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The UK press: from Fleet Street to the BBC
The British press is read in English, with broadsheets such as The Times, The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph, the Financial Times, tabloids like The Sun and the Daily Mail, the BBC as public broadcaster and PA Media for wire copy.
Three centuries of the London press
Fleet Street was long the heart of the London press. The Times has been published since 1785, The Guardian was born in Manchester in 1821 and the Daily Mail in 1896. In the 1980s, newsrooms left Fleet Street for Wapping and the Docklands.
Broadsheets and tabloids: two families of newspapers
A distinction is drawn between the so-called quality dailies, The Times, The Daily Telegraph and The Guardian, and popular tabloids such as The Sun, the Daily Mirror and the Daily Express. The Telegraph leans right, the Guardian and the Mirror lean left.
English, Welsh and Scottish Gaelic
Almost everything appears in English, but Welsh has the S4C channel, BBC Radio Cymru and the Golwg360 site. BBC Alba broadcasts in Scottish Gaelic. In Northern Ireland, readers also turn to the Irish press published in Dublin.
Scotland, Wales and the big English cities
The Scotsman in Edinburgh and The Herald in Glasgow follow the Holyrood parliament. The Western Mail covers Wales from Cardiff, while the Manchester Evening News and the Yorkshire Post report on the English regions for local readers.
Which outlets were born online?
The Independent went fully digital in 2016 after dropping its print edition. Newer titles such as UnHerd, Tortoise and Byline Times focus on analysis and investigation, while the BBC News app remains the most widely used source of news alerts.
PA Media and Reuters, the wire suppliers
PA Media, formerly the Press Association founded in 1868, feeds the national and regional press with wire copy, election results and sports data. Reuters, born in London in the nineteenth century, supplies financial and international news to newsrooms worldwide.
The BBC, a public broadcaster funded by the licence fee
Founded in 1922, the BBC runs BBC One, the BBC News channel, BBC Radio 4 and the BBC World Service in more than forty languages. ITV, Channel 4 and Sky News complete the broadcast news offer, all regulated by Ofcom.
London, capital of the foreign press
London hosts many international newsrooms. The pan-Arab dailies Asharq Al-Awsat and Al-Quds Al-Arabi have been published there, as our page on the Arab press recalls. The BBC World Service also produces programmes in Arabic, Persian and Hindi.
The salmon-pink Financial Times and sports coverage
The Financial Times, printed on salmon-pink paper, is the reference for the City and global markets, alongside the weekly The Economist. With no national sports daily, Premier League football is followed in the tabloids, on BBC Sport or on Sky Sports.
After the phone-hacking scandal
The closure of the News of the World in 2011, after the phone-hacking affair, led to the Leveson Inquiry. Since 2014, IPSO has handled complaints against most newspapers, while Impress brings together other publishers. Defamation laws remain strict.
Private Eye, satire and fact-checking
The fortnightly satirical magazine Private Eye, founded in 1961, mixes humour and investigation. The parody site The Daily Mash is sometimes taken seriously. BBC Verify and the charity Full Fact publish useful checks for testing a political claim.
Paywalls, free access and a European view
The Times, The Telegraph and the Financial Times are largely paid, whereas The Guardian stays free and asks for contributions. To place Westminster in its post-Brexit context, cross-read these titles with the European press and media in Brussels.
Following the British press from France
- Read a broadsheet every day, for example The Guardian or The Times, plus a tabloid to gauge the popular mood.
- Install the BBC News app and turn on alerts for Westminster, the economy or football.
- Listen to BBC Radio 4, especially the morning Today programme, live or as a podcast.
- Follow the daily round-up of British front pages that the BBC publishes every evening.
- Compare the same story in a left-leaning and a right-leaning paper before forming an opinion.
- Check the date and source of an article, and consult Full Fact or BBC Verify if in doubt.
What the British press costs online
| Type of outlet | Access | Note |
|---|---|---|
| The Guardian, The Independent | Free | Donation appeals or advertising, no strict paywall |
| The Times, The Telegraph | Paid subscription, price varies | Regular trial offers |
| Financial Times | Paid subscription, price varies | Among the most expensive; access through some libraries and universities |
| BBC (website, BBC Sounds) | Free abroad | BBC iPlayer limited to the UK and tied to the licence fee |
| Tabloids (The Sun, Daily Mail) | Free | Advertising-funded, lots of video |
| PA Media | Professionals only | Wire copy republished free by newspapers |
Key facts about the media in the United Kingdom
- Languages: English; Welsh (S4C, BBC Radio Cymru) and Scottish Gaelic (BBC Alba)
- News agency: PA Media; Reuters is also based in London
- Public broadcaster: the BBC, regulated by Ofcom like other broadcasters
- Business: Financial Times; satire: Private Eye; sport: BBC Sport and the tabloid sports pages
- Time zone: Greenwich Mean Time in winter, then British Summer Time, one hour behind Paris
- Subscription currency: pound sterling (GBP)
Classic misreadings of British newspapers
- Taking a tabloid headline as established fact, when these papers often favour sensationalism and anonymous sources.
- Confusing an opinion piece, or comment, with a news report, since the line between them is sometimes hard to see on websites.
- Believing that an article from The Daily Mash or NewsThump describes a real event because it mimics the BBC's style.
- Forgetting that Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have different laws on health, education and justice.
- Trying to bypass the BBC iPlayer block or read the Financial Times through pirate sites, which are risky and breach the terms of use.
Questions about British newspapers
What is the difference between a broadsheet and a tabloid?
Broadsheet originally meant the large-format, serious newspapers, and tabloid the smaller, more popular formats. Today The Times and The Guardian are also printed in a compact size, but the distinction still separates the quality press from the popular press.
Can you watch the BBC from France?
The BBC News website, the international BBC News channel and radio on BBC Sounds remain available from abroad. BBC iPlayer, the catch-up television platform, is however reserved for UK residents because it is tied to payment of the licence fee.
Which newspaper should you read for the British economy?
The Financial Times is the reference for the City, the Bank of England and the markets. The Economist, a London weekly, offers broader analysis. The business pages of The Times and the Guardian, along with the free paper City AM, complete the picture.
Why is The Guardian free to read?
The Guardian is owned by the Scott Trust, a structure designed to guarantee its independence. It has chosen to keep its articles open and funds part of its journalism through voluntary contributions and subscriptions from readers around the world.