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Media Language 2: Newspapers

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The aim of this Factsheet is to look at the media language usedby British Newspapers, both tabloid and broadsheet. It will lookat image analysis and language analysis of newspapers, as wellas introducing the idea of narrative in the news and provide aglossary of language terminology.

Newspapers use two elements to convey their meaning to a specificaudience; they use images and text. Both these elements have tobe analysed carefully in order to achieve the best marks.

Analysing ImagesThe image is often the first thing a reader notices in a print basedtext. Images can attract us by being alluring, shocking, humorous orthey can depict power or weakness, beauty or ugliness. Whateverthey depict, their main aim is to make us emotionally involved in thearticle or advert.

The media uses these three main techniques when using images:Proxemics, Cropping and Anchorage.

1. ProxemicsThe term proxemics refers to the study of spatial distances betweenindividuals in different cultures and situations. How people or thingsare placed in an image tells us a lot about their importance orotherwise.• Look at where the people are placed, whether they are framed

centrally or positioned to the side• If the subjects are framed centrally it suggests they are the main

focus. This holds connotations of being balanced and in-control.If they are framed off-centre it can suggest they are not asimportant or that they are losing their power or position

• Look at whether the subjects are higher or lower than others inthe shot. If they are higher than others it could suggest theyhave the power or the person could be depicted as lookingdown on others. This has connotations of superiority or evenarrogance depending upon the context of the image. Theopposite is true if they are positioned lower than others

• Look to see what is being focussed on in the image and considerwhy

2. Cropping to change perspectiveImages are cropped by the picture editors to create a differentmeanings. Here we see two images of Tony Blair accepting hiscongressional Gold Medal 18 July 2003.

Tony Blair is left of frame. He is not thewhole focus of the picture. The twoCongressmen behind him are in a morepowerful position as they are abovehim, looking down on him. TheAmerican flag is the backdrop of theimage and is a powerful icon of theAmerican culture.

It has connotations of the ‘American Dream’ suggesting the USA’seconomic and military power and global supremacy. This wholeimage suggests America overshadows Britain.

Tony Blair is centre frame and the imagehas been cropped to position him as themain object in the picture. Blair is takingthe stage and he is shown to be the mostimportant person. Because he is alone inthe shot we can decode his bodylanguage - his hands are flat on thelectern and he seems more in control. Heis no longer overshadowed by the two

American Congressmen as they are out of the image entirely andare unimportant. Tony Blair seems much more powerful in thisscenario now.

3. AnchorageAnchorage is the way that meaning is created by placing wordsand images together. An image on its own can be interpreted in anumber of different ways. In newspapers, headlines and captionslead the reader into making an interpretation based on thenewspaper’s intentions.

Look at how different the representation of Kate Moss becomesjust by changing the anchorage:

The picture used is the same but the representation of Kate Mossand the way we interpret the image is dependent on the wordswhich accompany it. As you can see the image choice and anchoragecan change the way a person or situation is viewed. Because allimages are polysemic (can be interpreted in many ways), anchorageis important in placing the picture in a context. If the newspaperwants to show someone or something in a negative way they cansubtly do this via the choice of the image and its anchorage. Theywill choose an image that is unflattering or anchorage that hasnegative connotations.

Exam Hint When analysing newspapers, consider the wayanchorage of text and images help lead the audience’sunderstanding of the news story. Look at the connotations of thevocabulary used, bias (either negative or positive) and commenton how this affects the representations in the news story.

Junkie Kate loses the plot Beautiful Kate fightsthe pressure

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Analysing Language in Tabloids and BroadsheetsThe two main forms of newspaper are the Tabloid and theBroadsheet. These two types of newspaper were at first simplybased on the size of paper used for printing. The tabloid measures30x37cm and the broadsheet 60x37cm. However, the differencesbetween these two types of newspapers are more than just theirsize. They are very different in terms of target audience, purpose,style, mode of address and layout.

