Many articles one reads in a newspaper have an emotional impact on the addressee. This impact can involve the public in general or only a limited part of the readership. For instance a headline like One of these players will be axed (from News of the World, September 4, 2005) will probably not effect the whole British readership but only a part of it, namely those who are interested in soccer. They might be sad that players of their favourite team will be dismissed.
(Ungerer in Niemeyer/Dirven 1995: 307)
But how is it possible for a news story to cause emotions in the reader? In my term paper I am going to describe the system which is responsible for the emotional impact of news stories. Afterwards I will go on to give a short overview of the different kinds of emotions which can be evoked. My next section will take us to the main concern of this paper: the comparison of quality and popular papers regarding their emotional impact. I will analyse a news story from The Guardian which is one of the British quality papers. Then I will have a detailed look at a news story from the British popular paper News of the World which deals with the same issue. I will try to find out which of both the papers arouses more or greater emotions in the reader and what means they use to achieve that. What are the different ways in which emotions are approached in the two kinds of newspapers?
In my conclusion I will evaluate the comparison and make an effort to answer the question asked before.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction: The emotional language in news stories
2. Overview of news values
3. The principles of inferencing
3.1. The principle of proximity
3.2. The principle of animacy
3.3. The principle of rank and number
3.4. The principle of emotion-related evaluation
3.5. The principle of intensity of presentation
3.6. The principle of emotional content
4. Basic, secondary and norm-related emotions
5. Emotional language in quality and popular papers in comparison
5.1. Quality paper: Interpretation of a news story from The Guardian
5.2. Popular paper: Interpretation of a news story from News of the World
6. Conclusion: Evaluation of the comparison
Research Objectives and Themes
The primary objective of this paper is to examine and compare the linguistic strategies used by quality and popular newspapers to evoke emotional responses in their readership. By applying the "principles of inferencing," the study investigates how these different types of publications manipulate news content to achieve varying levels of emotional impact.
- Theoretical framework of news values and emotional triggers
- Classification of basic, secondary, and norm-related emotions
- Comparative linguistic analysis of news coverage in The Guardian and News of the World
- Evaluation of "principles of inferencing" in practice
Excerpt from the Book
3.1. The principle of proximity
Proximity can be created by using the us-vs.-them contrast. This means the use of personal pronouns, locative adverbs and tense forms expressing the immediate present time. For instance the headline Our musician has won the contest creates proximity because of the personal pronoun our. And the same counts for Schröder is here in Rostock. The locative adverb here produces proximity to the intended readership.
Furthermore the use of first names and diminutive forms render proximity. An example could be a headline like Angie übertrumpft ihre Gegner. Endearing forms of address have the same effect: Darling Jack, do it once more. The use of kinship terms (e.g. mother) is also an important strategy of this principle. To summarize it, one can say that the news story has its focus on everything what is close to the reader. This also includes geographical closeness but more often the notion of cultural familiarity.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: The emotional language in news stories: This chapter outlines the paper's focus on how news stories generate emotional impact and sets the research goal of comparing quality and popular newspapers.
2. Overview of news values: This chapter introduces Galtung and Ruge's list of news values, emphasizing that only the first five items are relevant to generating emotional responses in readers.
3. The principles of inferencing: This chapter details six specific linguistic strategies, known as the principles of inferencing, which journalists use to trigger intended emotional reactions.
4. Basic, secondary and norm-related emotions: This chapter classifies human emotions into basic, secondary, and norm-related categories to better understand the emotional spectrum addressed by media.
5. Emotional language in quality and popular papers in comparison: This chapter applies the theoretical principles to analyze and compare news coverage of Hurricane Katrina in The Guardian and News of the World.
6. Conclusion: Evaluation of the comparison: This chapter synthesizes the analytical findings, confirming that the popular paper achieved a stronger emotional impact through more aggressive linguistic strategies.
Keywords
News values, emotional impact, inferencing, proximity, animacy, news media, journalism, emotional language, The Guardian, News of the World, linguistic strategies, basic emotions, norm-related emotions, comparative analysis, Hurricane Katrina
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this research paper?
The paper examines the systemic linguistic methods utilized by print media to influence the reader's emotional state, specifically comparing how quality papers and popular papers differ in this approach.
What are the primary themes discussed in the text?
The work covers news values, linguistic output strategies for emotion, psychological classifications of emotions, and a case-based comparison of British newspaper reporting.
What is the main research question of the study?
The author seeks to determine which newspaper type—quality or popular—arouses greater emotions in the reader and what specific linguistic means are employed to achieve this effect.
Which scientific methodology is used to conduct the analysis?
The study utilizes a qualitative linguistic analysis based on the "principles of inferencing" and "news values" established by scholars like Galtung, Ruge, and Ungerer.
What topics are covered in the main body of the paper?
The main body moves from theoretical frameworks regarding emotional triggers to a practical analysis of two specific articles covering Hurricane Katrina, examining how they use details, metaphors, and loaded vocabulary.
How would you describe the key characteristics of this work?
The work is characterized by its focus on media linguistics, the comparison of journalistic standards, and the application of cognitive-linguistic theory to real-world newspaper discourse.
How does the author define the "principle of proximity"?
Proximity is defined as a strategy to make news feel immediate to the reader, often using personal pronouns, locative adverbs, or cultural familiarity to bridge the distance between the reader and the event.
What conclusion does the author reach regarding the two types of papers?
The author concludes that while quality papers prioritize information, the popular paper analyzed successfully achieves a stronger emotional impact by using more drastic details and aggressive, emotionally loaded language.
- Quote paper
- Rebecca Mahnkopf (Author), 2005, Comparison of the Emotional Impact of News Stories in Quality Papers and Popular Papers, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/189407
