When it comes to Lunchtime reading the Daily Mail poses problems.

I’ve been eating my lunch (left over stuffed roast peppers, since you asked) and having a quick read through the Daily Mail site.

First impressions are that whoever designed it is a moron who barely understands how people use the internet. Furthermore the side panel on the right is entirely populated with fluff stories. It appears almost impossible to find actual ‘news’ on the site. Even their ‘Breaking News’ section consists primarily of opinion pieces.
I picked out a few articles, enough that I could read through them quickly, and get my thoughts down in my break. I began with a ‘First draft’ of Ed Miliband’s Leadership speech, which actually turns out to be from yesterday, while still being considered worthy enough for the front page.

I can see that this piece is meant to be satire, but it has all the subtlety and nuance of a frying pan to the face. I move on, but before I do, I play a quick round of who wants to be a Mailionaire. I lose – 18% of Mail readers think that we should spend our way out of recession, as opposed to 82% who would prefer to say their way out. 
 
Next, a short article on how biased the BBC is against the Tories, what with a strike coinciding with our dear leader’s conference speech potentially preventing it’s live broadcast. The snideness of the article puts me off it, and the comments at time of writing are really, truly something to behold.

I’m told that David Cameron was ‘calm’ on This Morning "Even while sitting opposite that testament to engineering, the statuesque Holly [Willoughby]". So that was nice. The article manages to include some sniping at Ed Miliband and the Labour party, and some extremely patronising descriptions of women (mainly Holly Willoughby).

An article 'At the register office, my baby in my arms, I was asked: Marriage or birth? Why does that memory make me think of Ed Miliband..?' pumps more anti-Miliband guff down my eyes, forcing me to choke on my feta-filled peppers. Steadying myself, and reading on Ed Miliband’s Atheism is raised and his fitness to lead questioned, largely due to his lack of due respect for traditions.

As many a more erudite person than me has probably written and said – for a paper so concerned about not being told what to do, they sure like telling other people what to do.

A bit of Jan ‘some of my best friends are gay’ Moir finishes me off – can I carry on?! Prince Charles is "Right" about comedians who are crude.Further, I am told that Kylie is fabulous, the Milibands are treacherous and Nigella Lawson has tits. All Breaking News I’m sure you’ll agree.

Interestingly (although probably not for the Mail) Ms. Moir suggests that crude jokes regarding Downs Syndrome (Boyle), maimed soldiers (Carr) and Anne Frank (Mitchell – Although to be honest I’d not heard about this, can anyone enlighten me?) had something to do with the BBC. The crude comedians to whom she refers are largely C4 based, so I leave the article mostly confused.

As I choke down the last of my lunch I come across and article on the NHS which manages to get digs in at both art and our health service.

After my first sustained bout with the Mail I leave feeling confused, anxious, and certain that the Milibands are a "non-human" Marxist conspiracy to destroy Cameron’s brave new Britain.

Political leanings: Entrenched
Endurance of typos: Wavering
Mood: Positive about the project, concerned for Britain

More later.
Matt

Day one.

So, I'm yet to have read the Mail exclusively, I've been weaning myself on to it over the last few days, and already I'm sure I'm losing touch with reality.

Obviously my critical faculties are still, by and large, in place and as such the first few days of Daily Mail (and Mail on Sunday) reading should prove to be irritating rather than posing a threat to a) my political leanings and b) my sanity.

I've started the Month with a classic bit of Richard Littlejohn, and I'm beginning to doubt my sanity in regards to this endeavour. I knew my politics were diametrically opposed to those of the Mail, that, after all, is the point of this, but I fundamentally disagree with his statements, wording, politics... EVERYTHING! None-the-less, I shall continue with this and try to get some Mail reading in in my lunch break and update in the early afternoon.

 I'm not exactly techo-savvy, but despite this I have joined twitter, see previous post for the link to that. Also I will update with links soon!

Matt

How much do you agree with the Mail?

Just a quick one, before I start work for the day. Last night I discovered that there are daily (if not more frequent – I’ll keep you updated on that) ‘polls’ on the Daily Mail website. They ask searching questions such as ‘Is short hair back in fashion?’ and ‘Are you more likely to vote for Labour with Ed Milliband as their leader?’ (next to a less than complimentary piece about him and his ‘heavily pregnant partner’).

In addition to the rules mentioned in ‘Countdown to Mail-pocalypse’ I will be partaking in these polls and playing a game I’m currently calling ‘Do I agree with the readers of the Mail?’ or ‘Who wants to be a Mailionaire?’.

Feel free to post suggestions for a catchier name for this game, as both these are terrible.

Days left until exclusive Mail reading: 2

Level of nervousness: High

Political leanings: Left

Hatred of immigrants/Europe/BBC etc: Low

Matt

A Month of Mail... countdown to mail-pocalypse

I’m a Guardian boy myself, and I pretty much always have been (bar a pre- Beano-subscription period in the early 1990s when I was partial to the ‘Funday Times’). As a fully paid up liberal lefty I have certain views on life, and I have certain views on where I gather my news from (this being largely The Guardian and BBC Radio 4). While being interested in the worlds of science, politics, ‘slebs and the like, it would not be unkind to suggest that my news palette is somewhat limited.

It is with this in mind that I am taking up a challenge, a re-imagining of myself, a questioning of my political leanings, I am confronting my prejudices and undertaking an exploration of the dark side of the Tabloid press.

For one whole month, beginning this Friday, the 1st of October I have decided to source my news only from the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday.

I know a little about these papers, I occasionally browse them when nothing else is available (free newspapers in airports are so frequently the Mail, when is it ever a good idea to give some delayed and agitated air passengers a paper that only serves to make people more angry and agitated?!), or when they do something monumentally stupid (Jan Moir, I’m looking at you!).

So, what are my perceptions of this paper? Let’s see. The paper is racist, homophobic, bigoted, anti-BBC and anti-immigration. The Mail is also anti-Europe, while simultaneously being disgusted at 'Broken Britain'. It is overly obsessed with the fringes of what can be classified as news. It is hectoring and overly assured that its world view is correct. It only covers 'science' when it suits its ideological (for wont of a better word) purposes, and it is responsible for the diminishing trust placed by many in the NHS.

I believe that the Daily Mail is a dangerous newspaper, and it may well be harmful to my health.

With these thoughts in mind I have taken a political compass test and below I present the results:

Turns out I’m a proper dirty libertarian lefty. Bugger.

So, to the project itself, my aims are:

• Confront my prejudices; is it really that dangerous a paper?
• Will reading it impact on my view of the world?
• How far Right will I drift by Halloween, if at all? 

The Rules:

• Only read the Daily Mail or the Mail on Sunday, and that may well mean actually buying the rag
• Forgo my Radio 4 habit – Commercial or music radio only
• Stay away from as much other news coverage as practical,
• And, if I must watch TV news, I must make it ITV, Channel 5 or ‘light news’ – One Show, Lorraine Kelly etc.
• Take a political compass test weekly

Daily I will update: what have I read, what have I learnt, and how angry am I feeling? I’m reading it so you don’t have to!

So, as of Thursday – The Guardian, Eddie Mair, Charlie Brooker, Polly Toynbee, Ben Goldacre, Evan Davis, Jon Humphries – adieu, I’ll miss you all.

I’m ready to confront it, I’m ready to start my Month of Mail.