The layout of the daily mail is bold and in your face which is very eye catching. The pictures are vibrant in colour and stand out another eye catching feature. When using a picture they have to be chosen carefully. They must have an affect on the person looking at it whether or not it’s on a personal level or an image you recognise. Thus along with the bright, bold headline that cannot avoid your eye really makes the paper stand out and really makes you notice the paper. The way in which the headlines font and size is changed and how the headline is worded is well constructed to make the story stand out and appear more exciting and readable to the papers targeted audience. Due to the fact that the daily mail is a tabloid it is therefore aimed at the lower end of the JICNAR scale in the c1 – e category making it easier to read. These are the unskilled and poorly educated members of the public. The jobs these people would have would be lorry driver, factory workers, building site labour and unemployment. The front page is the main selling point to actually encourage people to buy and read the paper. Many housewives would also read ‘The Daily Mail’ for its gossip and celebrity news.
The headline on the daily mail is:
‘BOY OF 14 STABBED TO DEATH AT SCHOOL’
I believe this should be read with an n emphasis on the highlighted words because to me they are strong and meaningful words within the context they are used.
This headline is maybe a slight bit over the top because although Luke Walmsley was killed with a single stab wound which is bad enough this gives the imagery that he was repeatedly stabbed until he died a gruesome and bloody death.
This could be a selling tactic because with such little information by seeing that headline it would urge you to read on and find out the facts and add depth to the article instead of just eight words, summing up the whole event. Also by using such a short headline it allows a variety of other stories to be advertised so the paper is appealing to a wider audience and to people with wider interests.
The sub-headings, the by-line and what inside page to turn to for the main story are all in bolder larger fonts than the actual stories text. This is because most readers read the headings and sub-headings before actually buying the newspaper to see if the article is interesting therefore they are also main selling points of the newspaper.
On the front page of this newspaper there are a lot of different types of adverts, this would be expensive to publish but more or less extremely profitable in the end. Large businesses and schemes have a lot of funding set aside for advertising so therefore by advertising with this paper they know they are targeting there products/ businesses at the genre of people they think will be attracted to it. A lot of paragraphs are used in order to ‘break down the page making it appear shorter and easier to read, so the reader will not get bored. Informative text is small and not in bold.
Also included on the front page;
The Daily Mails slogan –newspaper of the year
Logo – lion and a unicorn on a crest stating dieu et mon droit – god and my right.
Price- 40p
Date-Wednesday, November 5, 2003
Name of the newspaper- Daily Mail- this is written in a large and bold gothic font. This makes it stand out and is therefore easily recognisable.
When you turn to see the main story you are confronted with a completely different image of Luke. On the front page his picture is that of a regular troublesome cheeky teenager but on the inside pages there is a face of innocence staring back at you. There is also a note from friends which says:
‘Luke, you’ll forever be in our minds. Live in peace!’
The way in which the text is laid out and paragraphed breaks up the page and half way through the article is a quotation from the text which says: ‘we are devastated.’ This gives the reader a chance to reflect on what they have just read and is in a way a break for them as well.
In the report a lot of quotations are used this is to give the reader the chance to read how other people feel about this tragic event.
Examples-
Mrs Campion stated:
‘Even more devastating is that way it happened – inside the school, in a corridor, as he waited to go into a classroom.
Luke’s aunt said:
‘He was a very sensible boy. He would stick up for himself if he got picked on, but he certainly wouldn’t go looking for trouble.’
A family friend said:
‘They do not know how a lad of that age can be carrying a six-inch knife around school’
As this event happened in a school it was bound to create fear therefore the children were sent home on a day of reflection.
What I feel is quite disturbing and inconsiderate is that an advert for the AA is also included on this two page spread I feel this will distract some people and is quite offensive and is almost saying that –yeah, so what a kid is dead. We need to cramp in this advertisement so we can make money. This is a tragic and an emotional story and shouldn’t go unnoticed.
Also included on the pages is- the date, the name of the paper and the page number written in Roman numerals and normal numbers.
The way in which the paper is set out (presented) will affect its rate of sales, good or bad. The ways in which the daily mail achieves positive sales and a good sales rate is shown in there trademark bold headlines, large images in vivid colours and variations in font style. These are all ways that maintain the daily mails sales and to capture the publics eye.
Just because the article in the daily mail is based upon a factual event doesn’t mean what they are writing is the truth they often use incorrect information e.g. it says he was stabbed in his leg and severed an artery but it was later shown he was actually stabbed in the chest. This was maybe used to make the story sound more dramatic, and is very often over exaggerated. There are a lot of interviews and surplus comments. These I found were not needed and sometimes irrelevant, for example family and close friends who weren’t at the actual scene when it happened passed comments about their views and feelings about what had happened without knowing the full details. Only one person who was actually present at the time of the stabbing was interviewed so if she hated the boy who stabbed Luke, and liked Luke then it was a biased interview at no point did I feel the boy who stabbed Luke was defended, but does a person like that deserve to be? Therefore the story is biased towards Luke.
The language used in this paper is simple and the majority of the vocabulary is monosyllabic for simplicity and easier readability. Like I said earlier, this type of newspaper is aimed at the categories c1-e on the JICNAR scale.
This article also includes similar results from the past for example, Damilola Taylor.
On the front page the picture dominates the page with a small amount of writing – just enough to capture the readers interest.
