newspapers
lesson objectives
one Identify different types of
newspapers and their
target audiences.
two Understand how audiences are targeted and retained by media organisations.
three Know different codes and
conventions used by media
organisations.
four Understand the changes in media brought by
technology.
Newspapers and audiences
circulation The number of copies of a
newspapers which are
sold.
readership The number of people who
read the newspaper. This is
usually higher than
circulation.
There are two main types of
newspapers. They are
divided into broadsheets and tabloids.
This definition was based on
the the size of the paper they
used, with broadsheets being
much larger than tabloids.
Only few papers use the
largest format. Most
broadsheets are now a
compact size. Nevertheless
the term has stuck.
There are also
generalisations about who
reads each sort of paper which
are based on audience research.
broadsheets are associated
with people in well-paid jobs
who represent an upmarket demographics.
tabloids are associated with
less well-off readers, or a
downmarket demographics.
broadsheets Newspapers printed in a
large format. They are
considered to be more serious in content than tabloids.
broadsheets have higher
news content, usually
higher prices for each copy
and lower circulation figures
than tabloids.
the times The oldest of all the dailies. It used to have the reputation of being the voice of the ruling classes.
The daily telegraph Is the broadsheet with the
highest circulation. It is a
supporter of the Conservative Party.
the guardian Is usually described as a
liberal or left-wing paper.
the independent Is the newest of all the
dailies and intended to be
independent of any one
political party’s view.
the financial times Is the only national daily to be
printed on pink paper. It
reports mainly on business and economic news.
tabloids Newspapers with pages half
the size of broadsheets. They
are usually more highly
illustrated.
daily express One of the first papers to feature
gossip, sports and women’s articles. It was also the first newspaper in Britain to have a
crossword.
daily mail The only British newspaper whose female readers constitute more than 50% of its
demographic.
daily mirror Originally aimed at the middle class reader, it was
converted into a working class newspaper to reach a
larger audience.
daily star Its cover price has declined over the years in order to
compete with its rival the sun.
the sun Has the largest circulation of any daily newspaper in
the united kingdom.
newspaper language
the language of a
newspaper is not just words that appear in them.
It includes pictures that are
used, different font styles and sizes in text and
headings, and the layout of
the page.
the copy Is written by journalists
called reporters. They need
to get across the maximum
amount of information in the
shortest possible time.
the pictures Photographs play an
important part in the whole
look of a newspaper, especially the front page.
captions The caption that goes with a
photograph is also
important because it can
anchor the meaning.
captions They try to push the reader towards one angle by
providing an interpretation for them.
headlines It is the headline that will
draw the reader to
purchase the newspaper.
layout When all the copy is written
and all photographs have been
chosen, the final layout of the
front cover can then be decided.
the news selection process
Every story and item of news you read in a paper or on a
website, hear on the radio or
see on television, has a
source.
In an age of 24-hour rolling news, it is easy to imagine
that all news journalists rush around the globe, chasing
action-packed stories.
Most journalists, particularly
those working on local newspapers, will spend their
time researching news stories from behind their desk.
journalists get their
stories from a variety of
sources:
news agencies such as the press association or reuters which supply news from all over the world.
reporters the bbc has the biggest
range of reporters based
all over the globe.
reporters The smaller the
organisation, the fewer
reporters there are to cover
events.
from each other Foreign television, the national press and radio all
provide stories.
freelance journalists may approach A newspaper with a story, or may be
commissioned to research
one.
processed news This is gathered from items
such as press releases, police and local authorities.
With so many sources of news, there are far more
stories that can be included
in the papers.
newspaper editors select
the news by considering
which audience a news
story will appeal to.