Two of the country’s largest supermarkets are going to change their newspaper displays because of fears that children are being exposed to graphic content.
Both Tesco and Waitrose have agreed to hide the front of publications, responding to a campaign by two groups.
Tesco said that its in-store “news cubes” would be redesigned so that only the masthead of each paper can be seen.
Victory
Tracey Clements, Customer Experience and Insight Director for the supermarket, said: “We are first and foremost a family retailer and it’s important we do everything we can to promote the right environment in store.”
A tweet by Waitrose said: “We’ve been working on this for some time and will soon be changing our newspaper fixtures so we can display some newspaper covers out of the eye line of children.”
The decisions were hailed as a victory by campaign groups Child Eyes and No More Page 3.
Strong message
Claire Riseborough, co-founder of Child Eyes – which campaigns to stop sexualised, sexist and damaging images being displayed in view of children – told the MailOnline that the group are “thrilled”.
A statement from No More Page 3, which campaigns for the removal of images depicting topless women from newspapers, hailed the decision by Tesco as “amazing”.
It said that the move, “sends a very strong message to the tabloids that Tesco don’t think their front covers are appropriate material for display in a family-friendly environment”.
A spokeswoman for the group said that the move wasn’t just about protecting children. She explained that adult shoppers often feel that offensive language and images cannot be avoided.