directions in the british press

8/12/2019 Directions in the British Press

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Liana Luncean, SCB I

Directions in the British Press

-Quality newspapers vs. tabloids

Nowadays Press is considered a power o the state, ater e!ecutive one or "ustice. #he

power o Press can be e!tre$ely bi%, especially i it succeds to brin% various sub"ects upto date, without denyin% the conte$porary thin&in% and people's choices and principles.

By this, Press can reach another eature, na$ely the power o $anipulation. #his new

eature doesn't have to $aniest in a bad sense, but $ore in what concerns people's

opinions, beore and ater readin% the news and its posibility to shape $aybe their style.

I intend to believe that the irst unction o newspapers was to inor$ or to cultivate and

it was desi%ned or people with an intelectual capacity a bit incresed. #his was probably

the reason why so$e newspapers and also writers o their articles or stories were acussed

o bein% too ellitist because they restricted in this way the acces o so$e ordinary people,

ro$ low classes to reach culture and inor$ation. (or the$ it was diicult to understand

a newspaper because they weren't a$iliar with political debates, public inrastructure or

cultural issues.

#his proble$ aroused an echo a$on% press institutions who reali)ed the neccesity o

another type o newspapers, with other cate%ories o news, besides the one already

$entioned. Probably it was the be%innin% o distinctive types o newspapers* the one who

&ept the sa$e conservative structure, li&e +uality newspaper and the one that adopted a

liberal way as ar as it concerns all types o stories, scandals or co$$on lie with all the

i$plications, as the tabloids $ade.

So$eti$es the articles are scandalous or the news are overrated, unuseul and

inappropriate, a act that attracts a lot o critics but also a lot o ans. British Press

beco$es, alon% +uality newspapers or tabloids, part o British liestyle. hy Because

& is not &nown only or the $ulticulturalis$ but also or the various types o thin&in%

and liestyle, who ca$e with all these cultures.

/ach0 branch0o the press %ain readers by dierent strate%ies. #he +uality nespapers

don't tend to spread all over the $ar&et throu%h their stories because they are consciuous

about their position, while tabloids will not loose opportunities to e!pand in all &ind o

situations, even when it's about personal details.

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#abloids are essentially $ass entertain$ent, as evidenced by the act that they are s$aller

than the other papers but they have lar%er illustrations. #his leads to an e$phasis on

%ossip, e$otion and scandal. #hey are based on what we call sensational or shoc&in%. 2n

the contrary +uality newspapers are lar%er, tend to adopt a neutral position and have

ob"ectve approaches re%ardin% the sub"ects.

3nother eature o British tabloids, as opposed to British +uality newspapers or

broadsheets, is the act that the tabloid stays connected to the hi%h de%ree

o personali)ation. By personali)ation, tabloids tend to be pac&ed with ite$s about

individuals, but they are lac&in% in reports o %eneral or e!tended processes. #his

certainly %oes hand in hand with the e$phasis that tabloids place on %ossip, e$otion and

scandal, tryin% to di% ater personal or deep secrets who could beco$e interstin% or the

public.4 (owler 1551* 516

#he distiction between tabloids and +uality newspapers is based on $ore several

ele$ents who re%ards irst o all the appereance where we can include the colours, the

ont, the pictures and also the adverts. Besides o this the distinction between these two

types beco$es actual i we analyse the style o writin% and lan%ua%e a$on% choice o

sub"ectes and the$es.

(irst ti$e when you see a newsppaer, printed or on di%ital or$at your attention is

driven out on the rontpa%e. 3 +uality newspaper tries to choose careully an ele%ant

appereance with a special ont or the lo%o, li&e it has the British newspaper The Times.

#his will inspire so$ehow %reatness and %entility.

#he online pa%e o The Timesis resu$in% to si$ple colours, without adorn$ents to

catch up the eye. 2n the other hand, the tabloid Daily Starputs the accent on the irst

pa%e, with the bi%%est titles and pictures to ill the entire rontpa%e. 2n a irst si%ht, a

+uality newspaper tends to be $ore conservative, with titles in blac& and white, written in

a standard ont. #he colours are used so$eti$es or trac&in% other lin&s to other pa%es or

articles. Colours $ay appear in order to underline so$e do$ains but it is only $ar&in%

the title.

hile The Timesdress a little the clothes o te$perance,Daily Staris actually shinnin%

li&e a star.#he pictures cover al$ost the entire pa%e. #he titles have dierent colours and

even the lo%o o the tabloid is $ar&ed by red or spar&lin% colour. In other words the

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tabloid is li&e a disco ball with an enthusiastic vision, while the +uality newspaper is

$ore sober. 3 +uality newspaper attaches photo%raphs "ust or %ivin% a clue or so$e

relevance to the artcle. In this way we can say the pictures aco$plish an ob"ective role. In

the case o the tabloid the photo%raphs are the center o the articles, they are sustainin%

the entire story and $ovin% the accent ro$ the para%raphs to the i$a%e.

