One of the things that I always loved about the UK is their press culture. Ever since I was a young teen, I’ve been drawn to their media and style. Even though I don’t always agree with them, The Sun exemplifies this as much or more than any other outlet they have. The snarky headlines, takedown pieces, they even had naked women (they sadly jettisoned that feature). I know some of you may hate The Sun, still, I can’t help but enjoy their antics. That’s not to say I defend everything they’ve done, such as phone hacking and the like. But I love the nasty UK tabloids nonetheless, what can I say?

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It’s not just the tabloids, though. The entire media landscape is completely different across the pond. They don’t have the robust freedom of speech protections that the Unites States has, this is true. That’s made up for by the fact that they also don’t have the same mentality as US reporters. So many times, you will see our guys bow down to someone in power, or mindlessly repeat the government line. Many interviewers refuse to get in the face of guests and really challenge them, especially if they’re a bigtime politician or celebrity. It does happen sometimes, but it’s far too rare for my tastes. In the UK, they often delightfully pick at a guests weak points right off top.

Jeremy Paxman exemplifies this style probably more than anyone else. To be fair, he’s known for being aggressive even by UK standards, but I think if you watch a greatest hits real of his, you will understand what I mean about the British style.

To my British readers, this might all seem tiresome. I’ve seen think pieces dedicated to the idea that the media over there is out of control with their nastiness. For me, it’s refreshing, but for some of you it might be tedious. Let me know what you think either way (American readers too, of course lol). I could go on for several hundred more words on all this, but I’m going to keep it short because I have a couple of other things I want to write up before I’m done for the evening. I might also do a column on British fictional television as well, since I also have great admiration for that aspect of UK society. All these posts are meant to be a lead-up to my UK trip, which will begin when I touch down in London very early on the morning of December 30th. I’m trying to raise money for my video diary of the trip, so contribute to that as well if you feel so inclined. If not, I’m still gonna do it regardless, so don’t feel too bad. I’ll see you all again here in a bit.

Also, check out the latest batch of Skull Ralph comics if you get the chance. Our artist Christine is hilarious, and I love her work more than anyone.