Comparison Of Newspapers

I have looked at many different types of newspapers; deconstructing the articles and the layout in order to give me ideas and help me in making my newspaper. I also have looked at the different ideologies and reader groups which a paper attempts to attract. I have learnt that a local newspaper doesn't generally have the same target audiece as a tabloid; who focus on different stories. The layout and design is also important as it is the first thing that a consumer will see; it acts as a 'brand' and over time it establishes the 'vision' of the newspaper in the eyes of a readership.

Different papers use different codes and conventions; for instance 'The Post' which is a local paper in Barking and Dagenham focus on local stories and local people which reflect the type of audience it tries to keep and gain. It looks at significant stories in local areas trying to highlight certain points. Many people buy local papers because they want to see what is happening in their area. The high ratio of adverts for local services also reflects the fact that local newspapers play a different role to that of national and international newspapers. This is different to how a large circulation tabloid paper like 'The Sun' or 'The Mirror' who cover international and national breaking stories, political scandals, sport, with an ever increasing emphasis on celebrity news or gossip in order to attract a wide audience. Many papers also now use larger pictures with less in depth writing because lots of people just skim read articles instead of actually reading them.

Another important factor is the stories which papers print. One important technique used, and one which is transferred across both local and national newspaper sectors, is the reliance upon 'hyperbole.' This works most effectively in headlines, especially on the front page and towards the front of the newspaper. Outrageous and shocking news stories attract attention, and newspapers are keen to 'ramp up' the drama of an event by summing up the most shocking aspects of the story in just one or two words or phrases.

IDEOLOGY
In terms of power relationships, newspapers can serve to enhance or attack elite power groups. On a national level, this works well and can mean that entrenched and privelidged groups can be put under scrutiny. However, on a local level, it is noticeable how the local lead headline stories can actually serve to attack vulnerable or marginal groups. These kind of local political headline stories may focus upon issues which serve to get a local readership vexed and upset, but can result in the newspaper itself coming across as mean or small-minded. Some groups that often get attacked or put up to scrutiny at a local level include asylum seekers, refugees, teenagers and travellers. These groups are often singled out as 'folk devils' and 'moral panics' can get whipped up with the help of local newspaper headlines, whose interest is limited to the need to increase the newspaper circulation. This is one aspect of local newspaper coverage I wish to avoid.