News on Sunday
Encyclopedia
The News on Sunday was a left-wing
British
tabloid newspaper
. It was launched in April 1987. Publication ceased seven months later, in November 1987.
. They decided that a left-wing mass-circulation tabloid Sunday newspaper was possible and endeavoured to start one. The idea of the paper was originally thought up by Benjamin Lowe. The leaders were John Pilger
as editor-in-chief and Alan Hayling, but Pilger left before the newspaper was launched. The decision to base its headquarters in Manchester
was criticised as it was away from the centre of national political activity. The paper gave a controlling interest to a collective of workers and its share issue raised £6.5 million from trade unions and Labour
local authority pension
funds. Keith Sutton was appointed editor
.
"No tits but a lot of balls", in an attempt to distance the paper from those with images of topless ladies
, and emphasise an overt political agenda not usually associated with tabloids. The slogan offended the feminists working on the paper and was subsequently dropped, though an element of the idea survived for the TV advert.
The newspaper's attitude to news values
, and the inexperience of its staff, was illustrated on the front page of its first edition on 26 April. The lead story was about a boy in Brazil who had to sell one of his kidneys to pay for medical care. Although most agreed that this was a worthwhile issue, the story was considered inappropriate as the lead story for a British Sunday paper.
The paper was not as successful as had been hoped. In order to break even, the paper had to sell 800,000 copies. The first issue sold 500,000 and by its eighth issue circulation had gone down to 200,000. The failure of the paper is attributed to inexperienced staff, "bad management, poor marketing, a commitment to political correctness
and ideological purity at the expense of news values".
However the paper was kept afloat during the general election campaign thanks to the extension of an additional subordinated loan from the TGWU, so that its folding would not embarrass the Labour Party. It went bankrupt immediately after the election had been held and was purchased by Owen Oyston
but finally closed down five months later, in November 1987.
in outlook. It supported the principle of self determination for all nations and regarded British society
as 'based on the unequal ownership of wealth
, prosperity
and power
'. It also believed that the root cause of the Troubles
in Northern Ireland
was the 'British presence in that country'. It supported trade unions when they went on strike and was against the 'imposition of suffering on animals'.
Left-wing politics
In politics, Left, left-wing and leftist generally refer to support for social change to create a more egalitarian society...
British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
tabloid newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
. It was launched in April 1987. Publication ceased seven months later, in November 1987.
Origins
The founders of the paper were former members of the left-wing group Big FlameBig Flame (political group)
Big Flame was "a revolutionary socialist feminist organisation with a working-class orientation" in the United Kingdom. Founded in Liverpool in 1970, the group initially grew rapidly, with branches appearing in some other cities. Its publications emphasised that "a revolutionary party is necessary...
. They decided that a left-wing mass-circulation tabloid Sunday newspaper was possible and endeavoured to start one. The idea of the paper was originally thought up by Benjamin Lowe. The leaders were John Pilger
John Pilger
John Richard Pilger is an Australian journalist and documentary maker, based in London. He has twice won Britain's Journalist of the Year Award, and his documentaries have received academy awards in Britain and the US....
as editor-in-chief and Alan Hayling, but Pilger left before the newspaper was launched. The decision to base its headquarters in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
was criticised as it was away from the centre of national political activity. The paper gave a controlling interest to a collective of workers and its share issue raised £6.5 million from trade unions and Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
local authority pension
Pension
In general, a pension is an arrangement to provide people with an income when they are no longer earning a regular income from employment. Pensions should not be confused with severance pay; the former is paid in regular installments, while the latter is paid in one lump sum.The terms retirement...
funds. Keith Sutton was appointed editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
.
Launch and bankruptcy
The advertisement campaign for the paper was carried out by BBH (Bartle, Bogle & Hegarty), who came up with the sloganSlogan
A slogan is a memorable motto or phrase used in a political, commercial, religious and other context as a repetitive expression of an idea or purpose. The word slogan is derived from slogorn which was an Anglicisation of the Scottish Gaelic sluagh-ghairm . Slogans vary from the written and the...
"No tits but a lot of balls", in an attempt to distance the paper from those with images of topless ladies
Page Three girl
Page Three is a tabloid newspaper feature consisting of a topless photograph of a female glamour model, usually printed on the paper's third page...
, and emphasise an overt political agenda not usually associated with tabloids. The slogan offended the feminists working on the paper and was subsequently dropped, though an element of the idea survived for the TV advert.
The newspaper's attitude to news values
News values
News values, sometimes called news criteria, determine how much prominence a news story is given by a media outlet, and the attention it is given by the audience. A. Boyd states that: "News journalism has a broadly agreed set of values, often referred to as 'newsworthines'..." News values are not...
, and the inexperience of its staff, was illustrated on the front page of its first edition on 26 April. The lead story was about a boy in Brazil who had to sell one of his kidneys to pay for medical care. Although most agreed that this was a worthwhile issue, the story was considered inappropriate as the lead story for a British Sunday paper.
The paper was not as successful as had been hoped. In order to break even, the paper had to sell 800,000 copies. The first issue sold 500,000 and by its eighth issue circulation had gone down to 200,000. The failure of the paper is attributed to inexperienced staff, "bad management, poor marketing, a commitment to political correctness
Political correctness
Political correctness is a term which denotes language, ideas, policies, and behavior seen as seeking to minimize social and institutional offense in occupational, gender, racial, cultural, sexual orientation, certain other religions, beliefs or ideologies, disability, and age-related contexts,...
and ideological purity at the expense of news values".
However the paper was kept afloat during the general election campaign thanks to the extension of an additional subordinated loan from the TGWU, so that its folding would not embarrass the Labour Party. It went bankrupt immediately after the election had been held and was purchased by Owen Oyston
Owen Oyston
Owen John Oyston is a controversial self-made multimillionaire English businessman who is the majority owner of Blackpool F.C.. He was convicted of rape in 1996 and served three years of a six-year sentence in prison....
but finally closed down five months later, in November 1987.
Editorial line
The newspaper was socialist in tone and internationalistInternationalist
Internationalist may refer to:* Internationalism , a movement to increase cooperation across national borders* Internationalist, socialists opposed to World War I* The Internationalist Review, an e-journal founded in Maastricht...
in outlook. It supported the principle of self determination for all nations and regarded British society
Society
A society, or a human society, is a group of people related to each other through persistent relations, or a large social grouping sharing the same geographical or virtual territory, subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations...
as 'based on the unequal ownership of wealth
Wealth
Wealth is the abundance of valuable resources or material possessions. The word wealth is derived from the old English wela, which is from an Indo-European word stem...
, prosperity
Prosperity
Prosperity is the state of flourishing, thriving, good fortune and/or successful social status. Prosperity often encompasses wealth but also includes others factors which are independent of wealth to varying degrees, such as happiness and health....
and power
Power (sociology)
Power is a measurement of an entity's ability to control its environment, including the behavior of other entities. The term authority is often used for power perceived as legitimate by the social structure. Power can be seen as evil or unjust, but the exercise of power is accepted as endemic to...
'. It also believed that the root cause of the Troubles
The Troubles
The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...
in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
was the 'British presence in that country'. It supported trade unions when they went on strike and was against the 'imposition of suffering on animals'.