Newspaper front cover analysis

In today's lesson we started to analyse front covers of newspapers. We focused on this front cover from the Daily Mirror.

By labelling some of the main features I was able to analyse the cover, the analysis is below:

Daily Mirror-‘So what the hell happens now?’ analysis

Headline

The headline on the front cover is ‘so what the hell happens now?’ The overall effect of the headline is to make the reader question the effects of Brexit and how it’s going to affect their day-to-day life. The use of the rhetorical question draws in the reader as they mentally answer the question but still want to know all the details and how it will disturb their regular lifestyle. The question also reflects how everyone in Britain currently feels at that time, making them want to buy the newspaper to have their questions answered. The use of alliteration in the phrase ‘hell happens’ creates a negative view on Brexit and causes the reader to feel worried and concerned about the situation. The headline uses the word ‘hell’ which is thought to be the worst outcome in the afterlife, even though the newspaper are not describing Brexit as hell they are still referencing to it and suggesting that leaving the EU was worse than staying. Moreover, the large size and clear font of the headline makes it eye-catching to anyone walking past, drawing them in. This could link to the Stuart Hall reception theory as this may not be how the designer of the newspaper cover wanted it to be portrayed. They may have just wanted the word ‘hell’ to come across as making the headline more intense and exiting rather than conveying Brexit as a negative situation.   

Strapline

The strapline ‘day one of Brexit Britain’ presents the article as a diary entry, the phrase ‘day one’ usually links to the counting of days in a negative situation. This also links to the headline which presents the biased view that leaving the EU was the wrong decision. The plosive alliteration of ‘Brexit Britain’ creates a sharp and shocking affect which could represent the reaction of people in Britain, and other countries, when the news was released. Once again, the font size is not as large as the headline but bold enough to see and the font is very clear. Gerbner’s cultivation theory could also be applied here as it links to how the theory explains that the more exposure you have had to the media the more it affects you. This implies that the more articles on Brexit the audience have seen the stronger their views will become. You could also suggest that if the audience had very little understanding on the situation their view would become very one sided from reading this article as it portrays a biased view.

The Central Image

The central image on the cover is of David Cameron and his wife.  His wife appears to look very concerned and worried. This implies that she also feels negatively about Brexit, implying that the rest of the readers’ should too. The use of this picture by the Daily Mirror supports their view about Brexit. In the photo David Cameron is unfocused and doesn’t seem to be showing a certain emotion, this could reveal that the article is more about people’s reactions to Brexit, rather than the political side. The central image takes up the whole front cover, accept for the masthead. This highlights that the main focus on the newspaper is on Brexit. On the central image there is also a very small piece of text that says ‘SAD Samantha Cameron as her husband resigns’. The capitalised letters for the word ‘sad’ once again add to the negative viewpoint of Brexit from the Daily Mirror’s view. The central image is quite dull, bland and lacks bright colour, this would also add to the negative view of Brexit as it make the image appear sad and depressing.

The Jump Line

The jump line on the cover is ‘inside: full coverage and analysis of the day that shook the world’. The main use of the jump line is to entice the reader to purchase the newspaper, however it does also inform the reader a bit about the newspaper and what they should expect to see inside. The word ‘inside’ that encourages the reader to buy the newspaper links to the Hermeneutic code by Roland Barthes which is the way the story avoids telling the whole truth to add mystery. The newspaper does this by not explaining all the information on the front but sharing that there is more information inside, the use of this is to encourage the audience to buy the newspaper once they have been drawn into the article.  The use of hyperbole by using the word ‘shook’, makes the article appear more exciting and important than some may believe it to be. Readers instantly want to read the newspaper as they want to know how and why Brexit ‘shook’ the world. The word ‘shook’ can also link to the Gerbner cultivation theory as one of the concepts in the theory suggests how the media intensifies information which is what is happening here to entice more of an audience.  The phrase ‘full coverage’ also draws in the reader to this newspaper as it promises all the information on the situation however from the front cover we can assume it would be biased against Brexit, and is therefore not full coverage as the information inside would be very one sided. The phrase would also make the newspaper stand out against others as all newspapers would be covering Brexit, the phrase ‘full coverage’ implies that the reader only needs to read the Daily Mirror to know everything. The font size is very small and hard to read from far away. This is to stop cluttering the cover with information and text which would make it appear over complicated and hide the image.

Masthead

The masthead on the cover is in the top left hand corner. The importance of the masthead is to clearly show the reader what newspaper they are reading and where they are getting their information from. This is so in the future, if they want to re purchase the newspaper they can clearly remember which one it was. It also makes it easier for them to recommend it to a friend/family member or for anyone who may want to see what they are reading. It clearly shows their brand and what is their work. The Daily Mirror logo is also red which is very eye-catching and bold. The colour red can link to the Roland Barthes’ sematic code as red represents danger or urgency, this suggests that whatever is in the newspaper is important for the audience to read.