Harry Potter newspapers and magazines
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Several media publications are featured in the Harry Potter novels (and film adaptations). The most prominently featured newspapers and magazines are profiled below. They are all fictional publications.
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[edit] The Daily Prophet
The Daily Prophet is the most widely-read newspaper in Britain's wizard community. Unfortunately, its journalistic integrity is somewhat lacking; it has been known to be more concerned about selling itself than about factual accuracy (the name may very well be a pun on profit), and to come under Ministry of Magic's thumb when the Ministry wills it.
Warner Bros.'s Harry Potter website's news and events page has been named after the paper.
The Prophet remains respectable (and obscure) for the first three books, but by Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, it has hired Rita Skeeter, an unscrupulous journalist who supplies several high-quality, thrilling and blatantly false articles. These include creating an article that, while correctly asserting that Rubeus Hagrid is part giant, also makes numerous scurrilous accusations about his personal character; and declaring Harry "disturbed and dangerous".
After the Ministry took the stance of firmly denying Lord Voldemort's return, the Prophet initiated a smear campaign against Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter, the most influential proponents of the opposing view. Though Rita was blackmailed out of her job by Hermione Granger, her works had done enough to form its basis. They made Harry out to be an attention seeking liar, and made sly snide comments about him in articles. Dumbledore was declared to be losing his mind in his old age, and the loss of some of his honours was much touted; it failed to mention Cornelius Fudge's paranoid beliefs that Dumbledore was plotting against him.
After Fudge was forced to admit that Lord Voldemort had returned, the Prophet changed its stance overnight, now calling Harry "a lone voice of truth." The newspaper even bought Harry's interview on Voldemort's rise from the Quibbler, which Harry had — ironically enough — given to none other than an unwilling Rita Skeeter.
The Quibbler may be seen as a foil to the Prophet. The Prophet has a commercialised nature and prints stories for the money. The Quibbler prints stories not for money, but the ideology of sharing important news. Neither the newspaper nor the magazine are very accurate; the Prophet's stories are twisted to make them seem more exciting and the editor of the Quibbler is so open-minded that many of the stories are very absurd.
The editor of the Daily Prophet is Barnabus Cuffe, a former pupil of the Potions master Horace Slughorn. It is unclear how long he has been editor of the Daily Prophet.
[edit] The Quibbler
The Quibbler is a magazine referred to in Order of the Phoenix and Half-Blood Prince.
The magazine's editor is an unusual wizard named Lovegood. Lovegood is against the Ministry of Magic's propaganda and the commercialised nature of the Daily Prophet. He is focused on principle rather than on profit. Unfortunately he is so open-minded that many stories are not only untrue, but incredibly silly, such as Cornelius Fudge ordering goblins to be Sweeney Todd-like cooked in pies. The stories are so outlandish that hardly anyone believes anything in The Quibbler, except Lovegood's daughter Luna. Harry himself briefly considers that the magazine might print spoof items. The writers for The Quibbler are unpaid; they do it for the honour. The Quibbler is probably comparable to a real-life inoffensive (although absurd) tabloid such as the American paper, Weekly World News.
During Order of the Phoenix, Hermione Granger blackmails Rita Skeeter into writing an article about Harry Potter's meeting with Lord Voldemort during Goblet of Fire. Lovegood agrees to publish the interview. In an attempt to prevent the story from spreading, Dolores Umbridge bans The Quibbler from Hogwarts. Her plan backfires, and the edition sells out faster than any other. Lovegood is shocked that people are more interested in this than the Crumple-horned Snorkack. After Cornelius Fudge admits Voldemort has returned, Lovegood sells Harry's interview to the Daily Prophet for a very good price (enough for him and Luna to go on an expedition to Sweden to hunt for a Crumple-horned Snorkack). This article is probably one of the few, possibly only, true news stories published in The Quibbler.
[edit] Facts according to The Quibbler
[edit] The Ministry of Magic
Lovegood opposes the Fudge Administration and says he would believe anything about him. This shows in The Quibbler, which indulges in conspiracy theories, declaring Fudge has goblins cooked in pies, and uses the Department of Mysteries to develop terrible poisons, which he supposedly feeds to people who disagree with him. It claims he also has a secret army of fire-demons called "heliopaths". No one, except Luna, actually believes this. Fudge's replacement, Rufus Scrimgeour, fares no better; Lovegood asserts that he is a vampire.
Finally, the Ministry's elite security service, the Auror Office, is reported to be involved in the Rotfang conspiracy to bring down the Ministry through a combination of Dark magic and gum disease.
[edit] Fantastic Beasts
There have been numerous beasts mentioned in the Quibbler such as Crumple-horned Snorkacks (which supposedly live in Sweden and cannot fly), heliopaths, the Bibbering Humdinger, and Nargles (which are supposed to infest mistletoe). None of these exist according to Hermione Granger and are not listed in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, so it is clear that the Ministry of Magic also doesn't recognise their existence.
[edit] Transfiguration Today
Transfiguration Today is a magazine. Not much is known about it, except that Harry read it in the Leaky Cauldron in his third year at Hogwarts.
[edit] The Adventures of Martin Miggs, the Mad Muggle
The Adventures of Martin Miggs, the Mad Muggle is a comic book series. Ron Weasley read some issues of the comics. As Ron was 12 when Harry noted it, it is likely that these comics are targeted towards a young audience.
[edit] Which Broomstick
Which Broomstick is a magazine about flying broomsticks. The name suggests it is a parody of What Car? magazine. It includes an order form at the back. Harry frequently browsed through it when needing a replacement broomstick in his third year, and it is implied that Sirius Black used it to buy Harry's Christmas present Firebolt. Ron mentions the magazine when showing off his new Cleansweep, as does Lee Jordan in The Prisoner of Azkaban while commentating on the Gryffindor vs Ravenclaw match (the first match in which Harry used his Firebolt).
[edit] Witch Weekly
Witch Weekly is a magazine for witches, in the style of the Muggle Woman's Weekly. It includes articles, possible quizzes and advices and a usual everyday 'Muggle' teenage magazine. Witch Weekly has been mentioned as publishing interviews by Rita Skeeter. Witch Weekly might also include one of the Wizarding world's Quidditch sports articles, and celebrity news (as one of its many articles has been about Harry Potter). Witch Weekly was first mentioned in the second book of the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, as Gilderoy Lockhart had won its "Most Charming Smile" award.
