“The Birmingham Post” focuses a lot more on informing people about local issued. Approximately forty percent of the front page is writing. The writing is very cramped up. There are about four articles on the front page with inside links and one main article with an inside reference. This creates a very intellectual image of the newspaper. “The Sun” focuses a lot more on making people laugh as well as informing them. Only about five percent of the paper is writing. The front page is quite plain. The writing is situated in the bottom right hand corner of the page and nowhere else. This is the only real informative point on this page. It is not very noticeable.
The main headline of “The Sun” is “I’m the boss, says Tony (If that’s OK with you Cherie, darling)”. This headline is quite long. It is very light-hearted and does not give the impression that the article is very serious. In fact this headline makes you smile or even laugh. This headline takes up about forty five percent of the page. It is written in black font on a white background. It stands out and is very clear.
The main headline of “The Birmingham Post” is “I abandoned farm to save family from BSE”; this headline is fairly short compared to that of “The Sun”. It is very serious. The headline gives the impression that the article is very important. This headline takes up about ten percent of the page. It is written in large black font on a blue background. It stands out and is clear and bold.
There is a real contrast in the language between these two main articles. The one about Tony Blair in “The Sun” uses very informal language. It mocks the Prime Minister, our leader. This is more evidence that “The Sun” is a much more light-hearted, fun newspaper. The article about the farmer in “The Birmingham Post” is a more formal commentary. It is very serious and educational. This is more evidence that “The Birmingham Post” is a serious informative newspaper.
About forty percent of “The Birmingham Post” are pictures. There is a large picture, which is for the article about the man who saved his family from BSE by abandoning his farm. The picture is of a man standing on a mound of earth in a field. The picture gives a cold feeling of sadness. That is the only picture on the front page. About fifty percent of “The Sun” are pictures. There is one large picture in the centre of the page. It is of three girls and is related to page 3. It is a sexual reference. It is not serious and is very loud, bold and attractive. Stars surround the picture. This picture is specifically aimed at the male population. It would expect that “The Sun”, from this particular day, attracted an audience of mainly men.
“The Sun” costs a small price of 20p. The price is displayed in the top right hand corner. It is written in huge yellow font on a red background. It is very sharp and projecting. I think the Editors do this because they want to show off the price because it is so cheap. “The Birmingham Post” costs 40p. The price is displayed in the top right corner under the title. It is written in very small black font on a white background. It is quite hidden and does not stand out at all you have to look hard to find it.
The two newspapers have very few similarities. The main similarity is that they are both from the 9 December 2002. Although both from the same day not one of the articles or headlines refer to the same issue. Both newspapers have a large picture, which takes up about forty to fifty percent of the page. However, the pictures are very different. One is a fun and lively picture, the other is a sad cold picture. Both have a main headline. “The Sun’s” headline is very light-hearted and humorous. “The Birmingham Post’s” headline is for a serious issue. “The Birmingham Post” has an advertisement in the bottom right hand corner. This takes up about five percent of the page.
I think both newspapers work well in their own different ways. They both are very different and present their information differently. “The Sun” proves to be a fun and lively newspaper, whose target audience are young. This particular issue would have attracted more men than women. This newspaper front cover is quite plain and there is not a lot on it. By just reading the front cover you do not get much information. The newspaper is not very informative. “The Birmingham Post” concentrates on informing people about local issues. All of its articles are very serious. By just reading the front cover of this newspaper you can get a lot of information. There are four small articles and one main one. The front page has about forty five percent writing compared with the five percent of “The Sun”. I think the audience of this newspaper would be older and more intellectual people.
Overall I think “The Birmingham Post” is better at informing people about serious issue. I think it presents it’s information clearly. The photography is very good and it gives a real feeling of sadness to the article. I think “The Sun” is a more enjoyable newspaper to read. It brings a smile to your face. This newspaper is not so good at informing people.