Compare the article in the Independent Essay

Compare the article in the Independent with the article in the Daily Mail, addressing the following aspects; layout, content and language. From this comparison, what conclusion can you draw with regard to the targeted readership and intended selling point of each newspaper? In this essay I will be comparing two very different articles from The Independent- a broadsheet and The Daily Mail- a tabloid. The story I will be studying is about a 14 year old boy called Luke Walmsley. Whilst he was waiting in the corridor to enter a classroom he was stabbed in the chest by a fellow pupil. The incident took place at the school he attended; Birkbeck School in Lincolnshire. The whole incident is said to be over who was better at sport and a girl that both boys were fond of, Luke had been seen getting close to this girl and the boy must of grown jealous. The boy who stabbed Luke had come from a troubled background himself and he was said to be quite insecure. I will discuss the following aspects the layout, content and the language that is included within the two articles, from this I will draw a comparison with regard to the targeted audience and intended selling point of each newspaper. The Daily Mail and The Independent are two different types of newspaper. The Daily Mail is what is known as a tabloid newspaper and focuses directly on the most popular events, human interests and trivial matters . A tabloid newspaper differs from the broadsheet paper this is included in its size, the range and depth of its coverage and the ratio of images to text. A Tabloid is around half the size of a standard broadsheet paper. Reports are more simplified or more direct and compact versions of a report. They also include a lot more images relating to the article. A tabloid is often found to be extremely biased and tries to influence the public’s opinions on the reporters own certain views. ‘The Independent’ is a broadsheet style newspaper. It generally focuses on the true given facts and includes great detail and goes into great depth in its articles. The question is why do people want to buy these newspapers? The Daily Mail attracts its readers by using a high rate of colour and images on its front page which is bound to catch the eye of passers by and interests them to buy the paper. In comparison to information in other newspapers it is often found to be exaggerated and is therefore in my opinion aimed at the less educated person. It is simple, easy and quite enjoyable to read with a range of bright pictures to accompany the article. The Independent doesn’t tend to use a lot of colour neither does it use many pictures. The reason I believe in which The Independent attracts the nation into buying the newspaper is by publishing truthful, detailed accounts. They only focus on what they know for certain are true facts and relevant figures. Tabloids are made up of celebrity news and gossip which is exaggerated to make the story more appealing. This type of article is aimed at the lower and of the market. Broadsheets, however, have a far more mature approach to what they publish and include news that is of a interest to the whole nation young or old, although in general it is often written to target the higher better informed end of the market. Broadsheets incorporate details about the shares and stock market, business news and in general financial information I think this would appeal to a high status businessman, a professional management team or a politician. However by saying this I am being quite stereotypical because many people are interested in the stock market so they may just buy this type of paper for the finance section and not care what else is published within the paper whether it may affect them or not. Concentrating on the article, firstly I will discuss layout. The layout of the Daily Mail is bold and in your face which is very eye catching. The pictures are vibrant in colour and stand out another eye catching feature. When using a picture, it has to be chosen carefully. They must have an effect on the person looking at it whether or not it’s on a personal level or an image you recognise. Having this image alongside the bright, bold headline that cannot be avoided makes the paper stand out and really makes you notice the paper. The way in which the headlines font and size is changed and how the headline is worded is well constructed to make the story stand out and appear more exciting and readable to the papers targeted audience. Due to the fact that the daily mail is a tabloid it is therefore aimed at the lower end of the JICNAR scale in the c1 – e category making it easier to read. The jobs these people may have would be lorry driver, factory workers, building site labour and unemployment. The front page is the main selling point to actually encourage people to buy and read the paper. Many housewives would also read ‘The Daily Mail’ for its gossip and celebrity news.