How many?

Ever wondered how many freesheets there are around the world? According to data gathered by newspaperinnovation.com there are free daily newspapers available in 41 countries.

30 million freesheets are being printed daily.

London's 1.5 million freesheets equate to the consumption, after recycled pulp usage, of 400 trees every day. That means the worldwide tree consumption on a daily basis is 8000 trees, approximately. How much acreage is that I wonder?

A big thank you to Piet Bakker for his support and for putting together such a comprehensive blog on all things freesheet.

That's enough

Westminster council is challenging the free newspaper publishers to clean up their act. And they're doing it under the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005.

Here is the story as reported by the Online Press Gazette

'Westminster council estimates that a quarter of all waste in the West End is made up of free newspapers and ultimately ends up in the landfill, rather than being recycled, as it is mixed with street rubbish.'

So, the opposition to the freesheets is gathering pace. What will the reaction of the publishers be?

Media Domination

"Murdoch is an object lesson in the dangers of concentrated cross-border power. Such power is always problematic because it is apt to reduce diversity, squeeze out the regional and local, and stifle dissent "

A fantastic summation from the Guardian Unlimited website. The article written by Peter Wilby, former editor of the New Statesman and Independent on Sunday, illustrates very clearly the impact a monolith like Rupert Murdoch has on each and every part of the media he chooses to dominate.