Photographs aren’t the only aspect of an article to grab the attention of a reader. The headline plays as much a part, perhaps even more so, than the images. A recent survey showed that 100% of people would read the headline, and only 50% would go on to read the actual article. Due to this, a headline has to be eye-catching and spark an interest in the reader. This is exactly what the Mirror achieves. The headline is big, bold, equally weighted (5 five letters to both words, each with one syllable) and situated at the top of the page, making it stand out to the eye of the reader. The headline adds drama to the story, as it is short and hard-hitting. The use of colloquial slang – ‘freak’ – satisfies the conventions of a tabloid, as does the informality of the sub-heading (e.g.’ bike nut’ and ‘could down nine whiskies’). The sub-heading adds to the story already formed by the photographs by saying that the driver of the motorcycle can ‘down nine whiskies a night’. As well as the driver being portrayed as dangerous and reckless, through connotation, he is now branded a drunk. This view is a key fact in the report and of the tabloid’s character of the driver. Instead of the photographs illustrating the article, they are elaborate and work with the ambiguous headline to provoke assumptions and questions in the reader that can only be answered or proved by reading the article. Nowhere is the name of the driver printed.
The graphology of the Guardian’s headline is very different to that of the Mirror. Written in a small, less imposing font and using more formal language, the headline is placed in the middle of the page, with the sub-heading above it. However, it still has a main aim of attracting readers. To do this it uses an element of mystery, quite plainly stating ‘mystery of a quiet man’. This grabs attention, as the reader wants to discover what this mystery is and so sparks a flicker of interest, triggering the reader to read on. Although the sub-heading, which is more of an introductory paragraph, is above the headline, the reader’s eyes are still drawn to the middle of the page, and flick upwards to read ‘the lifestyle of the driver’. The use of complex vocabulary (e.g. ‘self-effacing’) supports the conventions of a broadsheet as well as establishing the newspaper’s view of the character in the article to follow.
At the start of an article in any media text is an introduction. Up to 70% of people will read this part of the report, in order to satisfy the questions posed by the headline. Therefore, the introduction must sustain this interest for the reader to read on, and so, often contains something dramatic and attention grabbing. Drama is the element the Mirror plays on to entice readers. This is shown by the use of the word ‘just’ in the phrase ‘popped out…just an hour before he drove the car’. This puts an emphasis on the time and makes the hour seem shorter. The colloquialism ‘popped out’ makes it seem that for Henri Paul going for drinks was a casual affair, and happened frequently. For instance, this slang phrase is usually used as ‘pop out to the shops’ – something that a person does in their lives almost everyday. This use of language sways their perception of the driver. By adding the dramatic fact that the driver drank ‘a large whisky’ before he drove the car, feelings of blame of formed – this drunk driver, who took his life in his own hands everyday, killed Diana. The tabloid also plays on the nation’s love for Diana. The end words in the introduction read ‘…Princess Diana died’. This would spark an immediate feeling of outrage in the reader, and it’s surprising that a picture of the idol hasn’t been included in the article to provoke stronger emotions. This use of the human-interest side of a story makes people want to read on and find out exactly how and why this tragedy came about.
The broadsheet also has an obligation of sustaining the reader’s interest. It does this by using a different technique to the tabloid, to encourage the audience to read on, as there is no mention of Princess Diana. Instead, the broadsheet makes a point of informing the reader that the driver is dead. This can be supported by the use of alliteration in the phrase ‘the dead driver’, which is used to emphasise this statement. After reading the introduction, the reader still has the question ‘why and how did the driver get so drunk?’ For example, phrases such as ‘none knew the driver was a habitual drinker’ and ‘they had never known him drunk’ maintain mystery. This element of mystery is an effective way of persuading the reader to read the rest of the article. The paragraph, which has more sentences and punctuation than the Mirror’s introduction, sets the seen (e.g. ‘In the pavement café along the narrow Rue des Petits Champs…) without giving too much away.
