Tom, could I ask you for some advice, please? Yes of course, if you think I can help. Whats it about? Its my first media studies assignment, and Im not sure how to go about it. You must have done it last year. Is that the one comparing the coverage of a particular story in a range of newspapers? Oh yes, I really enjoyed writing it. So what sort of things do I need to compare? Well, there are several things. For example, theres the question of which page of the newspaper the item appears on. You mean, because theres a big difference between having it on the front page and the bottom of page ten, for instance? Exactly. And that shows how important the editor thinks the story is. Then theres the size how many column inches the story is given, how many columns it spreads over. And I suppose that includes the headline. It certainly does. Its all part of attracting the readers attention. What about graphics whether theres anything visual in addition to the text? Yes, you need to consider those, too, because they can have a big effect on the readers understanding of the story sometimes a bigger effect than the text itself. Then youll need to look at how the item is put together: what structure is it given? Bear in mind that not many people read beyond the first paragraph, so what has the journalist put at the beginning? And if, say, three are conflicting opinions about something, does one appear near the end, where people probably wont read it? And newspapers sometimes give wrong or misleading information, dont they? Yes, if you can. Compare whats in different versions, and as far as possible, try and work out whats true and what isnt. And that relates to a very important point: whats the writers purpose, or at least the most important one, if they have several. It may seem to be to inform the public, but often its that they want to create fear, or controversy, or to make somebody look ridiculous. Gosh, I see what you mean. And I suppose the writer may make assumptions about the reader. Thats right about their knowledge of the subject, their attitudes, and their level of education, which means writing so that the readers understand without feeling patronised. All of that will make a difference to how story is presented. Does it matter what type of story I write about? No national or international politics, the arts Anything, as long as its covered in two or three newspaper. Though of course itll be easier and more fun if its something youre interested in and know something about. And on that basis a national news item would be worth analysing Im quite keen on politics, so Ill try and find a suitable topic. What did you choose for your analysis, Tom? I was interested in how newspapers express their opinions explicitly, so I wanted to compare editorials in different papers, but when I started looking. I couldnt find two on the same topic that I felt like analysing. In that case, I wont even bother to look. So in the end I chose a human interest story a terribly emotional story about a young girl who was very ill, and lots of other people mostly strangers raised money so she could go abroad for treatment. Actually, I was surprised some papers just wrote about how wonderful everyone was, but others considered the broader picture, like why treatment wasnt available here. Hmm, I usually find stories like that raise quite strong feelings in me! Ill avoid that . Perhaps Ill choose an arts topic, like different reviews of a film, or something about funding for the arts Ill think about that. Yes, that might be interesting. OK, well thanks a lot for your help, Tom. Its been really useful. Youre welcome. Good luck with the assignment, Hazel. |
