U.S. PAPERS ATTACKED

Press, Volume C, Issue 29514, 16 May 1961, Page 8

U.S. PAPERS ATTACKED

“Little Parish Magazines”

(N.Z.P. A.-Reuter—Copyright) WASHINGTON, May 13 The head of the world's largest newspaper combine, Mr Cecil King, told a group of American reporters yesterday’ their papers were ”a lot of little parish magazines scattered across the country.” Mr King, addressing a National Press Club luncheon, said American newspapers consisted of ‘‘acres of soggy verbiage, cubic miles of repetitious reports, incredibly bad headlines, non-existent layout and ludicrous handling of pictures.” Mr King, whose organisadon recently paid about 64m iollars for the Odhams magazine and newspaper empire, said the London “Daily Mirror," of which he is also head, was not edited for people, like him, though he read it every day. The “Daily Mirror” was designed to provide entertainment for people on their way. to work or at lunch. It was entertainment primarily and attempted at the same time to give a certain amount of information. “If you produce a breakfast food that no-one wants to eat. .you are judged a fool. If you produce a newspaper that nobody wants to read, everybody thinks you are a high-minded chap,” he commented.