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...)
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.]
