Civilization Ends This Saturday?

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Civilization Ends This Saturday?

Clifford at 1:04 am, September 10th, 2005

Call me old-fashioned. Call me a snob. You’d probably be right on both counts. Warning: The following is a rant. A state of readiness with mouse pointer on scrollbar advised.

Well, that tears it. One of the last major (non-family-and-friends) reasons that I look forward to visiting the UK will disappear on Saturday. Really. The Guardian has given in and will shed its broadsheet format, and become a tabloid, like the other major broadsheets have done previously. Now in the case of the Times, it was appropriate, since it had long been a tabloid newspaper in all but size, and so gave in to the inevitable. But this is the Guardian we’re talking about!

The first thing I always do (when I come out of the embarrasing little stupid 10ft long shopping-mall-thing they have between customs and arrivals at Heathrow…does anyone ever buy anything there? Who?) is dash to the newsagent right across from it to get a copy of the Guardian (or the Observer if it’s a Sunday - that will soon be downsized too). It’s like meeting a loved one at the airport. (Most times, it is in fact the only loved one meeting me, so that works…)

guardian front page It just won’t be the same. It is worse than just the size change (they’ve tried to soften the blow by making it slightly bigger “Berliner” size - wh-hat?) but they’re also changing the whole masthead and overall look. And it is going to be colour on every page! What are they thinking?! It’s going to be like reading a holiday brochure, or a fashion magazine, or a Marvel comic, not a newspaper. Have a look to the right, and also follow the link for the full horror, along with a lot of stories about the change, such as this one.

What is my problem with this?, you might ask. Besides the fact that it is just not going to look as elegant and minimalist as it did previously? Is that not enough?

Ok, well the other reason is this. I find that when I look at a formerly great paper like the Independent, demoted to in its tabloid form, I can’t help but perceive that the headlines have rather evolved toward the sort of writing I used to associate with….the tabloids. So rather than “Unusually Warm Weather Enjoyed Around the British Isles”, or “Margaret Thatcher Elected to High Office” you more commonly now get something approaching the old tabloid classics “Phew! What a Scorcher!”, or “Gotcha!”, no matter what the issue. Is it just me, or does anyone else find this? I just cannot be seen carrying a newspaper with stuff like that on the front page.

And to cap it all, and probably to show how totally out of touch I am, here are the quotes from that story link that they have from some of the senior staff (with charmingly and inexplicably very British-looking photos accompanying them, I’m pleased to note):

“It’s not only about reinterpreting the paper for a particular age, but making the case for what we do and saying it has validity.” Alan Rusbridger, editor

“Every single way you look at it, we are changing everything we do and how we do it.” Carolyn McCall, GNL chief executive

“If everyone else is shouting louder and louder, the only way you can be heard is by talking in a normal tone of voice - or even whispering.” Mark Porter, creative editor

Guys: I have no idea what those sentences mean! Is it just me? Could someone explain please? I often have this problem with media-speak.

I should also note that - for better or worse, we shall see - that the unique in UK press science supplement that they had which I told you about earlier will be discontinued, in favour of a daily column. Oh dear, I think I hear warning bells. Read the editor’s opinion on this here.

Anyway, could someone please buy me a copy of the last proper Guardian on Saturday and mail it to me? Please? I want to frame it. I’m serious. I might even buy you a pint. Two or three even.

It’s a sad day.

-cvj

[Update: Seems that the Guardian editors have a blog. You can read all sorts of things about their progress through the launch day there, look at pictures of them all down at the pub, and browse the new format paper electronically from this post.]

