The devices and techniques used by the media in order to get the point across to the public.

The media use an array of devices and techniques to portray their opinions or facts depending on the form of media the devices and techniques differ slightly. To demonstrate my point I will be analysing a piece of media which reports on the September 11th terrorist attacks on the world trade centre.

The article was featured in the broadsheet newspaper the “northern Echo”, the imagery of the article is of a police officer kneeling down at the site of ground zero in remembrance of all those lives lost. The use of strong imagery is common in newspaper articles which highlight the most important aspects of the article in a brief summary. The same applies with the heading “And the wind cries out the names of the fallen at ground zero” which is similarly used to captivate the articles subject in a brief summary. Both of these devices are commonly used due to there effectiveness of making the reader take notice of the article. The two above mentioned devices are also important factors in why a reader will buy one newspaper over another, the most attention seeking image and title will attract a wider range of people to the article.

Within the article other devices are utilized such as personification which is commonly used to give a non human object a trait that is unique to humans. An example of personification can be found in the opening paragraph of the article “The wind catches them” and again in the second paragraph “others are caught on a blast bouncing back and forth of those skyscrapers that remain.” This is particularly effective when used in a written channel of media such as magazine or newspaper to the connection of emotion between people, and even though the object is not a person ...

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A further example of a device used by the media is alliteration “shade, shape and size” and “scream of sirens”. Alliteration is commonly used an all forms of media to increase the fluency of the article.

One of the most important aspects of a newspaper report is the use of emotive language which makes a piece of writing meaningful and interesting content such a technique is used a great deal in written forms of media. An example of emotive language can be found in the article when talking about the actions of people that were there at the site of ground zero while the names of those lives lost were read out in remembrance for their loss of life. “…so many, so many, sobs a man clutching at a barrier” and also to set the ambience of the event “The subway beneath the earth rocks the sidewalk and hot steam belches out of the ground level vents.”

The second piece of imagery is a photograph of construction workers looking on at the site of ground zero, special meaning is added to the article because of the nation colours of America the stars and stripes that every American believes to be so important hangs in the background gives an impression of unremitting patriotism and is a sign of defiance to be made a lesser nation in the wake of a terrorist attack. The device described above is not commonly used in media unless to report on such a serious matter as September 11th. This shows a great deal of importance is placed upon the portrayal of patriotism in its purest form. A form reserved for the pieces of media designed to bring nations together in opposition to an evil rebel force. In the case of September the 11th the article was designed to bring the English speaking world together in the fight against terrorism.

Although the channels of media differ in their application of such devices and techniques all share the same aim to get their point across the most effective way possible.

Adam Knaggs 10 Blue One Newspaper article