Is the tabloid press in meltdown after general election?

Publishers and editors of British tabloid newspapers are surely questioning their influence over the public after a sustained attack on Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour in support of a “strong and stable” Theresa May-led government failed.

A number of media pundits, journalists and politicians are indeed questioning the redtops entire purpose beyond salacious, kiss-and-tell celebrity gossip and chequebook journalism.

The BBC’s World Affairs Editor tweeted shortly after the election results; “I suspect we’ve seen the end of the tabloids as arbiters of UK politics. Sun, Mail & Express threw all they had into backing May, & failed.”

The award winning Movie Director Ken Loach appears to agree with Simpson by stating that Labour’s gains against the Conservatives were a “triumph over media presentation.”

A tweet by the former deputy Prime Minister John Prescott confirmed just how allegedly distraught some media moguls are at the Conservative’s poor performance.

In his tweet Prescott said: “Heard from very good source who was there that Rupert Murdoch stormed out of The Times Election Party after seeing the Exit Poll.”

A campaign to “bin” Jeremy Corbyn backfired on the tabloids after Labour activists bulk bought the titles on the morning of the election (leaving newsagent shelves empty) and posted images of piles of newspapers being thrown into recycling bins, being burnt, “kept for toilet paper”.

John Niven, the Scottish author whose books include Kill Your Friends and The Second Coming posted a video of burning copies of The Sun and The Daily Mail alongside a tweet stating: “This morning I reignited the British spirit with the newsagents entire stock of Suns and Daily Mails.”

The Sun wasn’t happy, quoting a 55-year-old reader: “I went to my local newsagents as I do every morning to buy The Sun before work and was told there were none left.

“Apparently a woman had walked in and bought all 33 copies and was going round other shops to do the same.

“I finally managed to get a copy around 500m down the road as the newsagents had implemented a ‘one paper per person’ rule.

“The same person had been in there too but the owner just told her to ‘f*** off’ when she tried buying all the copies.

“It goes against freedom of speech.”

The Sun then goes on to attack Niven by suggesting doubt over his claim to be a writer – a suggestion that doesn’t need any real investigative journalism skills to debunk.