How our right-wing press entrenched Brexit divisions

While the European media has been mostly objective in its reporting, the highly partisan nature of British Brexit coverage is deepening our political divide, argues Jessica Buxbaum in a new book, ‘Do They Mean Us?’

The Sun backs Leave on its front page in the run-up to the 2016 referendum (AFP)

To first understand how the European and British press covered the Brexit referendum and subsequent aftermath, a general knowledge of the differences and similarities of their news sectors is necessary.

While at least one tabloid dominates circulation in nearly every European country, a broadsheet is part of the top three widely-read newspapers in many nations such as Germany, Spain, Austria and France.

The same is not true for the UK where the three most read newspapers – The Sun, the Daily Mail and the Daily Mirror – are all tabloids. Britain’s fixation with tabloids stems from the country’s regard for social stratification. Class is engrained into the cultural framework of British society and Britons take discernible pride in their class identity, not just in their work but also in the news they absorb.