Jimmy Porter hates newspapers in general, finding them representative of the comfortable, aimless, and posh upper classes he so despises and envies. Several sections in the newspapers appear to set him off. He complains that the book reviews always read the same from week to week despite the books being different. He reads an article by a woman wondering if she should have sex with her boyfriend before marriage, and then proceeds to call the author a "stupid bitch." He mocks a pro-war bishop who tries to defend himself against accusations of class snobbery by placing all the blame on the working classes.

The one article Jimmy seems to find the most contemptuous is written by J. B. Priestley, a famous playwright and novelist most known for the stage play An Inspector Calls. He generally finds Priestley too fond of the Edwardian era, a time of prosperity for Britain before World War I. Jimmy compares Priestley's general outlook to that of Alison's father, an upper class military figure who views Britain's colonial history with fondness. The frustrated, passionate Jimmy is essentially projecting his own rage towards the upper classes onto Priestley, using his nostalgia and emotional reserve as a manifestation of everything about respectable society, which drives him mad.