Every day new things happen. With modern technology, news can be distributed all over the world and faster than ever before. Additionally, the distribution of (and access to) news has become much cheaper. Consequently, the number of sources we can get information from has increased drastically throughout the last decades, as has the amount of information. In our modern information society, the mass media have come to play a decisive role. At the same time, it becomes more and more difficult to judge the reliability of the news. One of the oldest forms of mass media, which is still generally regarded as trustworthy, is the newspaper.
When it comes to newspapers, people usually prefer one (or two) specific news¬papers to others. Every newspaper has its own specific image which includes some characteristics that it is generally known for. If all newspapers provided all the news there is and reported it in an objective manner, this would not make much sense. Indeed, with the amount of potential “news” emerging every day and the restrictions of the medium, it is impossible to cover everything – the newspapers must choose what to include in their coverage and what not to. Similarly, it is an illusion to expect news to be reported completely objectively. One reason for this is that the medium language inherently conveys connotations and values, which makes a purely objective coverage simply impossible. But apart from this restriction, it is a well-known fact that newspapers all have their particular perspective from which they contemplate and present news.
However, this is not solely the newspapers’ choice. Since they are financially dependent on their readers who buy their issues, they have to do their best in order to meet their readerships’ interests. Considering that every newspaper has its own typical kind of readership, it should be possible to identify the means they use and analyse how they adapt to this specific group.
This paper will analyse one specific news story which was published in the course of a few days in two newspapers known to write for opposite types of readers. The aim is to show how news can be reported differently and how these differences can be explained in terms of an orientation towards different kinds of audiences. Before the actual analysis, however, the communicative context of newspaper discourse will be briefly contrasted to face-to-face discourse with special reference to the role of its audience.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Newspaper and newspaper audience
3. Analysis of audience-orientation in The Guardian and The Sun
3.1. The British newspapers: broadsheets vs. tabloids
3.2. Description of the material analysed
3.3. Aspects of oral discourse – solidarity vs. authority
3.3.1. Typography and orthography
3.3.2. Syntax and morphology
3.3.3. Register
3.4. Polarisation – camaraderie vs. seriousness
3.4.1. Representation of Priklopil and Kampusch: vocabulary
3.4.2. Representation of positive information concerning Priklopil and of Stockholm syndrome
3.4.3. Representation of the parents: specificity of negative ingroup information
3.5. Different foci of Sun and Guardian articles – entertainment vs. information
4. Conclusion
Objectives & Themes
This paper explores how British newspapers adapt their reporting of the same news story to appeal to distinct, socially defined audiences. It specifically examines the stylistic and content-related differences between the quality broadsheet The Guardian and the popular tabloid The Sun, analyzing how their respective media ideologies and target reader expectations influence the framing of news events.
- Newspaper discourse and audience orientation
- Linguistic differences between broadsheets and tabloids
- Construction of ingroup and outgroup identities
- The impact of news values on storytelling
- Ideological polarisation in media reporting
- Entertainment versus information as core media functions
Excerpt from the Book
3.4.1. Representation of Priklopil and Kampusch: vocabulary
One way of expressing attitudes and values is the choice of lexical items. Using principally negatively connoted words for the actions and properties associated with Them and vocabulary with positive connotations for Us is a simple method of widening the gap between the two groups and affirming the ingroup’s attitudes.
The distinction of Us and Them in the analysed articles seems clear: the victim and her family, suffering undeservedly, belong to the ingroup, to which, naturally, both the newspaper and its readers also belong; the offender Priklopil constitutes the ‘bad guy’, the outgroup. This division is the logical result of the fact that the story is a crime story: there are always the two roles of offender and victim, and as breaking the law is considered something negative in the “default” group of law-abiding citizens (the majority group that newspapers usually write for), the offender is usually depicted as the negative outgroup member in contrast to the positive Us that the victim belongs to.
Although this general division seems to be inherent in this kind of news story, The Sun polarises these groups a lot more than The Guardian does. The distinction the tabloid makes when naming the people involved (see page 17) gives a first impression of how they are treated differently and how the readers are guided towards identifying themselves with the ingroup and distancing themselves from the outgroup. It is very revealing to compare the vocabulary The Sun uses to describe Priklopil and actions and things attributed to him on the one hand and Kampusch (and her family) on the other with the words that The Guardian uses.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Outlines the role of newspapers in modern society and introduces the research aim of analyzing how two ideologically opposing newspapers cover the same kidnapping story to suit their specific readerships.
2. Newspaper and newspaper audience: Examines the communicative context of newspaper discourse, highlighting the "disjunction of place" and the lack of interaction between media producers and their audience.
3. Analysis of audience-orientation in The Guardian and The Sun: Conducts a detailed investigation into how the two newspapers manipulate language, typography, and content to reinforce the social identities and interests of their specific readers.
4. Conclusion: Summarizes how The Guardian aims for authority and informativeness for middle-class readers, while The Sun utilizes sensationalism and polarization to entertain a working-class audience.
Keywords
Media discourse, tabloid, broadsheet, audience orientation, polarisation, Us and Them, news values, Natascha Kampusch, newspaper style, ideology, social identity, oral discourse, Stockholm syndrome, media functions, reader expectations.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research?
The work investigates how newspaper style and content are adapted to reflect the inferred interests and expectations of different social groups, using the kidnapping of Natascha Kampusch as a case study.
Which newspapers are compared in this study?
The study conducts a comparative analysis between the quality broadsheet The Guardian and the popular tabloid The Sun.
What is the primary research goal?
The goal is to demonstrate how these newspapers polarise news stories into "Us" and "Them" to strengthen the camaraderie of their respective readerships.
Which scientific methods are employed?
The study utilizes linguistic approaches regarding newspaper style, oral discourse features (as categorized by Fowler), and Van Dijk’s theory of ideological polarisation.
What does the main body of the paper cover?
It covers stylistic differences (typography, syntax, register), the use of specific vocabulary to label protagonists, and how different levels of detail are used to manipulate the readers' perception of the story.
How are the newspapers characterized in terms of their goals?
The Guardian is characterized by its intent to inform with authority and objectivity, whereas The Sun prioritizes entertainment and the evocation of scandal.
Why does The Sun use more informal language?
The informal register is a strategy to mirror the linguistic patterns of the working-class audience, making the content more accessible and fostering a sense of shared identity.
How is the concept of Stockholm syndrome used differently by the two papers?
The Sun uses it as an authoritative explanation to dismiss "positive" facts about the kidnapper, while The Guardian uses vague language and cites sources to avoid definitive judgment.
What role do photographs and captions play in the analysis?
The analysis compares the fragmented, simple syntax of tabloid captions against the complex, descriptive captions in the broadsheet to illustrate differing levels of linguistic sophistication.
- Quote paper
- Elisabeth Fritz (Author), 2007, Audience orientation in news stories, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/136241
