Paper Monitor

10:53 UK time, Friday, 3 November 2006

A service highlighting the riches of the daily press.

The Daily Telegraph seems to be undergoing some kind of identity crisis.

On one side of the masthead there’s Russell Brand, hairy and rebellious, and on the other there’s Selina Scott, described inside the paper as “porcelain pretty”. It’s a kind of tug of love picture - rampaging youth on one side and long-hankered-after romance on the other. Which does the Telegraph wish to pursue?

Inside, the struggle for the paper's soul continues. There’s more familiar territory - murder, a dog kidnap, a hobbyist with an enthusiasm for television test card music (3,500 recordings). Or else there’s the great big colour picture of Kate Moss in her underwear.

Meanwhile, newspapers are currently obsessed with all things digital. But how does a paper deliver the equivalent of a click-through to the online world?

The Times gives a front-page plug to its interview with pop performer Jarvis Cocker, which in turn is a plug for its podcast service, which has Cocker as its star turn today. This is a few pages on from a piece about family history, linked to the paper's weekend give-away, a genealogy DVD.

And the Sun’s account of the garage forecourt car crash - where an elderly customer demolished a pump - is linked to CCTV footage on the paper's website. This is a truth universally acknowledged - if something gets knocked over, you want to see it fall.

Anyone galled by celebrity culture can have their bile refilled by a story in the Daily Express, which reports on the “goody bags” worth £10,000 given to the poor needy pop stars at last night’s MTV awards.

Last year’s Oscars’ goody bags were worth £57,000, says the Express, including essentials such as a free holiday, assorted luxury clothes and gadgets, plus a toaster. Toaster? Do they really need a free toaster? Why not pass it on to the needy, such as Paper Monitor, who rather hankers after a toasted crumpet with its morning cuppa.