The choice of words in the two introductions set the tone for the whole of the article, and enables each newspaper to establish their character dissection of the driver and influence the reader’s perception of events and people. The Mirror uses adjectives tags, as well as colloquial phrases to do this. At the start of the article, Henri Paul is immediately introduced as a ‘drunken security boss’. This use of informal language – ‘boss’ – creates a lack of respect for the driver. The adjective tad ‘drunken’ further lowers the reader’s opinion. Alternatively, the Guardian describes the driver as a ’41-year-old deputy head of security at the Ritz Hotel’. By stating Henri Paul’s full title, coupled with his respectable age, the driver is given more respect by the reader. Also, the Ritz Hotel is famously known to be upper class and expensive, presenting the connotations that Henri Paul may have mixed with wealthy, valued people. However, the tabloid provides the ingredients for a reader to stereotype the ‘security boss’ as being lazy and sleeping on the job with an empty whisky bottle in hand, provoking anger in the reader. On the contrary, the Guardian portrays the ‘cool-headed professional’ as respectable and important, adding to the mystery of what made Henri Paul crash the car.
Leading on from the introduction of the articles are the paragraphs of the main story. The more newsworthy a piece of information is, the earlier on the detail is mentioned. To examine the main bulk of the article, I will use the key media language concept to help unravel hidden meanings in the text and evaluate how the reader’s view of Henri Paul is manipulated.
The Mirror focuses mainly on the amount of alcohol consumed by the driver on the night, ‘the best part of two bottles of wine’ and ‘a large glass of his favourite tipple’ feature frequently in the article, as well descriptions of Henri Paul as being a ‘formidable boozer’ and ‘drunk as a pig’. From this arises an emphasis on the crash. The newspaper states that Paul was ‘three times over the limit’ while driving a ‘high-powered Mercedes’. This exaggerates the tabloid’s view of the driver being reckless. Also the newspaper states the speed of the crash – ‘121 mph’ – to add more sensationalism and drama. Many quotes are from bars that Henri Paul visited during his life and on the night. The death of Princess Diana is also prominently included. What is not given to reader is the employer’s account of events. Why did the hotel let such an obviously drunk man pick up the two passengers? Also, none of Henri Paul’s relatives, the people who knew him best, give their character of the driver.
The broadsheet reports on the mystery surrounding the crash, including more factual evidence and taking a less sensational approach For instance, the phrases ‘Nor was there any clue to explain’ and ‘where he drank the alcohol remains a mystery’ support this view. This can be supported by the inclusion of the ‘the French alcohol limit’. Compared to the tabloids ‘the limit’, the broadsheet provides more information that doesn’t play on the truth. It may be that the British alcohol limit is higher than the French limit. There is no mention of a high-speed car crash or the death of Diana. Moreover, Diana is only mentioned nearing the end of the article, implying that the Guardian considers her part in the affair unimportant. In fact, the drivers’ death is considered more significant, as it is mentioned in the sub-heading as ‘lived’ (use of the past tense) and throughout the article as ‘dead driver’ and ‘he was’ (use of past tense). Supporting the conventions of being more accurate than a tabloid, the Guardian reports that the driver was off-duty, meaning what he did in his own time was his affair. The idea that the driver was calm and never drank is reinforced all the way through the account. Again, the Hotel’s view of events isn’t mentioned.
Paragraphs in popular newspapers (tabloids) tend to be shorter than broadsheets. This is done to prolong the audience’s concentration. The Mirror uses paragraphs ranging from one sentence to two clauses (compound sentences), with simple punctuation and grammar. Informal language makes the story easier to digest for the reader and to relate to. The language choice of the tabloid is typically sensational (e.g. ‘high-powered’ and ‘super bike’) to support the human –interest side of the story taken, which is the death of Princess Diana, and provoke strong emotion by playing on the nation’s love of the idol. For example, phrases such as‘ killing Diana’ and ‘Princess Diana died’ are included throughout. This provokes concentrated emotions in the reader of shock and outrage, which is mirrored in the overall tone of the article. The audience’s love of Diana is used to fuel these strong feelings, which the report uses to maintain drama and interest.