Newspaper formats are now changing. The Times was the firstbroadsheet to adopt the compact size, roughly the same size as atabloid paper. This is sometimes called the ‘Berliner’ format as it isone of the three newspaper sizes used in continental Europe. Thesize change has been largely practical. Reading a broadsheet canbe difficult as the reader needs to sit and spread the paper out.

Though the broadsheets are becoming the same size as the tabloids,the content and tone differences are still apparent. It is essential toknow the differences between the various types of newspaper andto look for the purpose, language style, mode of address and layout.Investigate these concepts using your own news media. Whatfollows are some of the main differences between the two genres ofBritish newspaper.

Tabloid Newspapers

HeadlinesThe tabloid headline aims to attract attention, to shock, or to causeemotion. They are emotive, simple to understand and can be scanread. The text is not too dense, can be read quickly. Tabloids use avariety of linguistic devices to attract the audience’s attention.

LanguageThey often use colloquial language, the language of speech ratherthan writing. This has an informal, chatty and friendly tone. It isalso easy to read. Tabloids often use abbreviations, e.g. ‘Corrie’instead of Coronation Street and slang is used, e.g. yobbos, babes,hoodies and (above) pinched etc. This colloquial style often refersto the characters in the news stories by first names (see above -‘Ron’) and sometimes the newspaper will give people nicknames.This humanises the people in the news. Sometimes this makes themseem more like ‘friends’ and in other cases this familiarity can makepowerful figures appear less distant. E.g. Madonna became ‘Madge’and Tony Blair is ‘our Tony’.

Do you think this familiarity is always positive? Are there differenttypes of connotations in the nick names given to Madonna andTony Blair?

Alliteration is often used. This can make an article more sensationaland dramatic.For example, “Had a Holiday from Hell?” Here we see the “H” soundrepeated, the ‘h’ sound had connotations of a breath, as if someoneis exhausted from their bad holiday. In your analysis consider onthe effect of the repeated sound. Here, the context is to add dramabut the use of alliteration also makes the headline more memorable.The cliché of a ‘holiday from hell’ will be understood by the mass ofthe audience and the emotive exaggeration (hyperbole) of “Hell”sets the tone of the article.

Simple lexis is used to attract appeal to a mass audience.For example, ‘Sex Rat Pinched My Wife’. The vocabulary is notoverly difficult in a tabloid and the headlines are particularly easyto read which can act to entice a wide audience to read the articleand act to communicate clearly the main aspect of the story and theperspective the story is coming from.

Humour/puns are used to attract the reader.The headline above reads ‘Major Disgrace’. This is clearly adescription of something that has happened that the paper doesnot approve of. However, the main character in the story is an ArmyMajor and so the word carries multiple meaning. This type of wordplay allows a story to seem light-hearted and an easy read and addto the informality of tone.

Emotive language is used to draw the reader in.Back again to ‘Corrie’s Sex Rat…’ This language is full of emotionand it is clear what the reader’s are meant to think about the eventsto follow in the story. Emotive language is very good at ensuringthe audience are prepared to receive the story in a particular way.There is little chance that reader here will read the story andsympathise with the Coronation Street actor.

The Headline will often restrict the information they give toexaggerate the story, when we read the article the actual story isoften not as dramatic as the headline suggests.

Questions are often used to draw in an audience.

Hyperbole is used which exaggerates the content of the story

The most common complaint about the way newspapers presentstories is that they sensationalise. This refers the way images andlanguage is used to create emotion and drama and to present thestories with a clear position of moral or ethical judgement.Sensationalisation is created through the combination of theselinguistic devices. In your analysis, identify how the tabloids uselanguage to focus the readers on a particular interpretation andhow the stories attempt to create an emotional response.

Exam Hint Pay close attention to the vocabulary used by thenewspapers you are studying. Identify which types of linguistictechniques have been used but in your analysis don’t forget toevaluate why those choices have been made.

