Paper Monitor
12:32 UK time, Wednesday, 23 May 2007
A service highlighting the riches of the daily press.
From the outset of today's paper round-up, Magazine Monitor would like to make it clear that it does not endorse animal cruelty. But what it does endorse is highlighting the way papers work up a story to fill column inches.
Take the story of a newborn elephant who was pushed around a bit by his mother, something his German zoo keepers say is normal and a natural reflex action to stimulate newborns after birth. "HORROR AT ZOO" screams the Daily Mail's front page, flagging up a double-page spread on the incident inside. That's headlined "SAVED FROM HIS OWN MOTHER!" and has a standfirst that includes the words crush, drown and rescue.
All those column inches but the Mail's story seems to be missing a quote that's included in the Mirror's article on the same incident. "It's a natural reflex action of elephant mothers to stimulate their newborns to stand by nudging them," says the Zoo's deputy director Claus Pohle. Journalists never let mother nature get in the way of a story.
The Times is promoting its illustrated guide on escaping depression on the front page. Maybe avoiding the paper might be a tip - the front page alone includes stories of murder, a seige, chaos over government legislation, unfaithful fathers and doormat mothers.
Finally, the best-juxtaposition-of-stories-on-a-page award goes to the Sun. Page 19 has an article asking: Are you Mr Average? There's even a 20-question quiz you can do. Next to it is a picture of Michael Jackson arriving at Heathrow Airport. He's reportedly being paid Β£5m just to turn up at the 25th birthday party of HRH Prince Azim of Brunei. Neither he nor the prince need not worry about doing the quiz, we know the answer.
The 
