News report

Question 1

Summary

Answer 1

Newspaper front pages and reports belong to broadly three categories: tabloid, broadsheet and online, each of which have their own particular conventions. You can study the news media in more depth by visiting the courses onjournalism,bias,euphemismand the impact oftechnologyon the news.

Question 2

KEY FEATURES OF NEWS WRITING

Answer 2

Masthead

Headline

Visuals

Copy

Embedded interviews

Bias

Figurative Language

Tabloid and broadsheet

Sensationalism

Hyperbole

Spin

Question 3

Masthead

Answer 3

a strip across the top of a newspaper front page containing thenameof the newspaper, thedateof publication and theprice. Tabloid papers from the UK are called ‘red-tops’ because of the red colour of the masthead.

Question 4

Headline

Answer 4

the choice of words in a headline is essential to the tone and angle of the story. There are many techniques involved in creating headlines and you should definitely learn:slammer; pun; alliteration; elliptical headlines(which only include the keywords).

Question 5

Visuals

Answer 5

all newspapers make use ofphotographsto accompany stories. Tabloid papers are dominated by images while broadsheet papers tend to use smaller photographs. Look out for pictures of people’s faces, which reveal emotion and create bias.

Question 6

Copy

Answer 6

the main text of the article. Features you should be on the look out for are:sensationalism; vague language; emotive languageandeuphemism.

Question 7

Embedded interviews

Answer 7

you can expect to findwitness recounts, expert opinionsand statements fromauthority figuresin almost all newspaper reports.

Question 8

Bias

Answer 8

all kinds of bias exist in newspaper reports, fromselection bias(the choice of what content to include and what to exclude) toname-calling, to the use of certainfacts and statisticsand more.

Question 9

Figurative Language

Answer 9

anyone who still thinks the news is purely factual needs togo back to the start of the course! News reports are a rich source ofmetaphor, simile, hyperbole,andexaggeration,oftendistortingrealityin some way.

Question 10

Labelling

Answer 10

tagging politicians or groups with extreme labels whilst applying only mild labels or no label at all to those of another persuasion.

Question 11

Placement

Answer 11

how prominent the item appears on the page)
Source selection (to favour one perspective over another)

Question 12

Spin

Answer 12

(including subjective comments)
Story selection (to favour one perspective over another)

Question 13

confirmation bias

Answer 13

Selecting material or interpreting issues in a way that confirms one’s beliefs or views while giving less consideration to alternative possibilities

Question 14

Connotation

Answer 14

the emotional and imaginative association surrounding a word that can be either positive or negative.

Question 15

Denotation

Answer 15

the strict dictionary meaning of the word.

Question 16

Loaded words

Answer 16

(also known asloadedterms or emotive language) is wording that attempts to influence an audience by using appeal to emotion or stereotypes. Such wording is also known as high-inferencelanguageorlanguagepersuasive techniques. E.g Is s/he a ‘freedom fighter’ or a ‘terrorist’?

Question 17

Purr

Answer 17

words used to describe something that is favoured or loved.

Question 18

Snarl

Answer 18

words used when describing something that a person is against or hates.