News and current affairs magazines in the UK have defied trends by increasing their circulation in the past year, while gossip, celebrity and fashion magazines have fell flat.

It is an important signal that print will always play a big role in keeping consumers informed, despite the proliferation of online content. Media analysts say the discrepancy can be explained by the difference in quality of writing.

Prospect magazine is up 37 per cent from 2016, The Spectator has increased by 11 per cent, Private Eye by 8 per cent, and The Economist up 5 per cent.

Gossip magazines have suffered, as Ian Burrell, media columnist explains, "Gossip and celebrity tittle-tattle is rarely something that requires detailed analysis – so it's best suited to bite-sized content that zips around on social media.

"Once it is out there, it is quickly shared and readers move on to the next morsel. No-one wants to wait a week to read about it in a print magazine."

Look magazine has declined by 35 per cent, while Now, Closer, Heat, and Grazia have declined between 20 and 13 per cent.

Fraser Nelson, editor, The Spectator says, “A big change is taking place in the market. There's now too much writing online, and in an era of fake news, where you get your analysis from has never been more important.

"As newspapers and magazines are finding out, if you can publish writing that is consistently and significantly better than what can be found online, people will pay."

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