I will be comparing the front cover of a broadsheet and a tabloid newspaper on the day that labour won the 2001 Election. To do this I will be concentrating on three main attributes, which are design and layout, content and language.

Media Coursework

In this piece of coursework I will be comparing the front cover of a broadsheet and a tabloid newspaper on the day that labour won the 2001 Election. To do this I will be concentrating on three main attributes, which are design and layout, content and language.

First of all I will look at how effective the design and layout of the front cover is. On my chosen tabloid, The Sun, there is of course the bright red Sun logo but even more striking is the headline, "Blair's Back." This headline is over double the size of The Sun logo. There is then on the left-hand side of the page a big picture of Tony Blair. Below the big heading is a sub heading which reads, "Labour romps in with epic second landslide." Below the sub heading is a small section of text that carries on inside the paper. Overall the design and layout of this front cover is quite effective because the bold headline stands out and really hits you in the face which makes you want to buy the paper to see what the headline means. The sub heading then gives you more information, which shows that the paper is quite informative. The photograph on the front cover ads a bit of colour and life to the paper to show the reader that it isn't a dull paper. There is also a lure at the bottom of the page that says, "See pages 2, 3, 4, 5 and 4-page pullout." This shows the potential buyer that there is a lot more information inside the paper about the election that encourages them to buy the paper. Basically, the front cover of The Sun concentrates entirely on the election. On the other hand in my chosen broadsheet, The Times, it is a very different story. The front page of The Times doesn't just concentrate on the election but on many other topics including things like sport. Like The Sun it has a date and price at the top of the page. The main headline reads, "Election reward for Prescott." This is referring to the new job John Prescott will get now that Labour has been re-elected. Below that in the centre of the page is a picture of Tony Blair enjoying a day out with his family. Below that is another smaller story about the election. The headline says, "Blair forecasts further growth." There is another smaller picture of the Blair family to the left of the headline. Below that is a completely unrelated article about Lord Archer. To the right of this story is an advertisement for Tiffany & Co. diamonds. Overall the design and layout of The Times is very effective. The main headline is bold and simple which stands out. The photographs add life and colour to the paper. The amount of text shows the buyer it is a very informative paper that will appeal to a lot of people. The second story and the advertisement shows the buyer that the paper is interested in the election but the final story shows the buyer that it is also interested in the rest of the world. There is also a lure at the bottom of The Times. It reads, "The Times Today: page 2. Crossword: p 32. Media: Times 2, p 21-25. TV & radio: Times 2, p 27-32." This also encourages the buyer to buy because there are other things inside apart from news.

The photographs on both papers are also important. In the Sun it shows a smiling Tony Blair in a shirt and tie. I think that the picture is trying to say that Tony Blair is happy to be back in office and he is going to try his hardest to make a difference. In The Times there are two photographs which show a very similar thing. Both of the photographs show Tony Blair acting very relaxed with his family. The bigger photograph was taken this year just before the election but the smaller one was taken in 1997 before the ...

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The headline of a newspaper and the way it is presented is also very important. On the front cover of The Sun the headline is short, snappy, bold, big and close together. The headline reads, "Blair's back," which is in block capitals. The headline takes up just over half the page even though it is very short. I think the headline is trying to create the effect that Labour is back, bigger and better than ever. On the front page of The Times it is very different. The main headline on the front page is a lot smaller and less bold than the one in The Sun. It is a lot more spaced out and not as to the point as The Sun. The headline reads, "Election reward for Prescott." The headline is in lower case writing but is bolder than the text in the article. I think the headline is trying to create the effect that if Labour win the election people involved get rewards. In other words if you work hard you will get a treat!

The arguments and issues presented in the lead story are a very important part of a front page. On the front page of The Sun it is obvious straight away that The Sun is very pro Labour. You don't even need to read the article to know this. At the top of the page there is a badge with the Labour symbol in the middle. In the article though it says, "Tony Blair powered back into No10 early today after a SECOND landslide victory." You can see straightaway that The Sun is persuading the public that Labour deserves to be back in office. After reading the article you can also tell that The Sun does not like the Tory's. In the article it says, "Jubilant Mr Blair crushed Tory dreams of a revival-and put William Hague's job as Opposition leader in peril." This is a very blunt and uncaring comment and it shows The Sun's loyalty to Labour. In the article it also gives you all the statistics to show you by how much Labour won, as if they haven't already! "The ITN exit poll gave Labour 417 seats." The Sun's article is also very brief with not much detail in it. The Times' article though is very different. It has a very neutral attitude and it is almost being unfair to the Labour party. In the article the writer raises the issue that although John Prescott has been given a new title he has been doing that job all along. "Mr Prescott is being switched from his role as Environment Secretary to become Mr Blair's deputy in fact as well as name." The writer then raises the argument that John Prescott won't be with Labour come next election. "Even so, some ministers believe it will be surprising if he stays in the Government throughout the new Parliament." The article in this paper is a lot longer and more detailed.

The language in the two newspapers is very different. This is because The Sun appeals to the working class person where as The Times appeals to the more professional classes. That is why The Times uses more sophisticated language and The Sun is very blunt and to the point.

By: Nicholas Graham