Letter from the editor: It's down to choice
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.It’s an over-used cliché: “the public gets the newspapers it deserves”. For “newspapers”, insert TV, the Top 40, chocolate, wine... It was the basis of Dominic Lawson’s column yesterday — one that has clearly polarised you.
Many agree with Dominic, but readers like Jim Farrell, of Harewood, believe his view to be “facile” and “out of touch” with public sentiment, claiming the 2.6 million people who bought the News of the World before its final Sunday was a “paltry” 8.7 per cent of the population. Mr Farrell was not alone in pointing out he never bought the paper, nor did he read The Sun! Leaving aside that 2.6 million buyers equates to 7.5 million readers, what of his contention?
I am not sure that the statistical evidence proves his case. The unspoken coda to the “what it deserves” cliché is often: as long as you can afford to pay. This clearly applies to food or wine, but less so to culture. If you could pay more for one download over another there wouldn’t be a better Top 40. You are neither incentivised nor forced to see the Harry Potter film more than you are The Tree of Life. They cost the same. It’s entirely down to choice.
Every day the public can choose from a wide array of newspapers, catering for all political and cultural tastes. That decision is not made primarily on price — although i proudly makes price one of its selling points. Most people can afford to pay £1 for a newspaper, and the fact that 2.6 million of them still did so this deep into the internet age is remarkable. Like it or not, this does say as much about the taste of the great British public as it does about the skills of the journalists and marketers who made and sold it.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments