The Independant

Interesting article in today's The Independent about swifts. The article was written by McCarthy and is very clear and informative. I had forgotten how good The Independent can (sometimes) be.

The Independent newspaper was a quintessential product of the 1980s. When it launched in 1986 it was widely acclaimed as the most beautiful British newspaper ever produced, with elegant layouts, and innovative typeography. From the beginning, the writers set a very high standard of journalism, genuinely independant of political affiliation.

Inevitably compromises were made as the newspaper came under financial pressure and made a series of editorial changes. The current production standards are very poor (as you can see from the photograph, a pinkish tinge mars the page). The standards of journalism have fallen, with writers such as Johann Hari and Yasmin Alibhai-Brown adopting a camp quasi-outrageous style that masquerades as "provocative".