Comparison of News Reports

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Comparison of News Reports

The idea of this assignment is to compare and contrast two newspaper

reports on the same incident. The articles concerned are taken from

The Mirror and The Times, both published on the 4th of February 1998.

The Mirror is considered a tabloid newspaper. Tabloid papers usually

cover all national and international news. They often contain more

scandalous, gossipy stories or personal news items.

The Times is considered a broadsheet newspaper. These are the largest

type of newspaper and cover all national and international news in a

serious, informative way.

The basic story found in both articles is that a US Marine Fighter Jet

sliced through a cable car wire in the Dolomites in Italy. 20 people

were killed, as the cable car fell 300 feet.

The Mirror article is aimed at a younger audience, with a lesser

intelligence needed to understand it. The Times article is aimed at an

older audience of a higher intelligence.

The language used in The Mirror is simple and easy to understand. It

tends to include shorter words and sentences to increase its

simplicity. It also uses very sensationalistic language, for example,

"no survivors amid the tangled wreckage and bloodstained snow".

Whereas the language used in The Times is very formal and complex. It

also writes from a neutral viewpoint so as to convey the story without

bias.

The vivid language used in The Mirror has a greater impact on the

reader than the plainer language used in The Times.

The Mirror article is split into 4 columns with a headline and a

sub-heading. The headline is describing the situation - "20 skiers

killed as jet slices ca...

... middle of paper ...

... about half way down the page. This

effect causes the eye to be drawn to the article.

I think that The Mirror article is more effective in conveying the

story without bias and allowing the reader to form their own opinions.

It remains impartial throughout.

However I found The Times a more compelling read as its bias makes it

personal and grabs attention. Its chatty tone also makes it more

personal and compelling to read. Also the layout is more interesting

and the use of a pull quote to separate the text makes it more

interesting to read.

Both articles are very well written and work extremely well at

attaining their individual goals. The Mirror achieves its tabloid

status and is bias and personal. The Times also achieves its goal as a

typical broadsheet and gives the reader a neutral, informative

account.

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