Douglas Hurd on the ‘trivial’ British press

At last! Someone’s written a cogent article on the state of the British press, and its effect on politicians. Douglas Hurd’s headline article in this week’s Spectator focuses on the Daily Mail, but also draws attention to the fact that the culture which this paper in particular encourages has spread to the broadsheets and even the BBC:

In its triviality, the press supposes that we cannot absorb sustained argument. It prefers to deal in symbols. These are selected to stimulate one of the three qualities which the press particularly favours in its readers: brutality (including envy and blame), fear and sentimentality. These qualities seem to be particularly highly regarded in the Daily Mail.

Douglas Hurd is a former senior politician in the pre-1997 Tory governments. You may need to register (it’s free); other content requires payment.