Best Sunday papers?

[Idris2002]

The week before the yanks attacked Iraq, the Observer repeated the same old discredited rubbish about an Iraqi govt agent's alleged meeting with one of the 9/11 boys in Prague.

Sorry, even though we were an Observer house growing up, I really have no interest in it any more. I mean I'll look at it if it's there, but I feel no need to go and get it on sunday morning. At most I'll look at the website to see if there's an African story.

But even their African coverage is turning lame (it used to be the best English-language paper in the world for African stories, before Tiny Rowland bought it). I remember a story a few months back about how the new Black yuppie class in South Africa is getting over its head in debt.

I don't care and I'm not interested. I want to know about the places where SA's future will be decided - the townships, the factories, the mines and the rural areas.

Unfortunately none of the workers or peasants in those places are quite refined enough for the taste of the average Observer reporter.

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

...But even their African coverage is turning lame (it used to be the best English-language paper in the world for African stories, before Tiny Rowland bought it). I remember a story a few months back about how the new Black yuppie class in South Africa is getting over its head in debt.

I don't care and I'm not interested. I want to know about the places where SA's future will be decided - the townships, the factories, the mines and the rural areas.

Unfortunately none of the workers or peasants in those places are quite refined enough for the taste of the average Observer reporter.

Is it the same chap who writes for the Observer who writes for Guardian?

The Guardian has only one correspondent for the whole of the continent. It was Rory Carroll I think, I think he was sent to Iraq at some point, so there was a massive hole in their coverage for a while.

Plus the Guardian has a 'super-stringer', which I understand is not a staff post, but paid a retainer, kind of half way between staff and stringer basically. Either way, not enough for a whole continent really.

Incidentally, the super-stringer is Andrew Meldrum, wrote some good stuff about Zimbabwe before being chucked out.

 

[Diamond]

re: the rich N.londoners/middle Englanders, I'd point back to Marr's argument about shopping. Personally I think those sections can easily be ignored because they are such drivel.

Personally I think that the saturday guardian is one of the worst newspapers on the market. It's reporting is almost always rubbish and the guide is one of the most self-regarding supplements in the world. IMO the only reason any sane person would want to buy it is because it's got Charlie Brooker doing Screen Burn. Incidentally what do peeps think of his 'supposing...' column on friday?

If I had the chance I would get subscriptions to the telegraph and the FT too. Both have got excellent reporting and intelligent, challenging writing. On top of that the telegraph's sport section is the best bar none and the FT manages to make all financial/business/market matters interesting, which is a remarkable achievement.

 

[Pie 1]

IMO the only reason any sane person would want to buy it is because it's got Charlie Brooker doing Screen Burn.

You've got to admit the letters page in Weekend's a good wheeze to...
..."I recoiled in horror at the at the advert for bikini's on the opposite page to the story of the Somalian child slave swimmers....."

<Bring back Birchill, anyone?