Some interviews are given from anonymous sources, as a result lacking credibility in what they say. This suggests that quotes are included, not to further inform readers, but for sensational effect and gentle persuasion. For instance, the question ‘how could a man like this get behind the wheel with the Princess of Wales?’ asked by ‘colleagues and drinking companions,’ is a subtle disguise of forcing the reader to ask this question. Furthermore, at the mention of the Princess of Wales, feelings and emotions are flared. Lack of credibility comes from ‘a source at the Ritz Hotel’ describing Paul ‘as drunk as a pig’. This is an example of the tabloid’s ploy to liven the story and influence the reader, but with the source unidentified, seeds of doubt are sewn. Unsurprisingly, more credible sources are listed nearing the end of the report. This is because sensational quotes work best at slanting the reader’s view of the driver near the start of an article. With an analysis of the character established, the tabloid uses interviews at the end of the article to maintain the reader’s (more accurately ‘the tabloid’s’) outlook. A quote from the driver’s friend, Phillipe Prous states ‘he was his typical self, standing at the bar buying drinks for his friends’. With an idea of the character of the driver already forged in the audience’s mind, we automatically assume that Henri Paul was drinking the alcohol with his friends. However, the fact that he brought drinks doesn’t mean that he drank any alcohol himself. The quotation then goes on to read ‘ I’ve known him to drink nine whiskies in one sitting’, with the added tag ‘he was that kind of bloke’. This implies that Henri Paul had a habit of doing this, but he may have only ever drunk nine whiskies once in his life. Again, the reader is made to think that the driver behaved like this regularly. The tabloid warps a tiny part of Henri Paul’s character into one of his main traits as a person, by including the passing comment that Paul once drank nine whiskies in the sub-heading of the article – ‘bike nut could down nine whiskies a night’. The view that the driver was a drunk is included from the first few words of the headline, to the last few sentences of the text.
The Guardian fulfils the conventions of a broadsheet by writing longer paragraphs, which have complex sentences and added punctuation. The information in the main paragraphs is presented to the reader in a more formal, serious style, which reflects the overall tone of the article. The focus of the report is the unknown reasons that led Henri Paul to get so drunk. While detailing the incident, a character of Paul arises that is a total contradiction of the tabloid’s portrayal. Unconventionally, the broadsheet uses words with layers of meaning to achieve this. For example, ‘his passions of flying and sailing’ provides the denotations of ‘his loves for’ the activities, leading on to a hidden connotation that he had something in his life to live for, that he wanted to live. Unlike the tabloid’s portrayal, the broadsheet’s Henri Paul doesn’t ride fast bikes and drink heavily, or put his own life and that of others in danger. The description self–effacing is another illustration of the broadsheet using words that communicate on two layers. The dictionary term of ‘efface’ is to rub out or eradicate. Henri Paul’s life was eradicated in the crash. However, ‘efface oneself’ means to avoid being noticed: the term self-effacing implying that the driver was quiet and reserved. However, if the literal term of efface is used, self-effacing could actually mean self-eradicating. Henri Paul eradicated himself by drunk driving.
To persuade the reader to agree with this point of view, the Guardian uses quotes, which have a factual lead up (e.g. ‘the Royal Vedôme brassierie, round the corner from the Ritz in the Rue Danielle Casanova’ – street names are included) and, more importantly, are named sources. These provide more credibility than those of the tabloid and aren’t included for sensational effect but to elaborate on points already made and further the reader’s interest. For example, Bertrand, a bar owner, recalls ’he drank alone and was very quiet…I’ve never seen him drunk…very polite’. This is an echo of the broadsheet’s sub-heading, in which Paul is described as ‘quiet’ and ‘had never been seen drunk’. Marcel Douzier is tagged with knowing Paul ‘since his schooldays’, offering credibility to the reader. Importantly, he says ‘ you don’t keep a flying licence if you’re a drunkard’. This is an example of opinion presented as fact, but still works at persuading the reader to digest and believe the broadsheet’s views with outside evidence. Other sources of extra information come form Jean-Louis, introduced with his full title ‘Air France pilot’ (used to get respect from the reader), which echo the broadsheet’s character of Henri being ‘very serious’ and ‘a good bloke’.
Both the Mirror and Guardian take definite stances of approaching the story, which is clear from emotive language, exaggeration and underplaying. The Mirror is guilty of using only the negative traits of the driver and exaggerating these to work with the reader’s love of Diana and provoke emotion. At the same time, the broadsheet underplays the death of Diana, instead focusing solely on the driver, who is furiously represented as quiet and normal, and the mystery of what made him get so drunk. The angle of the story is partly created by the representations of the event and the people involved. This leads on to the third of the media key concepts: media representation - how a character or event is displayed to the reader through the headline, images and main paragraphs of the article.
