Newspapers don’t make money from selling newspapers, they make money from selling advertising. Big newspapers could not survive in the market place by the profits of selling newspapers – if that was the case many would be out of business. Some newspapers probably make a loss from the sales of the newspapers themselves. The battle for survival in main-line newspapers has little to do with the quality nor accuracy of its news content, but how it keeps its advertisers happy and their clients accounts intact.

As national newspapers are in control of fewer and fewer people at the head of corporations, and given the nature of corporations whose only interest is profit margins, we must treat what we read in newspapers with caution. (no matter who publishes them and carry that caution to any other news carrying media.) The exception being the financial news because it represents business, interests and tends to be a bit more honest. There are still a few journalists working in these conglomerates who manage to get relevant and accurate reporting published now and then.

Relying on the internet as the only alternative is not a good idea either – as restrictions to that are being attempted by the same corporations who control the newspapers. We can’t sacrifice one medium from the other, we need to use all at our disposal. The internet, the magazine, zine, film, video, local radio, leaflets, letter to the editor, meeting, conversation in spreading news and if one fails move to the next, or create even more like community notice-boards. And most importantly remembering the power of the oral tradition, which is about the most reliable media of all.