There is a tendency to think that the UK press is polarised for or against
metric. I don't believe that's the case. I think that newspapers are
generally apathetic about it like so many in British society.
In my view it comes down to individual writers and journalists. Editors
couldn't care less or at least there's not much evidence that they do care.
One minute you can read an article that's all metric, turn the page and get
the opposite or more often a mixture sometimes in the same article.
There are some rabid anti-metric columnists though. Christopher Booker and
Peter Hitchin are two that spring to mind, though in their case it's mainly
born of anti-EUism. They both earn their money in much the same way, by
being provocative. I'm sure they love to be hated and enjoy a good scrap.
I've seen Hitchin in action on TV (wow). Writers like these object to
metrication on political grounds but they don't take the issue itself all
that seriously, they spout too much rubbish for that.
Phil Hall
The Telegraph is a "heavy duty" centre-right broadsheet.
It's nickname is "The ToryGraph".
As was mentioned recently, the paper that comes close to being awarded
"most metric" is the left-leaning "Independant".
My wife accidentally bought it the other day and I had a read. It's
actually a mix of imperial and metric (about 50/50).
I noted that when people were quoted it was mainly imperial though.