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24 Comments on “Civilization Ends This Saturday?” rss feed

Neil Mc on Sep 10th, 2005 at 4:12 am

Hello Clifford - I work for the Guardian (on its website) and spotted your post on Technorati. Just to say the paper is *not* going tabloid - it’s going to the Berliner size, which is taller and a little wider than tabloid. The reason for this is for exactly the reasons you outline in your post - we didn’t want to go down the tabloid path because it would damage the journalism, as you’ve seen with the tabloid Times and compact Indie. I think the new look works well, and just because there’s colour on every page doesn’t mean it has to look like a comic
Fyodor on Sep 10th, 2005 at 5:12 am

Well, cvj, all you have to do is get hold of that “last” copy of the Guardian, and then photocopy it each day. After all, the Guardian has got to be *the* most predictable newspaper imaginable, with all the correct views on everything. Even people who approve of that sort of thing will often admit this.
Clifford on Sep 10th, 2005 at 9:31 am

Hi Neil Mc,

Thanks for the comment! I hope and pray that the Berliner size is as non-tabloid as you say. And don’t get me wrong about the colour aspect: I happen to love comics a lot (as you’d gather from reading earlier posts of mine). I just have an old-fashioned (I completely admit) notion of what my newspaper’s look ought to be like…there’s a certain old-fashioned elegance that I fear has been given up by both shrinking, changing aspect ratio, and going to colour on every page. Black and white in the photos, matching the print, at least on some pages, can be quite striking and elegant, you see. And this is recognised in the comic world too, actually….

By the way, you guys do a great job on the website, by the way….

I’m a dinosaur.

Cheers, and keep reading cosmic variance….

-cvj
Amelia on Sep 10th, 2005 at 12:05 pm

The problem with tabloids isn’t really that the headlines grow worse. In Sweden all the major newspapers have gone tabloid without it damaging headlines one bit, so there are ways to combine tabloid with good headlines. However, the damaging part about this is that while they reduce the paper size, they do not reduce the size of pictures in the paper. For example, over here you have a lot of papers who have tried to get “more air” between the articles, while keeping large pictures, and reducing the size of the paper, so what you get is a really short article which is (because it can’t be anything but) nonsense.

So the real concern when it comes to smaller paper sizes shouldn’t really be whether the headlines are going to be damages, because that is an aesthetic choice made by the editor and would happen regardless of the actual size of the newspaper. The concern is the obsolete reduction of article content.
Clifford on Sep 10th, 2005 at 12:12 pm

I agree. This is also a concern with a lot of the changes, and why I put in those quotes, and the news about the abandonment of the science section (but there may be positive aspects there; we shall see). Look at the first two quotes for example…I worry that they are too concerned with the look and the format, and that compromises will be made on the content…this already happens with the move to shorter headlines in the tabloid format….. Perhaps the Berliner format will reduce that problem somewhat?

The broadsheet was a fantastic format for news at a glance, elegant look, and smartly organised content. Now it is gone.

-cvj
erc on Sep 10th, 2005 at 1:17 pm

Neil Mc: perhaps you can answer a question of mine regarding online news. Both the Guardian Unlimited website and the BBC news articles typically have line breaks between every sentence; at most there are two sentences per paragraph it seems. Why is this?

(cvj: check your email!)
damtp dweller on Sep 10th, 2005 at 1:28 pm

Damnit! Had I read your post earlier today I would gladly have bought you a copy and mailed it to you (including all the guff that comes shrink-wrapped with the paper on Saturday). I’ll see if my local shop has one later on.

The downsizing of papers is a terrible phenomenon on this side of the pond. It seems like all of the broadsheets in the UK and Ireland have either switched already or are going to switch soon. It’s terrible because one of their more practical uses was to shield one’s face on the tube.

I doubt that the change to Berliner format will be a surprise to anyone who reads the Guardian regularly. The increasing importance of the G2 section and the other supplements over the past few years seems to indicate that this once-great paper has surrendered its claims on journalistic integrity (read clarity) in favour of presenting news in a more condensed format. In fact, the only thing I read the Guardian for these days is their excellent cricket and sports coverage.
Clifford on Sep 10th, 2005 at 1:54 pm

Ok…. I think I have at least three copies of the Guardian in the mail to me now! Thanks a lot everyone, that’ll do! …

-cvj
Adam on Sep 10th, 2005 at 3:29 pm

Pinko bleeding-heart newspaper for softies it may be, but I’ve always admired the Guardian for being prepared to admit its mistakes, resulting in an undeserved reputation for making more mistakes than the other less honest newspapers.

