What the softening of the Sun says about Britain
Two-speed liberalisation remakes a tabloid newspaper
ON ROLLS of microfilm, in the archives of the British Library, lie the remnants of a lost civilisation. Twenty years ago, in March 2004, the Sun was Britain’s bestselling newspaper, shifting 3m copies a day. It was also bleak, bigoted and cruel. Europeans with hiv and tuberculosis would swamp British hospitals, one front page from that month warned. An item on gay characters on “The Archers”, a radio drama, satirised the theme tune: “Bumti-bumti-bumti-bum.” Women were in turn “tarts”, “hussies”, “mingers” or “crumpet”. On and on it went.
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This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Pink tops”
Britain March 9th 2024
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- What the softening of the Sun says about Britain
From the March 9th 2024 edition
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