Comparison between a tabloid and a newspaper article

Monday 28th September 2015

'Reverse gear' 

This was the title that the Daily Mirror decided to include in their story about Jeremy Clarkson loosing his job off Top gear. This title relates to his previous job which involved cars and also connotes negatively. Reverse is going backwards and therefore is further from positive. This could be implying that his career is going to go downhill (in reverse) from now onward as he upset the nation with offensive comments - and not for the first time. It could also be seen as a joke aimed at him which adds a laid back feel to the newspaper. Tabloids are well known for this. Also, it is clear to notice that the title is extremely bold and in capital letters, it is the tabloids main attraction. 

However, the front cover of the broadsheet the guardian the main story is far more serious involving poverty. This shows that the Clarkson story is not a main issue and is being over dramatised in tabloid newspapers like the daily mirror. Already that is one big comparison between the two newspapers. The headline talking about the article about Jeremy Clarkson has a white text on a light blue background and even though this is subtle in itself it makes the actual brief article about the story stand out even more, it does this so if someone decides they want to read it, it is there to read, and if not, it isn't a big issue. 

On the Daily mirror front cover there is a timeline near the bottom of the page which states that at 2:08pm Clarkson says "I'm NOT sorry, I've done nothing wrong" and at 4:36pm "Er, I apologise if I have upset anyone." This time line creates suspense which makes the readers intrigued in what happened between this time resulting in his end apology. The colloquial lexis "Er" shows slang and perhaps hesitation within his answer.  

Another big comparison between the two newspapers is the images used to present Jeremy Clarkson. In the daily mirror there is an image of Clarkson scratching his head. This plays on the stereotypical image of someone stupid; the idea of stupidity is helped by the "Er" used in the front cover too. This could connote him with dumbness or confusion. In comparison, the picture of Clarkson used in the guardian is a lot simpler; he is standing in a normal position, connoting no foolishness like he could perhaps be doing in the mirror. Therefore, meaning that this image is a far more neutral representation of him. 

The brief story on the front cover which gives the readers a concise idea on what the story is about only includes a small amount of text; this doesn't create drama plus it doesn't strive to catch attention, unlike in the daily mirror. However, the heading does say 'Clarkson V the unions' which makes out as if there is conflict ahead as the 'V' generally means against. This could create a little drama over the situation.

On the inside of each newspaper the story was set out very differently. On the tabloid there was lexis throughout the article which makes an effort to be a source of fascination with language such as 'blundering, infuriates, in-ability and warped.' However the heading is "what a silly boy" the use of the word silly knocks down the sophistication of the good vocabulary. In similarity the heading of the gaurdian is "He was only being 'silly', says the PM, as Clarkson now gets political." Both newspapers use the word silly in their headings; however the inverted comers around the word silly on the broadsheet suggests it has been extracted from other sources, perhaps the daily mirror. The fact that the PM has also been included reaches a higher class of working people.