The Ukrainian and British Press

Newspapers and magazines play a great role in the life of a modern person. We usually read newspapers to get information about the events that have taken place in this country or abroad. One can also read articles about historical events or public figures of the past. The pages of newspapers carry articles on our economy, industry, agriculture and social life. Practically all newspapers give weather forecasts, radio and TV programmes. But there are some specialized newspapers that give only TV programmes. They also give brief accounts of new films that one can see on TV.

The beginning of the Ukrainian press is considered the “Kharkiv Weekly”, founded in 1812. In those days newspapers tried to attract reader’s attention to the problems of economic, political and cultural life of our country. The first literary works in the Ukrainian language and investigations of the Ukrainian folklore appeared on its pages.

Today Ukraine has a large variety of newspapers and magazines. One can find newspapers of all kinds: national and local, official and private, special newspapers for children, teenagers, for all kinds of fans: sport fans, music fans, etc. Business newspapers, women’s magazines, car fans newspapers are very famous. There are also a lot of “free” newspapers which specialize in advertising. The freedom of press has become real today. Every newspaper or magazine has its reader depending on their style and peculiarities.

Probably in no other country there are such great differences between the various national daily newspapers in the type of news they report and the way they report it. Britain is a nation of newspaper readers. In fact British people buy 15 million newspapers every day and about 42 million people read them! In Britain there are the “quality” newspapers, such as “The Times”, ”The Independent”, “The Guardian”, “The Financial Times” and “The Daily Telegraph”, and “populars” or “tabloids” called so because of their smaller size. The most widely read tabloids are “The Daily Mail”, “The Daily Express”, “The Daily Mirror”, “The Sun” and “The Daily Star”. Quality newspapers are more expensive, they concentrate on serious news, although they also publish sports events and a guide to radio and TV programmes. Popular newspapers concentrate on more emotive reporting of stories, often about the Royal family and pop stars. The tabloid press is much more popular than the quality press. In addition to 12 national daily newspapers there are 9 national newspapers which are published on Sundays. Most of the “Sundays” contain more reading matter than daily papers and several of them also include “colour supplements” – separate colour magazines. Reading a Sunday paper, like having a Sunday lunch, is an important tradition in many British families.

1. Newspapers and magazines play a great role in a modern person’s life, don’t they?

2. Why do we usually read newspapers?

3. What kinds of articles do the pages of newspapers carry?

4. What newspaper is considered to be the first Ukrainian printed edition? When was it founded?

5. What problems were discussed on the pages of “Kharkiv Weekly”?

6. What kinds of newspapers and magazines are there in Ukraine today?

7. Do “free” newspapers specialize in advertizing or literal investigations?

8. What two main kinds of newspapers are there in Great Britain?

9. What quality newspapers do you know?

10. What tabloids are the most widely read?

11. Are quality newspapers or tabloids more expensive?

12. What information does quality press concentrate on?

13. Why tabloids are more popular among population?

14. What kind of paper is a “Sunday” paper?

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