The language of an article can have a large impact on how opinion is portrayed, how the audience interprets that opinion and how the reader feels when reading it. It can add influence to a situation and can lead the reader to adopt the journalists feelings if such a strong positive or negative vibe is sent out. Analysing two very different articles can give me an idea of how I wish to style my article and can help me to pick up tips on writing an article to a specific style.
"Prosecutors described Schettino's handling of the giant craft as inept"
The Daily Mail uses far less text than the Guardian and more of the visual aids to help tell the story and inform their audience. The journalists use hard hitting opinions and facts to really emphasise the horror and gain the attention but also the sympathy of the audience. They use personal quotes from survivors which gives the report a more realistic feel to it and it gives the audience an awareness of what really happened. They use real life stories such as that of British dancer Rose Metcalf who was ‘among the last to be lifted off the ship’ to do this as well.
"Survivors were left to swim for their lives and shin down rope ladders during a terrifying 'Titanic-like' escape"
The writers also use techniques such as likening the event to others that have previously happened and are well known. For example Rebecca Evans, writer of this specific story has likened the evnts to that of the Titanic, and everyone knows about the Titanic and how horrific it was. This makes the audience again, realise how horrific the event was as it provides them with something to compare it to.
"The crash has shocked all those who enjoy the multi-billion-pound cruise industry and believe they are holidaying in absolute safety"
The article also gives the readers a possible link to what is happening and they could possibly be the people who 'enjoy the multi-billion-pound cruise industry' an could make them reconsider their views on the situation. If I was a reader who was to enjoy the cruise industry regularly then this article would definitely make me reconsider my opinions as it clearly is not only against the captain of the cruise liner and the company as a whole but is giving off a negative vibe towards the whole cruising idea. With the comparisons to the Titanic and the negative words and phrases used such as 'furious', 'disgusting' and 'stricken ship' it is enough to put anyone off travelling by cruise liner ever again.
With this being highlighted it is clear that the Daily Mail depend more on their own opinions to tell the story as oppose to the facts that are true. this allows them to shape what the reader believes and can have a large influence. It is almost suggesting that the audience is passive and cannot form their own opinion, this could have a very negative impact on society if all magazines and newspapers were like this as nobody would have formed their own opinions and are just likely to adopt whatever is being fed to them...
No comments:
Post a Comment