Newspapers are written for audiences/readers in the same way other forms of media are, like films, magazines etc. Each Newspaper has a target audience and what we are going to do is analyse how they appeal and engage that readership.
Your Task:
Your Task:
- Create a new blog-post and name it: News: Analysing the Language of Newspapers.
- Find two news stories (print or online) on the exact same event. One from The Daily Mail and one from The Guardian. Copy and paste a good portion of the copy into your blog-post making it clear which copy comes from which newspaper. This will serve as your extract.
- Read both extracts carefully and begin to analyse the language used by each Newspaper.
- Write an analytical essay comparing the language used in each by using quotations from each and explaining why that newspaper has chosen to use that kind of language. Think about their target audience, how they are appealing to them and how the language is contributing to the reasons they have purchased the newspaper. Within the copy, think about also, how the perspective of the piece could contribute to the agenda of the newspaper.
Key Ideas to think about:
- Tone: What tone is being created by the copy? What is the purpose?
- News Value: What information has the newspaper chosen to present? What has it left out?
- Agenda: Does the story appear to have an agenda? Is an opinion visible? Why do you think this is?
- Formality: Is the article written formally or informally?
- Responsibility: Is the story trustworthy? Do you feel that the story is responsibly reported?
- Bias: Is bias present?