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Telling the Story and Narrative• In tabloids pictures and captions are used to create the narrative

of the story. These techniques make it easy to understand themain points being communicated. There is a limited amount ofdetail provided and a tabloid story is often more of an overviewof events

• Tabloid stories try to be entertaining. They also personaliseissues making global concerns seem more simplistic anddomestic

• Simple narrative structures are used following Todorov’s basicnarrative structure ‘in which a state of equilibrium is disrupted,then a process of restoration happens until a new equilibrium isfound’

• Tabloid stories are often structured around binary oppositions:e.g. good versus evil, truth versus lies

• Central to the stories are individual, goal orientated characterswho are made recognisable through their social role: the politicalleader, the unionist, the crime victim, the rapist, the mother andso on. These social roles all have stereotypical features that theaudience will understand and follow the idea of Propp’s narrativecharacter roles:e.g. Policeman (heroes)Social worker (helpers)Drug pushers (villains)Drug users (victims)Sex attackers (villains)Terrorists (villains)

So, news is just like any other story telling. It is a narrative andnarrative conventions apply. As a narrative, the news expects someconclusions but it also thrives on a story that can run for a longtime. The news is updated regularly and often a long running storycan become more like a soap opera.

Examples of Analysis: The Sun May 14th 2006

‘Tragic trail of blood’. This headline attracts the attention; itrestricts the information and leaves the audience wanting toknow more. Here the story continued, ‘A sickening trail of bloodyesterday marked the final steps of tragic WPC Nisha Patel-Nasri. The brave special constable is thought to have staggeredalong the pavement and collapsed after being knifed outsideher home by a hoodie-wearing thug.’ The word ‘tragic’ sets theagenda here. It is clear that The Sun wants us to feel sorry forthe woman and this is emotive. This is also confirmed by theanonymous description of the ‘hoodie-wearing thug’. Alliterationis also used in the headline adding to the drama.

‘Naz wife sobs as he’s caged’. The word ‘sob’s’ is both colloquialand emotive. It is clear who the reader’s sympathy should beaimed towards. The wife is clearly the innocent victim here andthere is an element of victimisation in the way Naz is describedas being caged. The story is about the boxer, Prince Naseemand the word ‘caged’ connoted a zoo animal and heightens theidea of this being a cruel sentence.

‘Gassed by own Corporal’. This headline is clearly shocking.The story continued, ‘A sadistic Army instructor laughed as hemade a video of teenage recruits being gassed’. The word‘gassed’ is brutal and shocking. It suggests he actually killedthe recruits. This again restricts the information as it only tellsus a little part of the story so we are eager to read the rest.

Broadsheet NewspapersBroadsheet newspapers can be analysed in the same way but theiraudience and purpose is different and so their use of media languageis different to that of the tabloid press.

Broadsheets do communicate their opinions but this is done subtly.They will use anchorage to frame the reader’s interpretation and thevocabulary choice will also be carefully chosen to create a positionon the story• The stories are written using a variety of sentence structures

but fewer subheadings and images. This means articles cannotbe scanned and they need to be read fully to be understood

• Complex paragraphs are used and are carefully structured tolead on into deeper issues and to provide analysis of the issuebeing dealt with

Telling the Story and Narrative• The stories in the broadsheets tend to be more varied in content.

A broadsheet will run scientific stories, educational news,philosophical debate, global news and arts news

• Broadsheets are more global in their concern. There is lesspersonalisation of stories and more world news

• Broadsheets use similar narrative structures to the tabloids,although their use of narrative character roles may be morecomplex

Examples of Analysis: The Times June 11th 2006

‘England Stutters to first victory’Caption under the accompanying picture: ‘it was his deflectedkick that gave the side victory over Paraguay yesterday’This headline is informative and we know England won. However,the word “stuttered” gives the impression that it was a clumsyvictory so the newspaper is using vocabulary to bias the account.Anchorage under a picture of David Beckham, however,highlights the fact that the winning goal was a deflection. Thevocabulary has been chosen for precision and is formal in tone.

