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The Varieties of American Newspapers
No country in the world has more daily newspapers than the USA. There are almost 2 000 of them, as compared with 180 in Japan, 164 in Argentina and 111 in Britain. The quality of some American papers is extremely high and their views are quoted all over the world. Distinguished dailies like The Washington Post or The New York Times exert a powerful influence all over the country. However The Post and The Times are not national newspapers in the sense that The Times is in Britain or Le Monde is in France, since each American city has its own daily newspaper. The best of these present detailed accounts of national and international news, but many tend to limit themselves to state or city news.
Like the press in most other countries, American newspapers range from the "sensational", which feature crime, sex and gossip, to the serious, which focus on factual news and the analysis of world events. But with few exceptions American newspapers try to entertain as well as give information, for they have to compete with the lure of television.
Just as American newspapers cater for all tastes, so do they also try to appeal to readers of all political persuasions. A few newspapers support extremist groups on the far right and on the far left, but most daily newspapers attempt to attract middle-of-the-road Americans who are essentially moderate. Many of these papers print columns by well-known journalists of differing political and social views, in order to present a balanced picture.
As in other democratic countries American newspapers can be either responsible or irresponsible, but it is generally accepted that the American press serves its country well and that it has more than once courageously exposed political scandals or crimes, for instance, the Watergate Affair. The newspapers drew the attention of the public to the horrors of the Vietnam War.
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