Daily Prophet

The ***Daily Prophet*** is a wizarding newspaper based in London, England. It is the primary source of news for British and Irish wizards.

Because of its ability to influence the minds of many in the British (and probably Irish) wizarding community, the paper has been known to have its content slanted intentionally by the Ministry of Magic (which it has strong ties with) into telling the Ministry's preferred version of events. Unfortunately, the Prophet does not seem to have a lot of journalistic integrity, it has been known to be more concerned about sales than about factual accuracy.

The paper features a morning and evening edition, the latter of which is called the *Evening Prophet*. The weekend edition is called the *Sunday Prophet*. Additional news bulletins can be delivered quickly when important, newsworthy events occur. As news changes, an edition may magically change, too, over the course of the day, probably by means of a Protean Charm.

## Overview

### Distribution

There is only one wizarding newspaper in Britain, discounting such small circulation publications such as *The Quibbler*. The *Daily Prophet*, whose headquarters are on North Street in Diagon Alley, is delivered by owl on a daily basis to nearly every wizarding household in Britain. Payment is effected by placing coins in the pouch tied to the paper-owl's leg. Occasionally an *Evening Prophet* edition will be rushed out. Subscriptions cost 1 Knut. This paper is delivered to professors and a few students at Hogwarts in the mornings, when the owl post arrives.

The *Prophet* is not the only publication in the Wizarding World, but it is almost certainly the most widely read. Stories in the *Prophet* often colour public opinion to a great amount. The most widely read alternative newspaper in the wizarding world is *The Quibbler*.

### Journalistic Integrity

While the *Daily Prophet* has been known to print facts, it has also had a somewhat negative reputation for being incredibly biassed, corrupt, and deceptive. It is clear that, as there is strong government control of the newspaper, the facts can be misleading, if not outright fabrications, and that certain means of gathering information appear to be somewhat unethical. Government control of the Ministry is shown in the way that the *Daily Prophet* appears to pressure the government and go around official sources, and several people feel that the Ministry of Magic "leans heavily" on *Prophet*.

In other instances, the *Daily Prophet* has misleading journalism — information that, while accurate in fact, leads readers to the wrong conclusion. There are also occasions when the newspaper is seen to contain inaccurate or libellous content. It appears that there is little regard for accuracy in any form and there are no consequences or accountability for poor journalistic practises.

## Contents

The regular contents of the *Daily Prophet* are usually the following:

* *Good News* (page 02)
* *Bad News* (page 02)
* *Forecast* (page 02)
* *Potions* (page 03)
* *Magic Lottery* (page 04)
* *E. Limus* (page 05)
* *Astro News* (page 06)
* *Spells* (page 07)
* *International* (page 08)
* *Abracadabra* (page 08)
* *Hocus-Pocus* (page 08)
* *Politics* (page 09)
* *Sports and Games* (page 09)
* *Someone's Column\*\** (page 09)
* *Magic News* (page 10)
* *Comment* (page 10)
* *Arts & Warts* (page 11)
* *Tricks & Trucks* (page 11)
* *Opinion* (page 12)
* *Puzzles* (page 12)
* *Kids Corner* (page 12)
* *Black Magic* (page 13)
* *Pink Magic* (page 13)
* *Jobs* (page 15)
* *Someone's Column\*\** (page 15)
* *Health* (page 16)
* *Fitness* (page 16)
* *Love, Anita* (page 16)
* *Obituaries* (page 17)
* *Classified Advertisements*(page 18)
* *Fiendishly Difficult Crossword*(page 18)
* *Someone's Column\*\** (page 19)
* *Someone's Column\*\** (page 20)