Paper Monitor
11:12 UK time, Thursday, 19 July 2012
A service highlighting the riches of the daily press.
"Only 8 days to go" to the Olympics, the Sun points out on its front page, which means it is only eight more days that the papers have to think of something to say about the Olympics without any actual sport to report.
The stories they have come up with are not going set an Olympic torch alight let alone the world on fire, but Paper Monitor thinks they do illuminate the newspapers' different perspectives.
For example, the Sun has a story about how two of the Olympic security guards are "illegals". There is not enough substance to give it the full Sun treatment, so in "The Sun Says" the paper returns to a well-worn theme, appreciating the armed forces helping out with guarding the games as well as fighting the Taliban. "Every one of them deserves a medal."
The Daily Telegraph is worried about the unions. They report a vote by immigration staff in favour of strike action over jobs. The paper says this threatens strike chaos before the Games and was condemned as "unpatriotic". Paper Monitor is unsure that the Telegraph could use an adjective it would find more damning.
The Daily Mirror doesn't go on the "unpatriotic" line but does report that employees are angry at job cuts, pay freezes, privatisation and "victimisation sackings". As Labour's most loyal supporter in the press, it's also interested in why the former Labour Prime Minister, Gordon Brown won't be at the opening ceremony.
"It may be that he has an engagement he simply cannot alter," a source says helpfully.
The Times plays on its long history and calls itself "The Paper of Records", offering a special pull-out featuring some old photographs.
The Guardian tries to keep its reputation as the paper for serving those who work in the media with a story about a row between the opening ceremony's director Danny Boyle and the company broadcasting the games.
And the Daily Star goes for sex, of course, saying that the Team GB football team is staying in the same block as all the sexiest female competitors.
So which paper surprised Paper Monitor? The Daily Express didn't run a headline saying "Weather will ruin games". Indeed, it sees no disaster ahead.
Instead its editorial says we should keep the rash of games stories in perspective. "Olympics will be magical", it tootles.
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