it has page 3

[steve56]

well its 40 yrs of big tits then.

[Illinoisblue]

Not as funny as it used to be.

Oh hang on, that was the '20 years of Viz' discussion a couple of weeks back.

The Sun's 'Hillsborough: The Truth' was a disgrace (and's something they still haven't apologised for) and the Falklands covers, 'Stick It Up Your Junta' and 'Gotcha' weren't exactly in good taste either.

They're very good at tapping into the mood of the nation though and their anti-Kinnock 'Will the last person to leave the country turn off the lights' cover was extremely powerful.

[Officer Dibble]

BAD. Has been one of the prime movers in simmering British culture down to the lowest common denominator and promoting the ultra-vacuous celebrities and institutions, like - Will ?n? Gareth, Jordan, and Big Brother - that infest contemporary trash media. It glorifies and promotes chav culture, though it's proprietor (I would assume) believes Sun readers to be idiots, simpletons and wasters to be waltzed though his editorial hoops whenever he needs to move a chess piece on the political game board. Furthermore, although I've not read the Sun in yonks, I'll wager that any current page 3 sort is not even in the same galaxy as Linda Lusardi, Maria Whittaker, Debbie Ashby, Kirsten Irmrie etc

Officer Dibble

[steve56]

who was the 1st page 3 girl?

[Illinoisblue]

Circulation of the Sun and Daily Mail: approx 6 million combined.

Circulation of the Guardian and Independent : approx 600k combined.


It's clear to see that people want a diet of celeb gossip, right-leaning politics and, in the case of the Mail, daily stories about house prices, interest rates and HRT.

[Officer Dibble]

"The Sun's 'Hillsborough: The Truth' was a disgrace (and's something they still haven't apologised for)"

Actually, there may have been something in 'The Truth'. I have friends and relations who own commercial properties but a few yards from the Leppings lane entrance. They know what went on that day they were there. They have all spoken to me of serious pushing, shoving and unruliness at the Leppings Lane entrance that fateful day. One even told me that a group of Liverpool fans came into his shop just before the game, and confided that they didn't have a single ticket between them, but they were going to go in there anyway and no one was going to stop 'em! The Sun, in typical tabloid fashion, just did what it always does to make stories more lurid and exiting to dull chav minds and made ridiculous, outrageous allegations, that, through political/commercial expediency, it had to backtrack on later - as the Sun likes to portray itself as the chav's pal, patting them on the back, whispering in their ear...That was all in jeopardy when, in the emotion of the aftermath, the chavs took exception to the silly Sun's allegation?s. However, from what I have since heard from the residents of Leppings Lane, people I know who are objective and sensible, the Liverpool fans themselves were not entirely without blame in the tragedy.

Officer Dibbs

[Illinoisblue]

I don't think there's any argument that Liverpool fans, by pushing, shoving and forcing their way into the ground without tickets, were PARTLY responsible for what happened (we'll leave aside the incompetence of the FA, the police and the wholly inadequate medical facilities available) but the Sun's accusations that fans were pickpocketing dead people and urinating on police officers were what caused the most offence on Merseyside.

And sales of the Sun are still down on Merseyside, indeed some newsagents still refuse to sell the paper to this day.

[The Last Word]

You'd have thought the Sun would've had more sense concerning Hillsborough, as a large part of its mersey readership were surely more interested in the back pages than the front (and to its credit, The Sun - like other tabloids - frequently captures the zip, drama and silliness of sport far better than the broadsheets ever do).

[Ace]

A crap rag, but whilst living abroad, The Sun and News of the World were ESSENTIAL reading for ANY ex-pat.
On the subject of dodgy headlines, they were rightfully pulled up over anti-German feelings in the Euro 2000 when England met Germany.........out of order for helping to incite tensions.