3. Sara McGranaghan
Characters
The main image is of a father and his son holding a turkey, looking very proud. The father
and son look very close on this image as they are knelt down together. This shows that they
are connected to a positive story as they have a happy expression on their face.
The other image on the cover is a close up of a serial killer called Shipman. He appears very
serious and angry, reflecting his malicious character. He is a villain here as he is a very
negative character which many readers will be familiar with and will buy the newspaper to
read the story. On the second page there is an old photograph of a soldier who has passed
away. He is dressed in an army uniform, suggesting he is patriotic and loyal. He appears to
be a serious character on the image showing that he was very dedicated to the army. He is a
hero in this story as he has fought in the army for his country for many years before his
death.
Setting
The man and his son are both in what appears to be their back garden. It looks quite small
with other houses in view behind, showing that they are likely to be from a working class
family. Also, the boy is wearing a school uniform which shows that he goes to a local school,
which readers may recognise as it is a local newspaper. The black and white photo of a man
shows him wearing a military uniform. He looks like he is taking part in a British army
parade due to what he is wearing and the soldiers behind him. Many patriotic people who
read the newspaper will recognise this and be interested in the story. A landmark theatre
building in Hyde is up for auction and is photographed on the next page. People local to the
area are likely to be familiar with this building. This will encourage readers as they may be
concerned or interested by this and want to read the article.
Iconography
The turkey on the main image is iconic of Christmas, making the newspaper very festive. The
theatre building in Hyde is a landmark building in Hyde which many people will recognise.
This is iconic of Hyde because it was first built in 1902 and has been a ‘multi-use venue’ ever
since. The image of Shipman is also iconic, as he is well-known and a recognised criminal.
This is iconic of crime as he is a man who can be directly connected to the murders he has
committed. As crime stories are conventional of newspapers this story ensures the
newspaper encourages readers. Finally, the image of the soldier is iconic of the British army
as it looks like a typical old soldier photo. This is iconic of Britain as the army is a very
important aspect of the country.
Narrative events
The main story headline “Police have done nothing wrong” shows the 2nd stage of Todorov’s
5 narrative stages as it creates questions as to what the police have done wrong. It creates a
narrative enigma for the reader as they do not know what the statement is relating to,
encouraging them to read the article. This is an example of Barthes hermeneutic code, as
elements in the story are left unexplained. Underneath this is a picture of Shipman, which
shows Levi Strauss’ theory of opposition as good and evil is shown, creating a binary
opposition on the newspaper.
4. Sara McGranaghan
Technical codes
The Guttenberg principle has been used on the newspaper as the masthead has been
conventionally placed in the primary optical area, allowing readers to easily recognize it. The
main headline is also in the primary optical area, which means readers eyes will be drawn to
reading this first. This will encourage people to read the newspaper as they will be intrigued
to find out what has happened. The layout is very similar to the Salford Advertiser, in that an
advertisement is down the right side of the page and along the bottom. This ensures the
advertisements are not taking a central part of the newspaper. Also, a very similar colour
scheme has been used to the Salford Advertiser which is mainly blue but with red and yellow.
This is a colour scheme which creates an informal image for the newspaper but is also very
appealing.
