I grew up in the UK in the 1960s and 1970s, in a home where two daily newspapers came through the post box – my father subscribed to the Telegraph, whereas my mother was an avid reader of the Guardian, until her despair at the grammatical errors drove her to the Independent.
Since 1987 I have lived in Germany, and for the past 20 years or so in a rural area where it is almost impossible to buy a UK newspaper. On a business trip to Poland a couple of years ago, I found the Guardian Weekly at a small newsagent and realised I had struck gold. I have subscribed to the paper ever since.
I follow current affairs on the radio and internet, but get so much more satisfaction from reading the newspaper, as it gives me much more background, as well as a greater wealth of topics. I always look forward to the in-depth reports in the Weekly Review – whether I am then horribly shocked by the reports of corruption and bribery in India’s educational system, or fascinated by the report on the use of rats in detecting tuberculosis. The sensitive review of the Hillsborough inquiry was British journalism at its best.
As a language teacher, I try to keep up my word power doing the quick crossword and rely on the book reviews for reading recommendations. It warms my heart to see my 19-year-old son reading the paper after me. Long live the Guardian Weekly!
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