Comparing tabloid and broadsheet newspapers

Olivia Grayson-Kirk

Tabloid front cover “U-turn” is a term used for a manoeuvre that a car makes on a road as they turn in a ‘U’ shape therefore the article is already being personalised for Jeremy Clarkson as his job type is involved with cars.

The slang ‘Er’ implies his hesitation in apologising – this wouldn’t be used in a broadsheet newspaper however the tabloid is for a broader audience and usually relates to a more working class audience as well as middle class.

Instead of writing the different times, they have used graphics for the time which represent a clock on a dashboard.

David Cameron is featured in this article which creates drama as he is an authoritive figure and has something to say about Clarkson’s comment.

The gap in the time shows the reader that something must of gone on between these two different times to make him feel sorry, therefore it makes them intrigued and want to read the article.

The main headline ‘REVERSE GEAR’ implies that his comment about the strikers may take his career backwards as he’ll of disappointed a lot of viewers on his show. Also, it is like a pun as he works with cars, its joking around using a backwards gear to explain where he’s going.

The image of Clarkson shows him scratching his head which implies he is just gormless and a bit of an ‘idiot’. They do this to get the audience on their side.

Tabloid inside story Colloquial tone set through lexical use such as ‘silly’ which creates a relaxed approach to the story and makes it seem less serious.

The main image shows Clarkson’s head just before the phrase ‘silly boy’ therefore showing to the audience that it’s him.

The three images down the side of the page are featured for the story to give a visual story about the events of what happened throughout the day which is typical of a tabloid newspaper. The fact they are highlighted with white outline it makes them jump out to the audience so they are attracted. This shows that they use images a lot to draw the reader in instead of just the text.

This is a feature story of the main story as it is previous rants from Clarkson therefore it implies that this is what he’s usually like and it allows the audience to see this and make their own opinion on him.

The caption of the image reads ‘I’M OFF, Clarkson at Heathrow yesterday’ this is said as they want to stir the story even more by implying that he is fleeing the country from all the trouble and conflict he has caused. This is typical of a tabloid story.

Lexis used such as; blundering, infuriates, inability and warped make the audience intrigued in reading the article. The sub heading includes the word, ‘outrageous’ therefore straight away the audience wants to read the article to find out what is so outrageous.

The PM has a say over the situation which is featured in the article. This shows that an authoritive figure is involved in the situation which makes the audience who are against Clarkson feel like power is on their side. However, the sub heading implies that they are friends which makes the audience read it automatically – they want to know what he has to say.

The feature article in the top left hand corner relates to the main story. The headline ‘JEREMY U-TURN’ implies that he is going backwards and away from success rather than forward. The heading is a pun as he works with cars therefore we know a U-turn means to go back on yourself – implying that Jeremy is going back on himself and putting himself in a bad position.

Along the bottom of the page there are tweets from different celebrities giving their opinion on the matter. This allows the audience to see what the celeb world think and it persuades them to one side depending on which celeb says what. It also advertises twitter and if the audience see celebs using it then they are most likely to join – this is media convergence.

Broadsheet front cover The Clarkson story in this broadsheet newspaper only takes up a small section of the front cover therefore it wouldn’t be classed as the main story even though there is an image to relate to it.

The heading of the story is very small and straight to the point. Broadsheets tend to focus more on politics and international news therefore, unlike a tabloid story, it isn’t made out to be a serious story. The heading reads

‘Complaints pile up as Top Gear star says strikers ‘should be shot’ Unlike the tabloid paper he isn’t made out to be completely in the wrong as they call him a ‘star’ which implies that he is still a good person in their eyes as they aren’t bothered about getting the audience on their side or letting them have a ‘gossip story’.

The typeface is only small which doesn’t jump out in the readers face as a broadsheet paper is usually aimed at higher social groups therefore they assume that the reader will take more time to read the article than be bothered about the headlines. The image features

Clarkson at the airport looking, as we would describe, normal. They haven’t used an image which makes him look stupid or useless because they just want to show who he is, not make him out to be a showcase. The caption for the image includes a quote of what Clarkson said which basically allows up to apologise to the nation.

Broadsheet inside story The sub-heading puts the word ‘silly’ in quotation marks to show that it isn’t their own words and it shows it has been extracted from another source. This shows that they don’t gain their attention through gossip stories and causing an uproar with the press and its stories. It depends on facts.

The image shows Clarkson and his two co-stars in London, as you can see his face is straight and as we would describe ‘normal’. This shows that Clarkson is serious about his apology therefore this image is used to back up the star instead of make him look an idiot. The caption of the image conveys that he is leading his every day life, going to work and not hiding away whereas in the Mirror newspaper, it is made out like he’s trying to hide and run away.

The article is the one column on the page which runs down the left hand side. It isn’t blatantly in your face therefore you’re not forced to read it – if you want to read it, it’s there for you to read. This implies that it is targeted at a middle class audience as the newspaper publishers assume that they will be clever enough and broad minded enough to want to read the story.

Here it shows us that Clarkson apologised for his ‘shoot strikers’ remark. Statistics are used saying ‘5000’ complained. The newspaper is factual and it isn’t based on grabbing the readers attention unlike the tabloid. They know that if their reader wants to know about the real story, then they will read it themselves.

COMPARISONSBroadsheet vs. Tabloid

Advertisements Headlines

Images

Broadsheet vs. Tabloid advertisements

Broadsheet Tabloid The word ‘FREE’ is used twice. The lexical choice of the buzz word targets a lower class as they are giving it away with no cost as long as you buy this newspaper.

Promoting food is a need in peoples lives and everybody has it. It isn’t hard to get hold of and it can be purchased at a very low cost therefore it will target a mainstream audience rather than something that is quite rare to have, or that has a high cost.

A printer is an expensive item to buy therefore, advertising it in a broadsheet newspaper which is generally aimed at the middle class, it attracts the right audience into buying it. Nothing is promoted as ‘free’ as they know their reader will pay for the advertisement. The lexical choices

are a lot more ranged instead of bland and simple. This shows that the audience will be more intelligent and it attracts a different audience.

Broadsheet vs. Tabloid headings Broadsheet Tabloid

Typically of a tabloid newspaper, the heading is in a large, bold typography to attract its audience.

The heading includes a pun which makes a joke about Clarkson. It implies that the audience need hooking to be interested in the article therefore by using informal lexis it helps do this.

The typography for this heading is only small and it mingles in with the other text. It isn’t created to stand out and attract anybody. This is typical of a broadsheet as they assume that the audience will read it no matter what. They hook their audience with the stories rather than having to draw them in first through the use of headings and images.

Yet again, the typography is large and bold therefore it attracts the audience. By mocking Clarkson in the heading it gains the audiences attention and puts them on their side. This is a typical convention of a tabloid newspaper.

The heading for a broadsheet is a lot plainer and simpler than a tabloid as you can see here. The headlines are more serious, therefore adding a quote from the Prime Minister. It gets to the point and doesn’t dwell on getting attention.

Broadsheet vs. Tabloid images Broadsheet Tabloid

The image above is from the front cover of the broadsheet newspaper. It shows Clarkson on his way to work in London living his every day life. There is no attempt to make fun of him therefore it is seen as a natural pose. It is a more serious press and aimed at a higher social group therefore there is no need to turn it into a joke using images which make him look stupid.

This image uses humour to target its audience by making Clarkson look like an idiot. He’s scratching his head making himself look stupid as this connotes dumb. Also like a monkey would scratch his head and the saying ‘quit monkeying around’ implies what he’s doing is stupid. Yet again, they’ve used humour to create their perfect story of the Clarkson strikers remark.