I have examined 2 distinct pieces of newspaper coverage that relate to the same occurrence: one from a tabloid publication (the Daily Express) and another from a broadsheet (The Times), and contrasted the two articles.
Traditionally, broadsheets target a more serious and educated group of readers and have a smaller circulation compared to tabloids. On the other hand, tabloids attract a larger number of readers, typically with a less serious-minded approach who seek entertainment rather than information. The content divergence between broadsheets and tabloids can be seen in their focus - with broadsheets centering on politics, economy, and business, while tabloids tend to emphasize gossip, scandals, and celebrity news. As broadsheets cater to a more sophisticated audience, they typically use more refined language with no slang or emotional expressions. In contrast, ta
...bloids resort to using colloquial and emotional language frequently and have relatively simpler vocabulary.
A broadsheet and a tabloid have different styles: the former prefers a literal style while the latter uses puns and figurative speech with a punchy, dramatic, and sensationalist tone. Tabloids have bigger headlines, more and bigger pictures in small paragraphs, while brosheets have smaller headlines, fewer and smaller pictures and medium paragraph lengths with more text. For instance, the headline in the Daily Express is white on black to make it dramatic while in The Times it's relatively small. The Daily Express also has four photographs (two on the front cover and two inside): one of a plane crash- a landscape shot of the damage with smoke rising from the hole in the side of the building in focus.
Next to the iconic photo of the twin towers at the moment o
the explosion, two portrait mode photos are displayed side by side. The photograph on the left depicts fire engines in the foreground and showcases the response to the incident, creating a dramatic effect. Meanwhile, on the right is an image of two plain-clothes police officers running towards chaos in sharp focus. This extremely dramatic image appears straight out of a movie. The Times only has one quarter-page photo that shows the tower after impact, drawing attention to the hole in the building and smoke rising from it.
Despite both articles discussing the same incident, their content differs significantly. The Times prioritizes politics and the economy, evident from its opening sentence about the crash's impact on global markets and politicians. Additionally, The Times provides a more detailed account of the event compared to the Daily Express, indicating a greater emphasis on fact-based reporting. By contrast, the Daily Express presents a shorter yet more sensationalized version of events, prioritizing drama over accuracy. Its focus is on the human impact of the incident rather than broader political and economic ramifications.
The Times and The Daily Express have different language styles. The Times uses factual and straightforward language. There is one example of a first person account by Richard Owen, who quotes a bystander saying, "My God, it's like New York all over again". The Daily Express, on the other hand, uses more emotive and dramatic language with words such as 'smashed', 'tragedy', 'chilling memories', 'billowed', 'ploughed into' and 'explosions shook the building'. It also includes more quotes and first-person accounts with three in the article. The Times has a formal and sophisticated tone with fewer and smaller pictures. The Daily
Express is a typical tabloid, with lots of large pictures and is more entertaining to read. Overall, the articles fit into their respective stereotypes well.
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