We are a group that meets to cast our sometimes serious, sometimes wry, sometimes despairing eyes over what and how current news items are reported in the media.

The group leader allocates one of the UK's nine daily newspapers to each member on a rota basis. The day before the session you might find yourself scouring the pages of The Times and the next session it might be the Sun newspaper. Every member has a 'free choice' week where they bring in news from any source; it might be a publication such as the Spectator or a more humorous outlet e.g. Private Eye; or a local or foreign website. We begin by comparing the headlines and then selecting stories that have attracted our attention. We want to vary our approaches to exploring the contents of the news. One theme this year is 'What Happened Next?' where a member of the group follows through a headline to track what happens in the following weeks. Another theme is 'Reporting the news or creating the news?' when we explore what the newspapers actually want us to hear; what language are they using and what, if any, are the implicit messages?

Last updated: 10th August 2025