#abloids are &nown or a special sub"ect they approach, na$ely se!uality, while a

+uality newspaper avoids to put these types o pictures in its pa%es. It is not necessary

about what sub"ects they write is $ore about the act that tabloids introduce pictures who

turn in porno%raphic $aterial .#abloids have a special pa%e with hot pictorials* it is the

a$ous Pa%e 8, ro$ The Sun, or Star babes ro$Daily Star, a pa%e with na&ed %irls

presentin% the orecast or sport news. I a$ really sure that they stand or reedo$ o Press

and reedo$ o e!pressin% in any &ind o way but it can turn into inappropriate i$a%es

or teena%ers or s$all &ids who can create a wron% idea in the uture, about wo$an and

se!uality.

#he +uality newspaper re"ects this &ind o articles or pictures but or tabloids ro$ all

the world this section it see$s to be really successul. #he trend is not an isolated event

because this idea is spread also in other european tabloids li&e 9o$anian ones, with nude

%irls who $a&e sensation between other pa%es.

#abloid and +uality newspapers are not dierent only in appereance but also in their

priorities and choices re%ardin% the sub"ects they accept to introduce or not in their pa%es.

hen it co$es to or%ani)e the pa%e, the +uality newspaper preers sy$$etry in its

collu$ns, based on their i$portance or the readers. The Timeshas nine $ain cate%ories

on the di%ital pa%e li&e news, opinion, business, $oney or sport. Down on pa%e there are

other s$all cate%ories based on cultural issues, editorials and also world news.

hile Timesis ruled by clean and or%ani)ed pa%es in colu$ns on sub"ects, a tabloid

li&eDaily StarorDaily Maildoesn't respect an order. 3ctually it has an order but with

other priorities. (or e!a$ple the irst cate%ories on the di%ital edition are news, sports,

showbi) and lie style with pictures. 2 course, editions are acco$panied by bi%

pictorials with scandals or hot news about stars or wannabe stars. #he order o cate%ories

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and news is based $ainly on pictures and the topics are less diversiied li&e in a +uality

newspaper.

3ll the points discussed until here reer to :cos$etic process0 o the Press and it's all

choices $ade in order to state to style and the purpose o the newspaper. But what is

really deinin% a newspaper is the sub"ects chosen, the $a"or the$es approached and

$ost o all the style o writin%. People who pass over the irst i$pression caused by

display, onts or i$a%es are really interested in how the article is presented, what it's

e!pressin%, how it's written and i inally it was really helpul or providin% the %ood

inor$ation or the truth.

In a world ull o events, newspapers are the best way to i$$ortali)e i$portant acts

or readers. I don't want to say that only politics, war, econo$y or hu$an disasters are

the proble$s that count or us. ;ere it's included also cultural issues, lie style or other

events ro$ our society. So the the$es approached in newspapers can be really rich and

dierent, because ortunately the options are not restricted as nu$ber.

I already $entioned what cate%ories they are presented in a newspaper o +uality. 2

course all the articles will be based on those the$es e!actly li&e the cate%ories chosen.

#hey have an interest in %eneral and serious issues concernin% not public lie li&e

showbi), but public lie as hi%h society. 2n the other hand, tabloids concentrate their

articles around showbi) and it's really rare when their sphere is %ettin% out ro$ that,

$aybe in the case o other scandals which usually attac& public person. 3ter this

ar%u$ent it see$s li&e a +uality newspaper try to be noble in the$es and choices, while

tabloids are trivial. #here is still a reverse o the $edal because so$eti$es +uality

newspapers are catalo%ed as too elitist or too diicult or co$$on people, act that can

be true. So$e people are beco$in% snobs, pretendin% they are readin% the$ but actually

they don't really understand it.

(ro$ this point o view tabloids are winnin% because they are easier to approach and

people don't eel restraint oand they are not overwhel$ed by the lan%ua%e and by the

acade$ic style. 3s ar as it concerns the sub"ects we can say that a +uality newspaper

tends to be a little aristocratic, while tabloids want to approach to co$$on sub"ects or


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so$eti$es trivial. (ro$ this distinction it can be already started the debate on the style o

writin% o each type. #he +uality newspaper will use a or$al addressin% with literary

lan%ua%e, without usin% collo+uial style, while tabloids will introduce slan%,

abbreviations, co$$on words or e!pressions to attract the public li&e they wold listen a

conversation on the street.