The Mirror negatively represents Paul as a binge drinker and a fast driver. Throughout the article, adjective tags such as ‘speed-mad’ and ‘party-loving’ are coupled with his name, as well as phrases, such as, ‘formidable boozer’ and ‘knocking back wine’, which influence the reader’s perception of how much alcohol Paul drank. Images of a wrecked car and a speeding motor bike, that illustrate the headline ‘speed freak’, tie in with the tabloid’s overall character assassination of the driver. Through these choices, the tabloid hopes to stir feelings of anger and shock within the reader. No blame is laid on the ‘hoard of waiting paparazzi’ (with Mirror photographers probably among them) that forced Diana to order a taxi in the first place, but blame is solely directed at Paul. And this is precisely the feeling that the Mirror wants the reader to harvest; initial shock and anger turns into blame - this reckless man killed Diana.
On the other hand, the Guardian presents a positive representation of Paul to the reader compared to the tabloid. However, the descriptions of Paul as ‘quiet’ and ‘self-effacing’ may just be factual, and not a deliberate angle taken by the newspaper. Therefore, no negative views of the driver are portrayed. This conjures up the idea that the ‘version of reality’ taken is a focus on the positive traits of Paul’s character. Also, Diana’s’ death is not mentioned in this version of the story - only the driver, whose death is emphasised through alliteration - ‘dead driver’ - and phrases such as ‘lived for’. This may be caused by the tabloid’s natural scepticism of the Royals, which may be a contributing factor of the underplaying of Diana. Through this ‘version of reality’, the tabloid aims to maintain an element of mystery to keep the reader’s interest and ask themselves questions that they think will be answered as the article progresses. For example – what set of circumstances led this respectable man to drink three times over the alcohol limit, killing himself and his two passengers?
The fourth key concept - the media institution - as well media representation, also affects the angle taken. The conventions of the newspaper reflect the opinions of the people behind it. For example, the Daily Mirror aims to entertain readers as well as inform them, focusing on the human-interest side of stories to appeal to the reader. Articles are centred on celebrities, sport and music. This approach obviously works, as the Mirror has the second highest daily tabloid circulation of 2,374,098. At the same time, the Guardian has as daily circulation of only 376,885 – the third highest of the broadsheet newspapers. This is due to the Guardian’s more factual and mature approach to stories, which include the issues of politics, government and economy. The Guardian aims to take a more reserved approach to an incident, with a balance of fact and opinion.
The fifth key concept, media audiences, play an important part in the approach a newspaper takes to a story, as these are their market circulation. Due to this, a news article will have a ‘typical’ reader in mind. However, not all readers are guaranteed to share the same point of view. This is where a newspaper tries to influence the opinions of readers through their approach. The tabloid uses an overall effect of attention grabbing through shock statements in the headline and article and emotive language, which plays on the audience’s love for Princess Diana. On an initial reading of the Mirror’s article, you would maybe led to think that Henri Paul was a liability to himself and others, and would want to know how and why this man was asked to drive a car with Princess Diana as a passenger. An overall perception of Paul would be that he was a binge drinker who had nothing to live for. However, if you had only read the Guardian, you may be left wondering, what made a respectable, quiet man drive three times over the alcohol limit? Moreover, you would have no idea that Princess Diana had been killed or injured. This chronic underplay is expected, due to the tabloid’s sceptical opinions of the Royal Family. Another factor of the underplay may be due to the article subject, which is exclusively reporting the life and background of Henri Paul. Therefore, no mention of other issues, such as Diana, would be included to in keep with the Guardian’s balanced approach toward articles. The broadsheet audience would consist mainly of high earners and business executives, who take a lot of interest in political and economical affairs. They would expect a factual and accurate report. This is endorsed by the absence of extensive references to Diana, who is the human-interest element of the incident. The Guardian still has to sustain the audience’s interest in the article, achieving this through the component of mystery. However, as a reader, I am left with the opinion that the broadsheet reported on this incident out of necessity. This can be supported by the lack of relevant pictures in the article.
Overall, the Mirror and the Guardian have both presented different ‘versions of reality’ to the reader by selecting media language that promotes a specific angle. This was due to the form of the newspaper and the institution behind it. For example, the tabloid newspaper wrote in a very sensational and emotive manner, leading you to form firm opinions and accept unfounded comments as truth. The personalities of the people involved became a major part of the story. Graphic and liberal use of photographs added to this feeling. Alternatively, the broadsheet newspaper approached the report quite differently. They adopted a more formal and factual structure, refraining from using sensational or provocative statements but employing the use of layering the meaning of words. The articles were titled as being solely about the driver, his background and his life. The broadsheet therefore concentrated their reporting within this parameter and resisted the exploitation of any other people involved. However, both newspapers are guilty of trying to persuade the reader to agree with their point of view.
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