Press written

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Synopsis

Definition and double function of the French press

press written can be defined as being the whole of daily newspapers, of periodic publications and of the professional organizations related to the activity. It is generally called "press".

The newspaper industry is intended mainly to diffuse:

  • information (press on the topicality and of opinion, presses information)
  • entertainment (press with use of leisures, entertaining and of escape: serials, comic strips, plays...).

But the newspaper industry is also a support for what gets to him a significant part of its receipts (in 39% of its receipts in 1985 against more than 60% for the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom). The editors are thus held to find a right balance in their answers to waitings, sometimes contradictory, of readers and of advertisers.

Periodic daily newspapers and publications

One distinguishes the daily press (them ), printed on cheap paper, of the press magazine (periodic publications), more luxurious and more illustrated. The latter knew a great diversification which enables him to be targeted, to support the development of consumer loyalty of its readers and to better resist the competition of the others (of which electronic media). Within the daily newspapers, it is important to distinguish the national daily press, diffused on all the territory (examples for France: The World, Release, the Barber), of the regional daily press, which treats only local topicality. This distinction is important, because the stakes of these two types of newspaper industry are absolutely not the same ones. One fights to keep its independence with regard to the political world (national daily press), the other fights to survive, and must thus take care not to lose its independence with regard to the advertising executives (in France, only three regional daily newspapers gained readers in 2004: West France, Free Charente and the Telegram of Brest. All the others lose audience). The distinctions within the magazines are too numerous to be evoked. Indeed, if the daily press goes badly, its cons?ur magazine is flourishing: the French are the first readers of this type of press in the world.

Origins and evolutions of the newspaper industry

Remote origins

The newspaper industry initially appeared in various forms: the news which was handwritten, the occasional ones, make out them, the wall cupboards, the almanacs....Often they were simple loose leves. This more or less clandestine press was sold in bookshop and by hawking.

The first periodical printed in the world, a weekly magazine of four pages, titrated "Relation", was launched to in December 1605 per Jean Carolus. 1

A slow development

The technical evolutions (the invention of printing works dates from the years 1450) and the French revolution did not allow a real development of the press because of political measurements which were taken to block its freedom of it. It will be necessary to await the middle of the XIXe century, the Industrial revolution and measurements supporting the instruction so that this development is effective.

The golden age of the newspaper industry

The newspaper industry knew as vector of information at the end of XIXE century and at the beginning of XXE century. It occupied a position of in fact, before radio and is not essential, in their turn, on the market of . The law of of the press is finally promulgated on July 29, 1881.

Legal framework and fourth capacity

The right to the free expression of the thought is a basic right; in the line of this right, the right to be informed is also essential. Currently, one often evokes the universalization which is likely to make possible the installation of groups of press of international size very powerful. Fault of being channeled, this centralization could harm the freedom of the press and to which the democracies are attached. At all events, it remains always very difficult to measure the real degree of independence of the press, except the totalitarian countries where this independence does not exist.

Modes of distribution in France

The editors have two means of marketing to touch their readers: the sale with the number which is ensured by a network of more than 18 000 points of sale of proximity (see press written, sale with the number) and itsubscription, this last which can be conveyed by posting or by .

The system of the sale of the press to the number is organized by the law of April 16, 1947 known as "law Bichet", on a co-operative basis intended to ensure neutrality of it.

There are mainly two companies of transport, known as "of level I": New Transport of the Parisian Press (NMPP) and Lyons Transport of Press (MLP). The company Transport Press uses the infrastructure of the NMPP. The NMPP are the company operator for five co-operatives of transport which holds 51% of its capital, the 49% remainder being held by the company Hachette, itself operator of the NMPP (heiresses of the Transport Hatchet). The NMPP and Press Transport are the only ones to distribute national daily newspapers, activity which requires a particular logistics because of the emergency constraints which stick to it. The MLP specialized on the press magazine of monthly and quarterly periodicity and also distribute some weekly magazines.

The companies of transport are used a network as agents (known as "level II") who feed themselves the diffusers (commercial of newspapers and kiosks or "level III").

The regional and departmental daily press has its own system of distribution which, essentially, feeds level III directly.

The whole of the system of distribution of the press is placed under the monitoring of the higher Council of the transport of press, professional organization created by the law Bichet.

Compete with, Internet

Compared to audio-visual media, the newspaper industry gives often more details in information, because of its written form it especially makes it possible to the reader to remain active in his search for information thus to leave him a certain critical retreat on the events.

is often indicated like a large competitor of the newspaper industry since the years 2000, or like a chance for this one. It is a question of distinguishing, in fact, two aspects of Internet:

  • Internet like alternate content provider : the contents diffused by actors "purely Internet", i.e. without pinion on street in the medium of traditional journalism, are generally regarded as not very reliable (hoax, etc). This being, Internet (for example via or the sites of collectives) can allow the emergence of alternative voices the traditional media, whose listening can be particularly useful in the event of media racing of the other sources, or of control of the newspaper industry by a government for example. The phenomenon of raises however the question of the legitimacy and the journalistic competence of the car-declared author.
  • Internet like vector of information : transmission of journalistic represents one of the most widespread uses of Internet network, at least since the years 1990. This transmission resource, whatever the origin of information, has in particular the advantage of a world presence and a greater capacity of resistance to . The traditional actors of the newspaper industry use themselves Internet to publish their contents (often free) and to then find thus new readers, likely of interesser to the contents in version paper. However, in 2005, the newspaper industry still does not seem to have found business model effective to reconcile diffusion by Internet and right remuneration of the produced contents.

Another competitor, since a few years, of the traditional newspaper industry: the free ones (Subway and Twenty Minutes, like Lille More, Lyon more or Marseilles more, of free published by the local daily newspaper). This irruption frightens the paying daily newspapers, which lose shares of the advertising cake there. The big national dailies try to fight against this phenomenon, but their high cost does not enable them really to compete in the long term. No real questioning of the landscape of the daily newspapers (national or regional) still was born until today.

See too

General related articles

Related articles on the editors and the product

Related articles on the distribution and the sale of the press

Other related articles

External bonds

 

  > French to English > fr.wikipedia.org (Machine translated into English)