Tabloids v Broadsheets

With the recent outburst from Jeremy Clarkson on the One Show regarding the strikes we can see I direct contrast of approach from the tabloids and broadsheets.

Tabloid – Mirror Front CoverThe Mirror is using many references to Car terminology as everyone would refer Jeremy Clarkson to his well known television show ‘Topgear’. First of all the headline is ‘REVERSE GEAR’ the pun is a direct opposite to Topgear and suggests that Jeremy Clarkson is in trouble with the media.

Image of the prime minister David Cameron. Makes it seem very dramatic that the leader of the country has to have his opinion on the matter. Outlines that Jeremy Clarkson’s actions may have been extremely over the top.

‘SHOOT STRIKERS’ – Shoot is a strong emotive word which grabs the attention of the audience, this should entice the consumer as the quote is so extreme and outrageous that the reader will want to read the article.

Further terminology of Driving has been used where it states ‘U- TURN’ – The connotations of a U Turn suggesting that he is correcting a mistake, the continuous use of puns suggests that the tabloid is informal and almost see’s the situation as a bit of a joke.The mirror have used graphics to

represent the dashboard of a car, continuing their comical approach. ‘2.08PM’ and ‘4:35PM’ appear as we would see on a dashboard of a car. The graphics appear come across as a film narrative, like a script as it says ‘Clarkson:’ This outlines that the mirror are trying to make the ordeal same very dramatic.

The article itself is very in your face, it is almost like an advert the way it grabs your attention. The big white bold font accompanied with the pun ‘REVERSE GEAR’ makes it hard for the reader to miss

The main image of Clarkson on the mirror implies he has caused a bit of mischief and got himself in trouble, we can see this by the scratching of the head.

Broadsheet – Guardian Front CoverStraight away we can see the approach of the broadsheet is politically orientated as it states Clarkson v the unions. This is a complete opposite to the approach to what the tabloid took. Instead of constant puns on driving the broadsheet had given us a sense of a battle between Clarkson and the unions.

The typeface used on the Independent is much more subtle than the Mirror. The blue background and white text is much less appealing than the big bold writing used in the mirror. A reason for this is that the independent have to be consistent with their house style as there demographic is to a middle class audience and well educated readers. Therefore the typeface is the plain and subtle as they are giving the reader the option as to whether they want to read the article, whereas it is forced upon the Mirror readers.

The main image used on the Independent appears a lot less dramatic than the image used on the mirror. Clarkson looks relatively calm as if the issue is only minor and has been misinterpreted. The inclusion of the faded jeans in the image contributes to plain house style and is contributing to bring a sense of professionalism from the newspaper.

If the audience are intrigued by the main image and the subtle headline then they kind find the article on page 3. The arrows guiding the consumer to page 3 suggests it’s important news as it is on the first double spread. Also the inclusion of red on the arrows brings colour to the article and suggests that it is worth reading.

Tabloid – Mirror Article

Pizza advert – Further suggests that the newspaper is aimed at a predominant working class audience as you wouldn’t come across these adverts in broadsheets.

The mirror have added a graphic at the bottom of the double page spread which shows twitter status’ from well known figures, having their opinions on the Jeremy Clarkson ordeal. This implies that the Mirror are also aiming at a younger audience who are familiar with the twitter and the way it functions. Graphics like this are published in tabloids as the consumers are highly interested in the opinions of certain celebrities.

The vast amount of colour present in this double page, contributed from the advert, images and graphics suggests that the Mirror are trying to make the article seem more exciting than it is through the use of colours, this is because it quickly captures the attention of the reader.

Many images have been used on the double page to display to the reader what actually happened during his rant. Firstly these images take a lot space on the double page that could have been filled with text, however the mirror will suggest the use of images is far more interesting to the reader. This further outlines that the mirror’s demographic is less educated than a broadsheet’s audience.

A debate on the right hand side suggesting whether Jeremy was right or wrong to rant. This outlines that the consumer is interested in the opinions of others rather than just reading the article writers views.

Broadsheet – Guardian Article

In contrast to the pizza advert in the tabloid, the broadsheet is advertising a printer with the integration of using Harry Potter to increase their popularity and sales. Advertising a printer makes one assume that consumers of the Guardian are middle class demographic working in offices requiring the best models of printers, whereas to working class, these items are just a luxury.

Lack of colour in the article, mainly black and white, even the advert contains no real stand out colours. This implies that the Broadsheet is strictly professional and are writing for an educated audience who are intrigued in this specific article.

In contrast to the vast amount of images used in the Mirror which were relevant to the incident, the Guardian have used an image with very little meaning. The image is of Jeremy Clarkson and his co-hosts James May and Richard Hammond. The image may convey that the two co-hosts are behind Jeremy despite the rant. In comparison to the Mirror, this article is more text heavy as they are targeting a more sophisticated audience.

“Clarkson row gets political” in contrast to the Mirrors headline which was “WHAT A SILLY BOY”. The reference to politics and the government in the headline would not attract the consumers in the Mirror as they are most likely to not be interested ion the current affairs of politics whereas consumers who read broadsheets are, as broadsheets tend to write more political features.

Contrast between Mirror & Guardian