Local Newspapers in Britain
【*】Britain has a large circulation(发行量) of the national newspapers. The daily Mirror and The Daily Express both sell
about 4 million copies each day. On average, every family will buy one newspaper in the morning, and take two or three on Sundas.
【*】Local newspapers are just as popular as the national ones in Britain. Local papers have a weekly circulation of 13 million. Nearly every town and country area has its own paper, and almost every local paper is financially holding its own. Many local newspapers are earning good profits.
【*】Local newspapers have their special characteristics. They mainly satisfy interest in local events-births, weddings,
deaths, council meetings, and sports. Editors often rely on a small staff of people who know the district well, Clubs and
churches in the neighborhood regularly supply these papers with much local news. Local news does not get out of date as
quickly as national news. If there is no room for it in this week's edition, a news item can be held over until the following
week.
【*】The editor of a local newspaper never forgets that the success of any newspaper depends on advertising. For this
reason, he is keen to keep the good will of local businessmen. If the newspaper sells well with carefully chosen news items
to attract local readers, the businessmen will be grateful to the paper for the opportunity of keeping their products in the
public eye.
【*】Local newspapers seldom comment on problems of national importance, and editors rarely take sides on political
questions, But they can often provide service to the community in expressing public feeling on local issues, A newspaper
can sometimes persuade the council to take action to improve transport, provide better shopping facilities, and preserve local monuments and places of interest.