I’m not so bothered about the size of it, though; the broadsheets are near impossible to read on public transport because of their size, so the question might more be ‘why didn’t they all change size years ago?’

I won’t complain if the WSJ and NYT (the papers I tend to read over here) go to a more sensible size, either.
Bingomaster on Sep 10th, 2005 at 3:52 pm

Clifford,

Broadsheet papers are great when you have the time in the morning to read it on your breakfast table, but try to read one on the London Tube in rush hour. It’s a very difficult feat, one that not many people can master: folding the pages into two as you read them, changing pages when you have people’s faces right next to your elbows are all highly demanding of manual dexterity.

The Indy realised that it could get a large part of the morning market by making their paper smaller and they were right, which is why everyone is following.

If you want a really traditional newspaper, I suggest you try the Zuercher Zeitung or one of the many German-language papers which still refuse to print photographs, because they would impact the quality of the journalism. I say small is beautiful and convenient. And the fact that the British press is going to the dogs, has nothing to do with the size, it’s all to do with giving people what they want to read. And that alas, is a different matter completely.
Clifford on Sep 10th, 2005 at 4:09 pm

Adam, Bingomaster:

I read the paper on the London Tube every day for years. I think that one of the rites of passage in making the journey from adolescent to adulthood is the mastery of reading a broadsheet. I remember the thrill of figuring out how to do the appropriate rapid folding tricks in a confined space, sometimes while holding on to something to keep your balance, and managing to read every part of the paper you desired to. It is going to be anther great lost skill, the practice of which gives great pleasure.

I love the little line drawings in the WSJ, Adam (or is the the FT? or both). Imagine how that paper would lose an aspect of its character if they just replaced those with colour photos.

The point is that we should not neccessarily do things (and do away with things) just because we can.

Bingomaster: Sadly, I do not read German. And I’ve nothing against photos; I just don’t care to confuse a newspaper with a photo journal/magazine. The two are different.

Cheers,

-cvj
Adam on Sep 10th, 2005 at 4:38 pm

The WSJ has indeed not embraced the modern enthusiasm for photographs.

I don’t advocate changing things because we can, but I do think that this change makes sense. One imagines that if the customers revolt, of course, they’ll reverse the decision.
Clifford on Sep 10th, 2005 at 4:40 pm

Customers in the UK don’t revolt. They largely do as they are told, and just complain in secret. To ask for what you want would be rude….

-cvj
Neil Mc on Sep 11th, 2005 at 6:33 am

Erc - we’ve no hard and fast rule on the number of sentences per paragraph. But the habit is to break things up because, on a screen, it makes it easier to read.

Improvements in the way text is displayed, however, might make that habit redundant over time.
Clifford on Sep 11th, 2005 at 12:17 pm

Interesting and detailed chatter about the new format by the editor can be found here.

Neil Mc: I learned that the Berliner format is 9 cm longer and 1 cm wider than a tabloid….. Hmmm. Still not sure about all of this… I’m worried it will all end in tears.

Cheers.

-cvj
Kate on Sep 12th, 2005 at 4:15 am

I am so torn by this. A regular Gaurdian reader, I obivously know that it is left leaning, and so potentially biased. But that’s its selling point, and it must not be dumbed down. I’m sure that won’t happen but this tendancy to follow the crowd is worrying. However, I am of small stature and rely on a table and/or various folding tricks when tackling the paper. So the smaller size will be much more convenient!

