Aside from the headline, another factor which influences the readers’ thoughts on the story before having read the article, are the photographs included with it.
The main photograph (Appendix 1) appears to be shot in soft focus. Owing to this photo, the paper puts across the message of how the girls will be remembered; both are smiling in the picture and the focus it was shot using, suggests an angelic facet. The second photo (Appendix 1) tells a very different story and is a raw picture taken at the scene of the incident along with the caption, “ANGUISH”, representing the extreme grief expressed by those close to the girls. The third picture (Appendix 1) is taken where the accident took place with the caption “TRAGEDY”. There is nothing in the picture to compliment the caption, yet it somehow speaks for itself through use of emotive language.
The Daily Telegraph leads with the subheading, “Safety row after rail crossing tragedy” (Appendix 2), under a photograph of the two girls, which again is shot in soft focus. It is interesting to note that whilst the tabloid chose to garb the readers attention by printing a sensationalist headline, the broadsheet achieves the same affect, using the ‘less is more’ approach by printing a colour photograph of the girls on the front page. The very essence of the subheading beneath the photo, takes on a completely different tone from that used in the Daily Mirror. The reader is given more information in those few words in the heading of the Daily Telegraph, than was volunteered by that in the Daily Mirror, until near the end of the article.
The Daily Telegraph doesn’t feel the need to include ‘trashy’ headlines, a tactic often employed by tabloid newspapers in order to make a quick buck.
“As the first paragraph in an article, the introduction is very important. Its contents tell the reader in more detail what the article is about.” (); with this in mind, from the out set, it appears that the broadsheet is more interested in straight facts rather than sensationalizing the story. The article continues on page five, column two under the heading “Father’s attack over rail crossing” (Appendix 3). Again, this illustrates that the broadsheet is more interested in informing readers, rather than taking the stance of passing judgement for them. The article in the Daily Telegraph takes on a factual structure and only includes quotes from sources relating to the incident, quoting both parents and Network Rail.
Whilst the broadsheet states the girls, “were killed after they hurried through an unlocked pedestrian gate” (Appendix 3), the tabloid merely writes that the girls “are thought to have opened an unlocked pedestrian gate” (Appendix 1). Did the broadsheet choose to write the definite over the probable as it was intent on making the article appear as fact based as possible, or did it choose such wording as a form of backing to accompany the headline “Father’s attack” (Appendix 3)? Both explanations are probable and both statements tie in with each of the respective articles. The tabloid uses a more diplomatic statement to communicate the point it is making, that the girls are victims of a tragic accident; whereas the broadsheet is in no doubt that the girls did in fact cross the line thus justifying the right to use the father’s anger in their headline.
In the Daily Mirror, the article itself does little to dispel the feelings of high emotion is may already have evoked through use of image and headline, by focusing on the grief of those close to the girls who died.
It concentrates on the emotional aspect of events rather than the actual incident at hand. The article portrays itself as being subjective by in essence, telling the reader,
this is a sad turn of events, rather than presenting the facts for the reader to then come up their own conclusion.
In terms of news value, this is a highly newsworthy article; not just for tabloid press but also that of broadsheet. What could be more newsworthy than two innocent little girls, killed on their way to do some Christmas shopping? Especially, when the article is so sensationally documented in the Daily Mirror. Negativity, (Galtung and Ruge 1965) is one such news value that is relevant to this article. Bad news is good news. The phrase “Get me a murder a day” (Lord Northcliff, founding editor, The Daily Mail 1896) could certainly be applied as significant to this article. The girls, it could be argued, were essentially murdered by Network Rail. Tragedy sells, especially tragedy that has been hyped up by journalistic involvement. The Daily Telegraph on the other hand, while still deeming the article newsworthy enough to put a picture and introduction to the full story on the front page, finds the incident and father’s outrage, is a story in itself without having to be hyped up or sensationalised.
The one dimensional article as written in the Daily Mirror, drums into the reader what a tragedy this incident was.
The choice of words used in the article, are again those associated with tragedy and sadness. The Daily Mirror being a tabloid seems intent on adding an element of sensationalism to the article through use of vocabulary that could be bracketed as rather melancholic. Though the words are descriptive, they also have an element of melancholy attached to them, “wept, mourners, tragic, sobbed, moving, dashed, shocked, grieving, devastated, dreadful, accident, tears, killed, anguish” (Appendix 1), are all words used in the article.
The article contains a considerable amount of quotations from varying sources ranging from; police, friends, sisters, mothers, fathers, teachers and officials. Even those made by a brownie leader of years gone past. The quotes included, all run along the same lines and provide a very one sided argument to the reader, “mourners broke down”, “we’re all very upset”, “this is just so very sad”, “two more angels in heaven”, “God has not wiped away every tear”, “they were full of life and had everything ahead of them, sadly it has come to an end” (Appendix 1). The Daily Mirror also chose to insert and quote personal messages left at the scene, “Olivia, the Clown Princess, Love Dad, Nikki, Alex, Steffie xxxxx” (Appendix 1). One could view this as an invasion of privacy. For the journalist to include such tributes illustrates how much the girls were loved by not just their families but also in their community. The newspaper is evidently doing its best to strike a chord with the general public.
The Daily Telegraph with through investigative journalism, has done enough research to even acknowledge the girls’ nicknames, “Olivia ‘Liv’ Bazlington and Charlotte ‘Charlie’ Thompson” (Appendix 3). When stating in the headline, “Father’s attack over rail crossing deaths” (Appendix 3), it in a sense, ‘does exactly what it says on the tin’. By using such a specific headline, the broadsheet can do little else, but document and quote statements made by Chris Bazlinton, father to one of the girls. Therefore, the majority of the article is taken up by his quotes along with those made by a spokesperson for Network Rail. It is for this reason that the article could be regarded as more trustworthy than that written in the tabloid newspaper. Rather than taking the tacky approach of just picking out messages from floral tributes left at the scene, the broadsheet has shown that it is interested in interviewing those in the thick of the incident, those who are most likely to be affected by the unfortunate events and bringing their opinions and facts to the attention of the reader. The article in the Daily Telegraph ends on a reflective note, with one of the girls’ parents saying of their loss, “we do not know how we will carry on” (Appendix 3). Ending with such heart felt words is a much subtler way of ensuring the reader will identify with the family and their loss. The more ‘in your face’, sensationalist, tactics employed by the tabloid newspaper, in their coverage of the incident is typical of tabloid reporting which in most cases, seems keen to print articles only of a melodramatic nature.
In conclusion to the findings, after having compared the news values, photo choice, structure and word choice, it is clear to see that, although both papers cover the same story, both have varying methods and reporting styles.
While the broadsheet chose the factual approach, the tabloid was rather more subjective, choosing quotes and language possible to influence the readers’ take on the article. Compared to the vocabulary used by the broadsheet, the tabloid article is littered with verbs and adverbs typical of tabloid reporting. The Daily Telegraph however, uses nouns and pronouns, this being typical of broadsheet reporting. The newspapers did have one similarity; both identified the report as ‘hard news’ a chronicle of current events / incidents; the most common news style on the front page of your typical newspaper.
With reference to both articles it is reassuring to find that diverse journalism is still apparent in today’s reporting allowing the public freedom of choice to read exactly which form of journalism they may prefer.
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