The PCC (Press Complaints Commission) is a body which controls what the press can and cannot do, all newspapers must adhere to the PCC’s code. In my opinion, the Mirror have stretched this code for not distinguishing between conjecture and fact, particularly in the quote: “Was last night branded a chicken” because it does not state who says it, for all we know it could have been the journalist’s opinion; however, they get away with it! In conclusion, a knowledge of institution (who controls what you read and how people and events are represented in the media) is extremely important in order to understand the ways that tabloids can be biased by ownership and to avoid being persuaded one particular viewpoint we must discover the facts before we make pre or misconceived judgements about a current issue.
Media Language
The main features of the front page of the Mirror are, first, a picture of Jonny Wilkinson. A white light, which makes him appear angelic and a hero surround him, this is paired with the headline “Jonny B God” it is securing his place as a national hero. Secondly, your eyes are drawn to the headline “Chicken George”. Moreover, there is a 3am section aimed specifically at women; this may help to attract more women customers because they feel they are being catered for. In comparison, on the front page of the Sun, there is also a picture of Jonny Wilkinson from a slightly different angle and then the headline: “your troops did not die in vain”. This headline is also underlined which connotes a sense of importance.
The masthead of the Sun is rather plain, containing only the basic facts of price, name, website and date. Whereas the mast head of the Mirror is more bold and angular which makes it appear more significant, it contains all the same facts as the Sun apart from in place of the website are the words Newspaper of the Year. This is more effective because it implies that people have chosen this newspaper over the Sun. The language of the Sun’s headline is quite formal and it is also unusual to have a quote as headline. This is quite effective because it suggests that there is a special feature about Bush inside which could be a selling point of the paper. However, the language of the Mirror’s front page is quite informal and immature, this may appeal to people who want a light hearted read so it could equally use this as a selling point. It very much depends on the individual. The tone of the Mirror is rather like a parody of George Bush: it mocks him and taunts him, which presents him in a negative light. On the other hand, The Sun is rather serious and they appear to be hanging on to Bush’s every word. The news values according to theorists Galtung and Ruge referred to on the front pages of the Sun and the Mirror are both demand, reference to elite persons and reference to something negative. The political orientation is evident on both headlines, particularly by the slant that is put on the splash stories. The tones of both articles imply two contrasting things about George Bush. In summary, the format of a tabloid front page will often contain at least one picture, usually more, and the picture will tend to be at the top of the page or at the side. The headline will often be below and, usually, the main photograph will not link to the splash.
Audience
The audience is vital to the press, without an audience there would be no press. They shape what stories are run and the political orientation. Tabloids are popular because of their easy reading factor. They often focus more on human-interest stories, which can make the newspapers a more compelling read they are also often more accessible than broadsheets which tend to be aimed at more business men whereas tabloids are stereotypically aimed at manual workers aged between 25 and 50. The papers address their audiences in very separate ways. Whilst the Mirror tends to use headlines and language that their audience can relate to, the Sun often use provocative pictures to entice men to buy the paper; this is based on the idea that ‘sex sells’. The Mirror has obviously attempted to appeal to women by including a section only aimed at them, which contains a Love Actually feature. In addition to these there is a free “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” DVD that may appeal to families, predominantly families with young sons. Also, there is another free gift of a poster of Jonny Wilkinson that is chiefly aimed at supporters of England and sports fans.
If a tabloid published a story that was of high demand, it is likely that the sales rate would increase for that day. However, if you put on a story that some find offensive then you would expect the sales rate to decline. Demand for a story though is probably the deciding factor for whether or not a story would appear on the front page or not.
Tabloids can have a major influence on many things by what they say and do. For example, if a tabloid was in favour of the Labour party at the time of an election, it is very likely that they could use their influence to encourage others to vote labour.
Representation
The main factors that influence how a story is being represented are the political bias of the owner and editor, the popularity of a person or an event or, occasionally, how the person who is being represented wishes to be portrayed. However, this is rare as editors know they are much more likely to sell papers when they make reference to something negative according to Galtung and Ruge’s theory of news selection. The story on Jonny Wilkinson in the Mirror represents him in a positive light, the white glow around him connotes that he is of an almost godly status because of the denotation on the screen, and the headline “Jonny B God” confirms this. Jonny Wilkinson was not particularly an elite person before all the media coverage of his notorious drop-goal, so all the stories in the papers have contributed to his ‘super-star’ reputation. Obviously, he has been represented in this way because of the demand from their audience. The only reason he has been represented in this way is because he won the World Cup, if he had missed his drop-goal then such a fuss would not of been made and Jonny Wilkinson would not have been the nations hero.
Foreign news is much less likely to be reported in newspapers than local news. This is because the general public are much less likely to be interested in something that is happening abroad unless it applies directly to them. Therefore, in the newspapers, foreign news that does not apply to us as a country, very rarely occurs in the British press.
In my opinion, the editor of the Sun has chosen to represent George Bush in a good way because of the renowned political opinion of his newspaper and because he is aware of his audiences political opinions as well. Therefore, he must conform to these expectations. Similarly, the Mirror is required to do the same but instead of making George Bush appear good, they must present him as being weak and fearful.
The way a story is represented affects whether the public are supportive or unsupportive to a current news affair depending on how it has been represented in the media through the use of language and photographs. Newspapers aim to cause controversy through putting bias on stories, this is specifically to manipulate a certain reaction from the public. In conclusion, the way newspapers represent something has a particular effect on how it is received by the public.
Conclusion
The foremost difference between the Sun and the Mirror are the contrasting political viewpoints. This is evident in many of their stories by the bias that is used. I think that the Mirror’s layout is better than the Sun’s because it appears more orderly and not so cluttered.
In my opinion, the tabloid press is an important and influential part of society. I disagree with the way that they harass celebrities and invade their privacy but appreciate that this all part of their job. I also realize that it is vital to be aware of the ways that ownership can affect the way an issue is represented. Furthermore, it is crucial to be able to recognise bias in a tabloid and the reasons a story has been biased in order to make up your own mind without being influenced by the opinion of a journalist.