I am more upset by the loss of ‘Life’ - the science section. I always look forward to it and every week there’s plenty worth reading in it. Fingers crossed for this every day science page - this could be better or worse. I really want to see more (good) science reporting in the media. And making it an everyday thing might be the way to go….. will Ben Goldacre still have a column? Lets hope so.
K
David Moles on Sep 12th, 2005 at 10:22 am

The problem with Every single way you look at it, we are changing everything we do and how we do it is that, presumably, everything also includes all the good things, and how we do it includes how they do well what they already do well.
Fzplus on Sep 12th, 2005 at 1:40 pm

Well, I’ve had a look at it, and I’ve got mixed feelings…

Format is good. Convenient, and much better than the teaser suggested. Nice that they kept the newspapery texture that was so terrifyingly missing from the teaser. But currently, I’m aghast at what they’ve done to the science bit.

“Ideas”? What the hell? An interview (and a pretty soft, uncritical and unconfrontational one) with Michael Behe? (See here…) Has there been a coup?

They’d better have a rebuttal soon, because I am very worried.
Clifford on Sep 12th, 2005 at 10:48 pm

Update: Seems that the Guardian editors have a blog. You can read all sorts of things about their progress through the launch day there, look at pictures of them all down at the pub, and browse the new format paper electronically from this post.

-cvj
boreds on Sep 13th, 2005 at 11:02 am

I like the new format. There’s certainly a lot more room on the page than the Indy or the Times.

In terms of content, not much to go on so far—but the Behe interview was pretty shocking. Let’s hope it’s not representative of what’s to come!
Stuart on Sep 14th, 2005 at 6:24 am

I’m not really bothered about the size. I only bought the Guardian for the Life/Online section on a Thursday, as I don’t have the time or money to get it and read it everyday. Now that the Life section has gone (will Bad Science remain?), I don’t see much reason to buy the Guardian again. I’ll stick to the (free) online version from now on, although I preferred it on paper.

How much money, in terms of newsprint costs, will the size reduction save for the publishers?
Clifford on Sep 14th, 2005 at 7:05 pm

Stuart. they seem to be more concerned wiht reproducing the success of the Independent and the Times in terms of increased morning commute readership. It is believed that the smaller paper size makes it preferable to read on the tube. (Because kids today no longer take pleasure in learning how to read a proper-sized newspaper, the snob side of me says…see my comment number 11)….

Anyway, it seems to have little to do with saving money, but economic pressures from elsewhere.

Cheers,

-cvj
Pingback from How Much?! | Cosmic Variance on May 21st, 2006 at 4:53 am

[...] Well, went on part one of my Journey Around My People: shopping in Central London. Was not looking for anything in particular, but although I know it is true from past experience, it never ceases to amaze me how much stuff costs here. Have all the salaries gone up by about 30% since I left? I don’t think so…have they? For starters, the Guardian, which as you recall since last year has been seriously modified from its perfectly-fine format (yes, I ranted about it), costs 0.70p during the weekday! And the Saturday edition today was Â£1.30!! I’ve no idea how much the Sunday paper will cost….. are they just going to ask for a gallon of my blood, perhaps? (People in the USA….just multiply by roughly two to get the after-tax dollars and cents.) Do you get more for this extra money? More sport (everywhere… bl**dy football, and gossip about footballers and football managers and football club owners and footballer’s wives - this is supposedly real news) and really huge colour pictures. [...]
Pingback from Big Ears | Cosmic Variance on May 26th, 2006 at 7:16 pm

[...] I was put in mind of it last week when I popped over to London to play the role of uncle, wander the streets for a bit, do a bit of sightseeing, and hemorrhage a bit of money. I was all prepared to be annoyed by the Guardian, which was once my favourite newspapers, since I had not seen it very often since they (lamentably) made major modifications to the format. As it turned out, I did not get annoyed too much, although I would prefer it if they took it back to the correct size for a respectable newspaper. It still has a lot of news and good writing in it, and I am led to understand that the huge amount of football-related stuff in it is a passing phase because there is some sort of contest going on in Germany of some relevance. (Um… that would be “soccer”, you folks over on the extreme left hand side with the funny shaped ball.) [...]

Civilization Ends This Saturday?

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