CRIME AND THE MEDIA
A comparative study of two UK national newspapers
Introduction
A comparative study of two media forms such as newspapers is conducted using a simple systematic approach. This approach involves taking sections of the articles within the newspaper and analysing them on various factors such as imagery, context, lexis, grammar and linguistics. We understand imagery to be any form of graphical information, context as the main story and the principle ideas it portrays, lexis as the actual vocabulary used, grammar as the arrangement of the lexis and linguistics as language devices such as persuasive or informative approaches. Looking at these variables within an article will enable a comparison to be drawn as it is the similarities and differences which help to identify the form which conveys the correct message and that which conveys the opposite.
Newspaper colour
Front page of the Daily Mirror after publishing fa...
Daily MirrorThe two newspapers which I have chosen to compare are a 'quality' broadsheet paper, 'The Times' (London) and a 'red-top' tabloid paper, the 'Daily Mirror'. This selection will represent news articles aimed at certain social groups. The Times, as it is a 'quality' newspaper is expected to be read by middle and upper class social groups where as the Daily Mirror is a newspaper more likely to be read by those in lower and working class social groups. This split exists due to the content of both papers which has a particular target group that it is aimed towards attracting. It is generally seen that the split of social groups through the media is part of a modern society and is now accepted. Tabloid papers today have a certain criteria to meet, certainly when thinking about their audience groups. For example, male lower and working class groups tend to want to read sport coverage with wit and some slander towards...