The focal point of this newspaper is vital news for the human interest. The paper is detailed and writes a good story but whether the detail is true or not is another thing completely they write without thinking about the consequences whether or not they are making a star or ruining some ones life. It may be misleading but it is partially true and people want to have a taste of everything that is on offer true or not – so they buy the paper.
The distinct difference between the mail and the independent is there targeted audience, both are aimed at an audience but the two audiences want completely different things. The independent is truthful, detailed and covers politics. The Daily Mail is trivial, not completely factual and not very informative but is still just as, if not more popular. This is due to fact it publishes celebrity gossip, sports results and punchy headings to unbalance the readers emotions.
The independent uses a layout that is big and bold, eye catching but this is not achieved using vivid colour. The colours used are subtle but still effective. The size of the paper is obviously eye catching because it’s so large. The picture used is a good choice it is the same as the one used in the interior article in the daily mail it is a real face of innocence. This is a sign of being biased that they might believe Luke was 100% innocent, this may not have been the case. No colour is used but the picture is large and the text surrounds it on four sides, but it is still very effective. The main headline is long but not very bold it is very level headed. It is larger than the main article but does not stand out a huge deal the title of the paper is much more obvious and almost makes it appear unnoticeable. There is no direct narration of the event itself. It is not particularly emotive in any way. This shows that The Independent is non-biased and has a neutral view.
It doesn’t seem to have a hidden agenda to try and make up the audiences own minds, unlike The Daily Mail, it gives the readers a chance to make up their own opinions and have their own views. The main heading doesn’t draw the reader in as much as The Daily Mail because it sounds less exciting and more factual and informative. It is the truth but doesn’t sound very exciting; however it does use alliteration. The Independent hasn’t exaggerated the story; their aim is to inform the readers the facts and give them truthful detailed information. Another thing about the main title is that it is not all in caps lock like th daily mail was therefore it doesn’t stand out as much.
The independents headline is:
The killing of Luke: how a school corridor scuffle led to a fatal stabbing
To make the text all fit in the paragraphs appear quite messy. This is also a good feature because it makes the text look less daunting to the reader. They use a wide range of grammar and a very high level of vocabulary. This is about a-b on the JICNAR scale. The text is mostly made up of complex and long sentences, for example, ‘the killing recalled murders such as that of the London head teacher Philip Lawrence, stabbed at the gates of his school in 1995, and the death of Rashid Femi, 12, who died in a playground after a fight in east London last December.
Therefore, I believe this paper is aimed at the higher educated percentage of the population. These people could have jobs such as doctors and lawyers.
People with this state of education I believe would be interested in world events finances, European news and some sport all of these are included within The Independent. These people my even have bits in the newspaper of theirs for example, business advertisements, shares and job opportunities.
The independent has a more emotive approach to its style of writing and content, they allow people to become emotionally involved with the article in which they are reading because they can trust that what they are reading is true.
The language used is fairly emotive. The Independent focuses on the market it is aiming at and the feelings of the readers. They do not make things up and exaggerate things to sell their newspaper but sell it by telling the nation the truth. The report is not biased towards any side; it is neutral whilst telling the whole, true story. It gives great detail and honesty; it is a paper the readers believe they can trust.
The interviews included in The Independent are all from valid and meaningful people who do actually have a relation with this tragedy. There are interviews made by the police, the council and friends. They all give mixed feelings and views and give a wider range of peoples emotions and we get to see how it has affected their lives on a personal level.
The majority of the content in The Independent is true, but in comparison to the facts in The Daily Mail you can see the difference in style between them. The Daily Mail claimed Luke was stabbed in the leg and severed an artery, whereas, The Independent stated he was stabbed in the chest, which was later proved to be right. The Independent writes about more serious stories. They write about what is actually taking place in the world instead of just ignoring it. They cover a more complex range of subjects than those seen in The Daily Mail.
The Daily Mail has an aim to sell as many copies of their paper as possible to make maximum profit just like any other business but they will lie to gain success. Their main selling points are the bold, large, in your face headlines and vibrant pictures to catch the eye.
The Independent concentrates on getting the point across using mainly the truth. They report to us facts and give huge quantities of detail in their honest stories.
I personally think that The Independent is the ‘better’ of the two. It gives the truth. It doesn’t have to lie to sell itself. The stories are packed with detail and facts and have not been over exaggerated. They tell readers about worldwide news; they inform people about the world we live in. They let the audience make up their own minds and have their own personal opinion and it is not made up for them they are non-biased.
I thought that ‘The Daily Mail’ was not as appealing because their stories are usually biased and they only tell people what they want them to hear. They focus on selling as many newspapers as possible and they will lie to do it. They do not allow the readers get emotionally attached or let them have their own personal views and opinions. The stories are not written on facts or figures but on lies and extreme exaggeration.
Although I prefer the independent I believe it was quite controversial of it to broadcast murder and death on the front page. I thought that they would have put it on the inside, if not all of it at least a section of it, this would have been more respectful to the child and maybe privatised his death slightly. On the other hand this may not have been what people wanted as it may make the nation, maybe even the world realise the danger of knives, and the how the increase of violence is affecting the families of victims like Luke. It could also encourage parents to keep an eye on what their children are participating in and what they take to school and other places. It also identifies the fact that not only is it in the cities and urban areas that tragedies like this happen and people are murdered but it can happen at a school in the countryside to a child by their bully.
