News And Newspapers Essay Research Paper News

News And Newspapers Essay, Research Paper

News and Newspapers

News is simply delineated as .a report of a recent event; something one

has not heard of before.(Websters, 282). Conceding that it is inelaborate in

its definition, news is much more intricate as it succumbs to corporate

moneymaking ideologies. The corporate essence of news is prevalent in the form

of the newspaper .a paper published periodically for circulating news. that is

sold therefore making news a business. In business the saying goes that the

customer is always right making news subject to the demands of these consumers.

The underlying purpose of news is to .provide facts upon which decisions are

based. (Mencher, 56). Yet this purpose is tainted to accommodate the newspapers

need to sell papers. Journalism is the work of gathering news, therefore

making the journalist succumb to the corporate needs of the newspaper. The

three major newspapers of Toronto (Toronto Sun, Toronto Star and The Globe &

Mail) discord in their journalistic techniques for the purpose of selling their

produc t.

“News is more often made rather than gathered. And it is made on the basis of

what the journalist thinks is important or what the journalist thinks the

audience thinks is important” (Postman, 14).

The Toronto Sun focuses on the audience that yearns for entertainment

and adjuts its word selection and choice of articles to accommodate this need

for entertainment. The glitz and glamour of today’s celebrities provide a

fantasy world in which the reader can escape. The Toronto Sun leaves no stone

uncovered as it stays on top of celebrity issues to accommodate their audience .

the average Joe’ with entertainment. .Michael Jackson’s wife gave birth to a

baby boy yesterday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. (T.Sun Feb. 18/97) in the

article titled Oh Baby, Jacko to be a dad soon. What makes this article more

ominous than any other birth other than that it is entertaining to the star

crazed general public. Hundreds Get To Eye Claudia the so called ’superbabe’ as

she .breezes her way into The Bay’s downtown Yonge St. Store.(T. Sun Feb. 25/97).

.Up to five hundred people waited for up to two hours for a glimpse of the

famed beauty and to hear her speak.(T. Sun Feb. 25/97). Imagine how many looked

in the Sun for the article. The article choices of the Sun have a direct

affiliation to the need for it as a business to provide entertainment for its

culled audience.

The Toronto Star is a family oriented newspaper and focuses on community

issues that relate to a vast number of people. The Star’s audience are the

family type people who desire local news and emotional stories. The April 3/97

article Woman Searching For Trucker Who Was Her Highway Savior elucidates a

human triumph tale meant for the whole family as .nine month pregnant Tanya

Aubert was guided to her safety by a trucker after her windshield was smashed on

the 400 highway.(T.Star April 3/97). The Star incorporates many emotion filled

phrases to augment the neighborly sense of the article.

“I was not hurt, just very scared and my heart was racing” the journalist quoted

with hopes of bringing a tear to the reader’s eye. The exclusive coverage of

this article shows the Star appealing to the family it’s audience.

The Globe and Mail is a business person’s newspaper that directs its

articles mainly to fact and figures as well as cold serious issues. The Globe

and Mail creates a very solemn sense to its article through 50 dollar words and

abrupt, to the point headlines. The April 3/97 article Adult Drug Deaths

Decline suggests no imagery or entertainment value in its title. The article

proceeds with factual information .131 deaths from drug related causes in 1995

was the lowest of the century. (G & M. April 3/97) with proof from various

sources such as the Toronto Public Health Department and Dr. Joyce Bernstein.

The article is accommodated by both its factual nature and the use of grave

sounding words and phrases, .cautious optimism. and .key findings.” The

corporate world is a very serious place and the Globe and Mail provide for that

need.

“o matter how accurate, properly attributed, balanced, fair, objective or

compassionate a story is the reader will not read it unless there is writing

skill” (Mencher 51).

Pertaining to writing skills it is the consignment of the reporter to

use and manipulate words in order to try to reenact the events in an compelling

fasion. The Toronto Star on Feb. 13/97 described the medical condition of Guy

Paul Morin’s head as a .goose egg.” The Toronto Sun Feb. 13/97 described the

same mark as .crescent shaped.” The Globe & Mail described the same mark as a .

lump in the middle of his forehead.” As displayed above subordinate to the

purpose of the article different journalistic techniques are used to adorn an