LOCAL, NATIONAL OR LOCAL, NATIONAL OR GLOBAL?GLOBAL?

THE BORDERS OF THE THE BORDERS OF THE PRESS IN NORTHERN PRESS IN NORTHERN

IRELANDIRELAND

Jean Noël Fernand MercereauJean Noël Fernand Mercereau

1. THE MARKET OF THE PRESS IN 1. THE MARKET OF THE PRESS IN NORTHERN IRELAND: GENERAL NORTHERN IRELAND: GENERAL

INDICATORSINDICATORS

216

1,093,044

3

(943,000/86%)

2

(150,044)

5,057,500

SCOTLAND

183

307,649

2

(134,699/44%)

3

(172,950)

1,685,000

NORTHERN IRELAND

194Newspapers sold for 1,000 inhabitants

761,741Combined sales of all “national” dailies

2

(193,860/25%)

Number of British titles with local editions

(combined sales/share of “national” market)

6

(567,881)

Number of “national” daily titles

(total sales)

3,917,200Population

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND

CIRCULATION OF THE FIVE CIRCULATION OF THE FIVE “NATIONAL” DAILIES OF NORTHERN “NATIONAL” DAILIES OF NORTHERN

IRELANDIRELAND

50,000 (16%)

94,500 (31%)

58,000 (19%)

77,000 (25%)

28,400 (9%)

Newsletter

Irish News

BelfastTelegraphMirror

Sun

2. THE LOCAL BORDER2. THE LOCAL BORDER

Fitzpatrick Family (NI)

Nationalist

50,000

(186,000)

1855

The Irish News

Andersonstown News

Group (NI)

Nationalist

- (Objective

2005: 20,000)

2005

Daily Ireland

Independent News and Media

(R.of I.)

Unionist

94,500

(295,000)

1870

The Belfast Telegraph

3i (UK)Owner

UnionistPolitics

28,400

(76,000)

Circulation 2004

(Readership)

1737Foundation

The

Newsletter

CIRCULATION OF THE THREE CIRCULATION OF THE THREE DAILIES OF NORTHERN IRELAND DAILIES OF NORTHERN IRELAND

1970-20041970-2004

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

1970 1980 1990 2000 2004

Newsletter

Irish News

BelfastTelegraph

Total

3. THE NATIONAL BORDER3. THE NATIONAL BORDER

AA single market for the whole island of Ireland?single market for the whole island of Ireland?

The Government of Ireland Act (1920) and partition;The Government of Ireland Act (1920) and partition;

Cross-border readership?Cross-border readership?

The dilemma of nationalist newspapers;The dilemma of nationalist newspapers;

The paradox of British newspapers.The paradox of British newspapers.

NEWSPAPERS WITH SIGNIFICANT NEWSPAPERS WITH SIGNIFICANT CIRCULATION BOTH IN THE REPUBLIC CIRCULATION BOTH IN THE REPUBLIC

AND IN NORTHERN IRELANDAND IN NORTHERN IRELAND

268,000205,00063,000Sunday World

247,500160,50087,000News of the World

73,00047,0026,000The People

86,50048,50038,000The Sunday Mirror

192,000115,00077,000The Sun

137,00079,00058,000The Mirror

Total Irishcirculation

CirculationRepublic of

Ireland

CirculationNorthernIreland

Title

4. GLOBAL BORDERS4. GLOBAL BORDERS

Growing “foreign”/transnational ownership;Growing “foreign”/transnational ownership;

The (bad?) example of the Republic;The (bad?) example of the Republic;

A natural extension of the domestic market;A natural extension of the domestic market;

The risk of “tabloidization”.The risk of “tabloidization”.

LOCAL EDITIONS OF LONDON LOCAL EDITIONS OF LONDON NEWSPAPERS IN NORTHERN IRELANDNEWSPAPERS IN NORTHERN IRELAND

87,000News International

Popular/SundayNews of the World

26,000Trinity Mirror

Popular/SundayThe People

38,000Trinity Mirror

Popular/SundayThe Sunday Mirror

58,000Trinity Mirror

Popular/DailyThe Mirror

77,000News International

Popular/DailyThe Sun

Sales (July-Dec. 2004)

Owner Type Title

CONCLUSIONCONCLUSION

Local newspapers: division not over standards Local newspapers: division not over standards (quality/popular) but over communities; no (quality/popular) but over communities; no “integrated” newspaper;“integrated” newspaper;

Growing importance of London tabloid papers; Growing importance of London tabloid papers; neutral ground of sensationalism;neutral ground of sensationalism;

No all-Ireland newspaper; only cross-border No all-Ireland newspaper; only cross-border print journalism through “tabloidization”;print journalism through “tabloidization”;

Crossroads: between perennial divisions and Crossroads: between perennial divisions and foreign models.foreign models.