The observer (The Observer)

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Product:	The Observer
Date:	04/03/01 (9 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Excellent political coverage. Sport Monthly magazine. Review. The AZED Crossword.

Disadvantages: Only published once a week.

The paper that tripped up Peter Mandelson with a phone call...

First published on December 4th 1791, The Observer is the UK's oldest Sunday newspaper, and is now linked with the Guardian in a sort of liberal alliance. So if you're after xenophobia, homophobia, or anyonewhodisagreeswithyouophobia you should stick to reading the Mail/Sun/Telegraph.

The current editor is Will Hutton (writer of "The State We're In" a compelling analysis of post-Thatcherite economics) who benefits from not having a proprietor breathing down his neck steering the paper's political standpoint. There is much positive common sense here, and no patronising the readers by dumbing-down the issues.

Main Section - 32 pages A2
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The news section covers stories in detail and with the emphasis on making those stories interesting to the reader. And there is a surprisingly readable World News section (and that means half a dozen pages or so, not just a column on page five.) The Observer Profile provides detailed background to someone in the news, and Mrs Blair's Diary offers an amusing look at the weeks events in the style of "Dear Bill".
There is nothing boring about this broadsheet

Columnists are vital to any newspaper, especially on a Sunday.
The Observer's regular columnists include:

Andrew Rawnsley: Columnist of the Year and author of "Servants of the People" - an inside view of New Labour which really set the cat among the pigeons. Essential reading for anyone interested in politics.

Nick Cohen: There is no mistaking this guy for a New Labour croney. His "Without Prejudice" column may well be the bete noire of a few ministers. No punches are pulled as he tackles the effects of government policy at the grass roots level of society.
And the curmudgeonly Richard Ingrams (former Private Eye editor and founder of The Oldie") is there
moaning on, debunking many topical issues (and everything new).

Mary Riddell: A rising star who writes intelligent and incisive observations on topical issues.


Life magazine - 64 pages A3
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Colour (but not glossy) magazine.
Look, I'm a bloke, I don't really understand magazines like this...
It starts interestingly enough, an amusing column by Phil Hogan, a "Loafer's Guide to..." but then it's all interviews with people you probably haven't heard of, lots of big posed photos, full page ads, then fashion, food & drink, restaurants and gardens - nothing to actually read.


Sport Monthly Magazine - A3
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Superb sports magazine, glossy-cover only and it only appears once a month, but it's worth waiting for. One of the best sports magazines on the market.


Sport - 16 pages A2
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Lots of big pics and stats, and not just f***b***. Good, in-depth coverage of Rugby, Cricket and other sports too. (Hang on, is that the first time I've mentioned cricket on Ciao? My, I have been behaving. Roll on April...)


Review ("People Music Film Arts Books") - 20 pages A2
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An excellent supplement. (I only realised how good when I had a look at a couple of other Sunday papers last month.) The coverage of films and books is particularly good with plenty of reviews, interviews, and gossip. Plus the current (book) best-sellers lists - including sales figures. (Apparently 1,168 people bought "The Floating Brothel" last week. Umm. I might just check that out.) This section also includes the enjoyably difficult Everyman crossword. And Sue Arnold is still there reviewing the week's radio. Although, she only ventures away from the safety of Radio 4 when pushed.


TV guide - 40 pages < A5
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A handy pint-sized TV & Radio guide. Excelle
nt layout, but the Observer has never been very good at regionalisation, so sometimes has the wrong ITV region. (To be fair this week was the first time that has happened this year.)


Business section - 18 pages A2
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In which William Keegan offers his blunt, good-humoured take on the economic climate. I always try to read this but often fail (I feel that if they can give a Nobel Prize for Economics they may as well give one for Meteorology too.) Instead I always head straight for The Networker - John Naughton's column on the Internet and its effect on society (but not net-know-nothing politicians) It is often very informative and never dull.


Cash - 32 pages A3
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Of no interest to me as I never have any. But if you do, and need help working out what to do with it (?!) there is plenty to read here.


Escape - 32 pages A3
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What can I say? Holiday sections exist only to be recycled as far as I'm concerned, but not before the puzzle page has been removed. (I'm sure they deliberately hide the puzzle page near the back of this section to force people to look through the rest of the paper for it.) Chess by British Grandmaster Jon Speelman, Bridge by Omar Sharif (yes, old Dr. Zhivago himself), and The Azed crossword by Jonathan Crowther. The best crossword puzzle in the world, no question about that, to quote Inspector Morse. Full of unlikely looking words trawled from the immense depths of the Chambers Dictionary. It was my childhood ambition to be able to do this puzzle - for many years solving a single clue seemed beyond me. Then about three years ago I finally managed to complete one, and now I manage it most weeks after much mind-twisting. The 1500th Azed puzzle appeared on February 18th.

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