Decisions (4): the Guardian and The Times

Because this is a study of news — what is news and what is not, who decides, how they decide — it concentrates on newspaper front pages and television’s leading topics. These serve to show most clearly the priorities and the reasoning behind the choices. The front page, however, is only one of many news pages. It is important because most readers glance at it first and because it is on the counter of shops and kiosks. The popular papers regard the choice and presentation of the ‘splash’ as of high importance, as noted by David English (in Chapter 6). The heavies also regard it as important, but in context. Thus Peter Preston, of the Guardian, making a point with which Charles Douglas-Home of The Times would surely concur: It would be wrong to give the impression that all one spends one’s time agonising over is ‘is that a better lead than that?’ It’s part of it but not the solitary focus. As editor I’m just as much concerned to make sure that there’s a good follow-up from a Puerto Rican coffee plantation or a piece about the probability of a Scottish pit strike as anything else. The paper builds itself by being a good balance that fits the regular readers. You must have a bit of a blend.