Wednesday, 18 April 2018

We'll Strike Again Newspaper Article

The newspaper is a tabloid so there is likely to be a less formal mode of address and a less formal lexis. The story in top right corner reinforces this as you see Emma Willis saying she has a job delivering babies. This is not the most important news of the day, or probably not the second most important news story but this is what appeals to the audience of the tabloid and so this is the news that they will put on the front cover in order to draw people in.
The main news story is about air strikes in Syria. Main image shows destruction of the bombs. The newspaper positions the audience in a sympathetic way in order to make people think the strikes were bad. If they wanted to play the other narrative, they would have showed weapons or bases destroyed showing that the strikes were successful, but instead the main image is one of what looks like a house destroyed which gives the impression that  innocent people might have been hurt.
The pictures of the leaders of the countries show the readers where the blame lies for the destruction and almost makes the audience oppose them. The pictures are neutral though so this viewpoint could be challenged though. The simple font of the phrase also shows that the newspaper is not trying to take the reader's attention away from the images and the messages of the story as these are the most important aspects of the article.
The statement at the top of the cover says 'US and allies ready for second blitz on Syria' which shows that the newspaper could believe that the strikes were overkill as they use the word blitz, which means an intensive or sudden military attack. The newspaper thinks that the strikes were prolonged and extensive and that they were maybe uncalled for. this statement puts across their viewpoint on the event. The dull colours in the image also reflect the serious nature of the article as they imply feeling of sadness and remorse.
The article also partly pins the blame on the reader as well, saying 'We'll strike again,' which implies that the reader was involved with the strikes and so the reader partly feels like its their fault and so this again shows the viewpoint of the newspaper again. The exclusive story at the bottom of the paper is also used to draw the audience of the newspaper in as the word 'Exclusive,' makes the reader feel as though they are special and the only ones reading this story. This story is also a very topical subject and so many people will want to read the newspaper.
The images at the bottom of the article are also somewhat unflattering angles and so this portrays them in a negative light which puts across the viewpoint that these leaders are the reason for the strikes and tries to make the reader oppose these people.
The theory of Roland Barthes semiotics can be applied to this cover,  as there are signs on the cover, such as the bland picture of the destroyed house which could be interpreted as the writer implying that the strikes are a negative thing, but it is up to the reader to how to decode the image but the way that the writer wants the reader to is very evident and this is the way that the writer of the article intended the audience to decode the article.



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