Brexit vote: What the UK media has to say

The media has largely been in favour of UK leaving the European Union; a few have come out in support of remain campaign

As United Kingdom votes in the key referendum on whether or not Britain must be a part of the European Union, polls indicate a contest ‘too close to call’. 

Meanwhile, UK media seem to have made their positions clear. 

The Independent even wrote on how the media in UK was favouring Brexit. The publication quoted a study by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, which analysed 928 articles. From these, 45% were in favour of leaving, while 27% were in favour of staying. Around 19% of the remaining articles were 'mixed or undecided', while 9% had no position on the issue.

 

The Sun had already come out in support of leaving the Union. The Rupert Murdoch-owned tabloid, with a front page cover titled ‘BeLEAVE in Britain, it said that the nation ‘must exit to prevent from being engulfed by the German-dominated federal state.’

Thursday's Sun front page:
Independence Day#Tomorrowspaperstoday #bbcpapers #EUref pic.twitter.com/xKWqYv3b47

— Nick Sutton (@suttonnick) June 22, 2016

Another newspaper, The Times, owned by Murdoch, however, seems to be in favour of Britain staying in the EU. "That’s to be expected for a paper that prides itself on being the paper of the political and financial elite. In that light, supporters of the Remain campaign have been surprised at how Euroskeptic the Murdoch-owned newspaper has seemed at times," Alex Spence wrote in his Politico column last week.

Tomorrow's EU referendum special: Will Britain vote to Remain, or Leave? #EUref https://t.co/AG9hufhY5B pic.twitter.com/fi7jekeRkr

— The Times of London (@thetimes) June 22, 2016

The Daily Mail, too, supported exit of Britain from the EU. Their front page on Wednesday read ‘If you believe in Britain vote Leave’. The paper had been running stories on anti-immigration. The newspaper's editor-in-chief, Paul Dacre, has reportedly supervised the publication's support for the Brexit vote.

Wednesday's @DailyMailUK #MailFrontPages pic.twitter.com/RGgtIfR9Wo

— Daily Mail U.K. (@DailyMailUK) June 21, 2016

Thursday's @DailyMailUK #MailFrontPages pic.twitter.com/alTOC87Inn

— Daily Mail U.K. (@DailyMailUK) June 22, 2016

Meanwhile, media houses like the Daily Express and Daily Star have also focused on the issue of migration while reiterating their stance on leaving EU.

Thursday's Daily Express:
Your country needs you
Vote Leave today#Tomorrowspaperstoday #bbcpapers #EUref pic.twitter.com/tcd83UmtpP

— Nick Sutton (@suttonnick) June 22, 2016

The Daily Telegraph, too, has come out in support of Brexit. 

The Guardian has largely been in favour of UK being a part of EU. The arguments that the paper has made is in terms of the economic impact and not of sovereignty. “The Guardian will make no apology, between now and June 23, for making the case for Britain in Europe as clearly, as honestly and as insistently as possible,” it wrote in May. Another major publication, FInancial Times, has batted on the same lines to support remaining in EU. 

Guardian front page, Thursday 23 June: Last-ditch push to stay in Europe pic.twitter.com/fkYMfAvwu8

— The Guardian (@guardian) June 22, 2016

The Observer has come out in support of remaining in the EU. Its editorial batted for the remain campaign and said, ‘For an international, liberal and open Britain, we need to be a part of EU’. 

The Sunday Telegraph, The Sunday Times have all favoured Britain leaving the European Union for a better, fit and a bright future.

Tomorrow's Daily Telegraph front page today: 'The time has come' #EUref pic.twitter.com/KjHpEa4gS3

— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) June 22, 2016

Tomorrow's front: Don't take a leap into the dark, vote REMAIN today. #tomorrowspaperstoday https://t.co/YKybHtwDNr pic.twitter.com/k7BiV3JMDv

— Daily Mirror (@DailyMirror) June 22, 2016

If Britain stays, @BILD will acknowledge the Wembley goal #EUref #Tomorrowspaperstoday @suttonnick pic.twitter.com/DPxHo0IbK9

— Tanit Koch (@tanit) June 22, 2016