‘Ul-Weaker Jonsson’. Here we have a clear pun on UlrikaJonsson’s name. The story was about her exhaustion at a localfun run.

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‘Gallery fails to learn the art of profit’There is an assumption that some of the readership is interestedin news on the art world. The art gallery in question had notrecouped £300,000 of public money paid to Antony Gormley tocreate a piece of work that would net him £1.5 million when sold.Here we have a pun on ‘art’ - as in ‘artistic’ but also as in ‘skill’.This is, however, a more sophisticated word-play than the exampleof puns given for tabloid newspapers. The article discussed theBaltic art gallery and informed the readers that ‘it is customaryfor galleries to bear the cost of a commission although the artistalways retains ownership. Galleries have contracts to claw backthe commissioning costs when the exhibition is over and theartist sells the work.’ Standard English and specialisedvocabulary is being used and the tone created is formal.

Glossary of TerminologyThere are many different technical terms needed to analyse print based media. These are usually specific to the different media butthere is some general media terminology you should know.

••••• Anchorage: Text used to guide the audience to the preferred meaning of an image

••••• By-line: The name of the journalist who has written the article

••••• Copy: The basic written material before it is used in the magazine or newspaper

••••• Editorial: An article in a publication expressing the opinion of its editors or publishers

••••• Emotive Language: Language that directs the reader to react in a preferred manner

••••• Feature article: Longer than a typical article with more background information and research

••••• Headline: The main heading with a large font to show what the main story is about.

••••• Hegemony: The predominant influence or belief, as of a state, region, or group, over another or others.

••••• Hyperbole: Exaggeration

••••• Jargon: The specialized or technical language of a trade, profession, or similar group

••••• Lure: A small section of the story put on the front page to entice the reader to buy the newspaper or magazine

••••• Masthead: The title of the newspaper or magazine

••••• Mode of address: The way the newspaper or magazine addresses to the audience

••••• Splash: Lead newspaper article

••••• Strap-line: The smaller headline usually underneath the main headline

••••• Typeface: the font used

‘I’ve found God, says man who cracked the genome’The headline here is quite sensationalised and at first it seemslike a human-interest story. In fact it is a philosophicaldiscussion on the existence of God focussing on a currentissue – that of the debate between religion and science. Ascientist had written a book about the existence of God. Theslightly tabloid-like headline detracts from perceiving theargument as fully scientific. There is a subtle undermining ofthe writer, even if the article does not offer its own opinionexplicitly.

Exam Hint: Very often students lose marks because they don’tanalyse the text in enough depth. You must be able to discusslanguage, structure, purpose, and mode of address and discussthe connotations of the newspaper’s choices.

Close analysis of the media language of newspapers will require that you consider both image and text. The choices made in the waystories are constructed and presented will help you identify the assumptions newspapers make about their audience. This will alsoallow you to identify the papers’ own values and ideologies.

There are a number of ways this may be assessed. You can use this knowledge in your own practical productions to help you replicategenre codes and conventions and appeal to the appropriate target audience or you may be required to analyse a newspaper storyclosely in order to write an essay based on your understanding of how the newspaper is creating specific representations. In either case,practice applying these ideas to a range of different news stories from different genres to deepen your understanding of the waynewspapers, not only inform their readers, but also help construct perspectives on the stories being told.

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Acknowledgements: This Media Studies Factsheet was researched and written by KarenFallowes Curriculum Press. Bank House, 105 King Street, Wellington, TF1 1NU. MediaFactsheets may be copied free of charge by teaching staff or students, provided that theirschool is a registered subscriber. No part of these Factsheets may be reproduced, stored ina retrieval system, or transmitted, in any other form or by any other means, without the priorpermission of the publisher. ISSN 1351-5136