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Newspapers

A newspaper is a paper that is printed and distributed daily or weekly. It contains news that is either international, national or local and is in the form of articles, columns of opinion and features. The text is written by trained journalists and usually includes colour or black and white photographs, as well as eye catching headlines.

There are several types of newspaper available and these come in different sizes and formats. A tabloid paper tends to have a lower reading age and is smaller than a broadsheet which is bigger in size and sometimes rather more highbrow. Talking Newspapers are newspaper articles which have been recorded onto tape. These papers are usually directed towards people with impaired vision.

People read or listen to the news for many reasons, some like to find out what is happening in their local area or in the wider world, whereas others may read or listen for entertainment value. Whichever way newspapers form a popular and dominant means of mass communicating the news and opinion. They have in the past been used for propaganda, such as during the First and Second World Wars.

Today, many newspapers cover stories about politics, politicians, world events, celebrities and the royal family and often in the process use shock tactics to sell their papers, such as scandalous headlines and photographs which capture people's imaginations.