#o illustrate that it can be co$pared the dierent ways that the two types o

newspapers approach the sa$e sub"ect. (or e!a$ple, let's ta&e the terrible accident

suered by the race pilot =ichael Schu$acher. The Timeswrote an article about it with

the title* :Schu$acher i$proves ater operations0 on the di%ital edition, while tabloids

e$ploy irst na$es o nic&na$es, Daily Starhad a hu%e article with the title* :Schu's

i$proves0. 3s we can see there is a clearly dierence how they e!press and this is a act

cause by the dierence between or$al lan%ua%e and inor$al. #he +uality newspaper

will choose a standard lan%ua%e with lon% para%raphs or the article, while the tabloid

%oes or short articles sustained by photo%raps and an e$otive style.

I thin& that the dierences between their option it's especially when it's about the

celebrity section. 3s ar as it concerns The #i$es' choices, celebrity sub"ect it's at the

botto$ o the pa%e. 3s a tendance, all &ind o showbi) are not o an national i$portance

and i they are $entioned is "ust because Press has to be a %ood researcher o news to

satisy $ore cate%ories o readers. Personally I have to ad$it that I ound so$e na$es o

celebrities un&nown or $e because they were not a$ous persons ro$ artistic ield. #he

tabloid's pa%es on di%ital or on printed or$at are all the ti$e loaded with sstories and

pictures ro$ showbi) because this is their $ain do$ain. Stars are presented usually in

e$barrassin% situations or latterin% or the$ li&eDaily Staris presentin%- :Battle of the

Twerkers!- Kesha pulls a Milley in X-rated videos.2 course everythin% is detalied by

pictures who unortunately are too e!plicit or s$all children that have acces to thses

pa%es. Despite o all this, porno%raphic se+uences and dirty titles are so$ehow the visit

card o a tabloid.

In order to detail $ore the distinctive style o writin% between +uality newspaper and

tabloids we can also co$pare two rando$ collu$nists and their way o e!pressin%. (or

e!a$ple the tabloid collu$inst >arry Bushell co$es with an article called :(or Pete'

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sa&e %et a trip #ina0 about a soap opera prota%onist and he spea&s in slan% : shes a wa

fi" hih and until re#ently pretty moral0 or #ina will be pretty :fly fi-shin soon0, a

description which re$inds us that tabloids have an inor$al style, li&e ta&en ro$ the

street.

2n the other hand, the style o another collu$inst, this ti$e ro$ a +uality newspaper

is +uite dierent. Let's ta&e or e!a$ple a really disputed proble$ in the British press

ro$ the last days o 7@18, na$ely the possible i$$i%ration o 9o$anians and

Bul%arians in A, startin% with the irst day o 7@1


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class who tends on a ob"ective opinion and position re%ardin% dierent events, while the

tabloid puts accent on sub"ective side, increasin% the interest or personal detalis or

aspects ro$ other's lie.

#he institution o Press in inally a business who needs pro$otion, to &eep close its

ans and readers and convince the$ to still buy, watch or ollow on internet. In order to

$a&e it possible every newspaper is usin% a strate%y o $ar&etin%.

I intend to believe that a +uality newspaper counts on its reputation as a strate%y or

retainin% the readers. 3 respected newspaper as The Timeswill always have an elitist

%roup who understand its politics and a%ree with this or$al style, which is not or

everybody. #he +uality newspaper is tryin% to consolidate its position in the ield o

British Press and so$ehow its area is not spreadin% but it's %ettin% s$aller, to retain what

it is actually well done and deserves to be discussed.

2n the other hand, the tabloids have to ind other strate%ies o $ar&etin%, in order to

%ain so$e teritory in this "un%le o tabloids, who appear over the ni%ht. #his is the $ain

reason why they apply the principle o :$ore0* $ore scandalous, $ore e$otive, $ore

se!y and $ore a$ous. #hey try, li&e this to a$a)e their readers and and $a&e the$ the

pro$ise that they will ind all the spicy details ro$ everwhere.

3ll in all, I consider that the choice is inally a $atter o taste and personal options.

Not everybody is intersted only in politics, science or cultural events. So$eti$es they

can't reach these speheres so they ta&e so$ethin% $ore aordable. In the sa$e ti$e, not

everybody is intersted in the last scandal with a$ous people ro$ the rontpa%e. No

$atter you choose it can be based on preerences or $aybe on your a%e. It is not

necessarry a $atter o education because news can be an interpretaion o the truth or "ust

a way to act s$arter or so$e people.

I you , as a reader o any &ind o newspaper, reali)e what it is i$portant or you to

&now and what it is useul ro$ those pa%es, you are a winner and you ound out

so$ethin% new. (inally this is the $ain role o Press, to inor$ and to spread ideas and

news, without i$posin% barriers or any &ind o reader, $ore or less cutltivated.


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directions in the british press

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