AllShiney, Here is a description of the UK newspapers (subjective of course, but isn't everything!). Over the years I have worked for the main UK tabloids and their websites, and other newspapers but today am a Guardian/UK broadsheet/BBC online reader, watch Channel 4 news. When I used to work in London newspapers I had to (skim) read all nine every morning so did get an overview.
To Nancy66; the Guardian sales are so low because everybody reads it online, for free. Of course that will lead to its downfall in the end. Tabloids not as affected by people reading them without paying for them as traditional market for them is people who like a 'hard' copy, although their online figures are high too. The Guardian's website is the second most read in the UK after the Daily Mail.
The Sunday Times and the Times of course has a paywall - £6 for a copy through your door every day, online access including to your mobile. £2 a week to have daily access to the websites.
Not bad really, and while sales have dropped it's working for them.
Phew, this took me a while, but I can actually use it for someone else - it's not Mumsnet, it's work-related, honest!
Dailies
Tabloids
The Sun (2,5 million)
Right of centre. Today are Tory supporting, but were massive backers of Labour for 10 years. Owned by Rupert Murdoch, who some say runs the world in a James Bond baddy style fashion. He certainly owns most of the world's media. Murdoch only backs winners, hence he backed Blair in 1997, 2001 and 2005 elections. They went off Brown though. Currently in deep trouble because of hacking/police bribing case. The stories are about 60% true.
Famously it is deeply unpopular in Liverpool after it ran stories the day after Hillsborough saying that Liverpool fans ran on the pitch and stole from the dead Sheffield fans and pissed on their bodies (all utterly untrue). Unsurprisingly, Liverpool has yet to forgive the Sun, despite the paper printing front-page apologies and staging many 'forgiveness stunts' in the city.
Average reading age to be able to digest the information provided on, say, page 3, is eight years old.
Oh yes, and it features porn on the first inside page, daily. It calls itself a 'family newspaper'.
Daily Mirror (1,1 million)
Left of centre, Labour supporting. Doesn't feature porn. If you're going to read a tabloid, this is the most acceptable of the lot. Stories probably 90% true.
Daily Star : 617,082
Porn and totally made-up. Owned by porn baron Richard Desmond (he really is). Nothing in here is more than 10% true (I know, I've worked there). Very very embarrassing to be seen with this.
Daily Express : 577,543
Tory supporting, although has supported Labour in the past. Also owned by porn baron Richard Desmond, sister paper to Daily Star. Not very legitimate paper. Obsessed with Princess Di, even now.
Daily Mail : 1.9 million
Right wing, very conservative (some would say it demonstrates the worst of conservative values). It is resolutely and cleverly aimed at women, and only UK newspaper with female readership of over 50%. During WWII it supported the fascists and the Nazis. However, it did one notably good act of journalism by naming and outing the Stephen Lawrence murderers in 1997, at risk of being held in contempt of court, which led to the two convictions. They need to do a lot more journalism in that vein to redeem themselves in my view, however.
The Metro: 1.3 million, read by 3.5 million (each copy read 3 times, if you leave it nicely folded on your bus seat!)
Owned by the Daily Mail, freebie for commuters, designed to be read in 20 minutes. Pro-conservative, right of centre.
The news stories are either shortened ones from the Mail, or just taken from the news agencies (Reuters, AP, AFP), so generally not original stuff. They do good what's-on listings, reviews, and that sort of thing, if I remember correctly, but it's not a reliable news source, and don't forget you are indirectly being fed the Daily Mail...
Daily Record : 291,825
Scottish, owned by the Mirror Group.
Broadsheets
The Daily Telegraph: 578,774
Tory supporting, right of centre, nicknamed the 'Torygraph'.
Actually well-respected especially for its great journalistic investigations such as the MPs expenses scandal (at which it socked it to the Tories as much, as Labour), was voted Newspaper of the Year in 2010.
Financial Times : 316,493
'The Pink Paper'. Mainly financial, business and politics news but does cover culture, features and some lifestyle.
Backed the Tories in the 80s, backed Labour under Blair, generally fairly middle ground, although a recent poll showed most its readers are Tory voters. Probably cos they're rich (their glossy magazine supplement is called 'How to Spend It').
The Guardian : 215,988
Left-leaning but mainstream, traditionally Labour supporting, though wasn't keen on Gordon Brown. Urged readers to vote Lib Dem as a tactical vote in last election, probably regrets that now. Voted National Newspaper of the Year in 1999, 2006 and 2011. Really good at investigative journalism, most recently the Leveson inquiry into News of the World and The Sun's hacking and police-bribery. No porn, but great lifestyle articles and 'Woman' section. Excellent columnists including Charlie Brooker, Hadley Freeman, Mariella Frostrop and more.
The Guardian Online Website gets 39 million unique users per month.
Sister paper is the Observer (on Sunday)
The Independent : 105,160
Centre-left but doesn't usually support just one political party, hence its name. Is usually reliably independent, and classically liberal, pro-capitalism. Sometimes more issue-led than news, with its one-topic front pages. Doesn't have much money compared to the other papers, so suffers from a shortage of staff, although a rich Russian bought it in 2010. Last summer it was the only British paper to have increased its circulation in 12 months, though it seems to have dipped again now. Traditionally avoids publishing any news about the royal family.
i : 264,432 - this is the independent's little sister paper, a condensed version, designed to offer a lighter read and boost circulation, which it does.
The Times: 397,549
Supported Labour in 2001 for the first time ever and again in 2005, but usually a Tory paper, although moderate, not as right-wing as The Mail and The Telegraph. Rupert Murdoch owned, from same stable as The Sun, News of the World (wot was), Sunday Times of course. All written, published in the same building in Wapping, London. It's about 300 years old and calls itself 'UK Paper of Record'. Fairly well regarded, good journalists working on it.
Sundays
Tabloids
Daily Star Sunday : 599,078
The Sun (Sunday) : 3,213,613
Sunday Mail : 376,898
Sunday Mirror : 1,594,293
The People : 701,246
Sunday Express : 567,800
Sunday Post : 291,623
The Mail on Sunday : 1,882,469
Broadsheets
Independent on Sunday : 124,260
The Observer : 253,022
Scotland on Sunday : 46,964
Sunday Herald : 30,771
The Sunday Telegraph : 461,280
The Sunday Times : 939,395
The source for weekly circulation figures, as has been for decades, is ABC via the Press Gazette.