Media Studies: How To Read The Mail On Sunday

Mail On Sunday.

The Mail on Sunday has run a headline claiming the NHS is funding a sperm bank for "LESBIANS".

Of course, the headline is deeply and deliberately misleading, written to feed the irrational fears and prejudices of Mail readers.

The Mail eventually admits the sperm bank will be used by "lesbians, single women... and... heterosexual couples" - meaning it's actually just a sperm bank.

The Mail's online headline takes its discriminatory hyperbole to higher levels still, telling its readers "NHS to fund sperm bank for lesbians: New generation of fatherless families... paid for by YOU".

At this point it's worth noting that even the 'NHS-funded' element of these headlines is more than a little misleading. Public funding for the sperm bank amounts to a single £77,000 grant.

The Media Blog.