Understanding Yellow Journalism and Media Formats

1. What is yellow journalism? • Sensationalism الإثارة. It is sensationalistic news. Yellow journalism is when someone makes up news to attract readersيختلق الأخبار لجذب القراء. • Tabloidsالصحف الشعبية are known for being sensationalistic. • Paparazzi المصورونrefer to photojournalists who specialize in candid photography of celebrities, politicians, and other prominent people.

2. Rupert Murdoch • One of the most powerful men in the world of media • He Introduced the Tabloid Culture to the world of Media • The 3 S Scandal, Sex and Sport • Infotainment المعلوامتاعية : a type of media which provides a combination of information and entertainment in order to enhance popularity with audiences and consumersوهو نوع من وسائل الاعلام التي تقدم مزيج من المعلومات والترفيه من أجل تعزيز الشعبية مع الجمهور والمستهلكين • Materialism • Commodification of media products

3. Size and style Tabloid: 380x300 mm (halfsize of broadsheet) Broadsheet: 600x380mm Berliner or midi: 470x315 mm used by many European newspapers

4. Case study: change of format 2005 2004 It was redesigned to Berliner format The Guardianused to be a broadsheet The advantage that The Guardian saw in the Berliner format was that though it is only a little wider than a tabloid, and is thus equally easy to read on public transport, its greater height gives more flexibility in page design. The investment was rewarded with a circulation rise. In December 2005, the average daily sale stood at 380,693, nearly 6% higher than the figure for December 2004. Source: Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Guardian)

5. Case study: Change of format and style The problem: unsuccessful broadsheet format (2003) • Design and look: • Lots of text الكثير من النص • Importance of big coloured pictureأهمية وجود صورة كبيرة ملونة • Look strict and monotonous تبدو صارمة ومملة

6. Less:أقل • Paper ورق • Text and storiesنص وتقارير اخبار • Strictصرامة 2006: Tabloid More:أكثر • Colour and picturesألوان وصور • Friendly and surprisingودية ومفاجئة • Dynamicحيوية • Magazin like تشبه المجلة Question:Has internet influenced those changes?هل أثر الانترنت على هذه التغييرات في شكل وتصميم الصحيفة ؟

7. Tabloid or reference daily? They tend to borrow style and layout temporarily from each other to surprise readers and attract their attention. • Bigger pictures (or different sizes) makes the article more lively. • Shorter texts work more accessible and less time-consuming. • Words like “catch”, “chilling” or “brazen” are very strong and emotional • Tabloid style and idea: • Subscriptions are limited, title page must sell the product • Simply and sensationally written • Give more prominence to celebrities, sports, crime stories and even to hoaxes than reference papers. • They also more readily take a political position (either left- or right-wing) on news stories, ridiculing politicians, demanding resignations and predicting election results. • The style and idea of popular tabloid press grew out from Sunday papers.

8. Color printing is big step towards emotional journalismالطباعة الملونة تعتبر خطوة كبيرة نحو الصحافة العاطفية

9. Lead Development Context News Story Structure Headline – It must be understandable without sub headings and images. Lead– Basic facts: who-what-when-where-why. Sometimes used as title page teaser. Max. one paragraph, used to sell the story. Development–Lead information should be resumed and detailed here. Short sentences, one paragraph contains only one idea. Context–helps the reader to better understand the meaning of the provided information. Inverted pyramid Hijackers seized passenger jet in Mauritania and landed on Spain's Canary Islands, police said.

10. News Story Structure Most Important Information Next Most Important Information Next Most Important Information Less Important Information Least Important Information Inverted Pyramid

11. Story Structure It begins with the most important information — but after a few paragraphs it takes a turn and becomes a narrative, usually told in a time order. Hourglass

12. Story Structure It would begin with an anecdote, introducing a character whose experience illustrates what the story is all about. This small story would then broaden out to show its wider significance. Toward the end, the reporter would return to the individual character’s story as a way of concluding the narrative. Diamond

13. News Lead • It is the most important part of the news story. It consists of one or two paragraphs, often no more than 30 words. • It opens with a brief, sharp statement of the story’s essential facts, the theme around which the story is to be unified. • It limits itself to the central idea that introduces the theme and major contents of the story

14. News Lead Three members of one family (WHO) were killed (WHAT) last night (WHEN) in Gaza (WHERE) when their car was hit (WHY) in the road by a big truck and caused it to overturn pinning its occupants beneath it (HOW) An Italian pro-Palestinian activist has been kidnapped and killed by Islamic militants in Gaza. The body of Vittorio Arrigoni was found in an abandoned house in the Gaza Strip on Friday following his abduction by militants, a Hamas official said.

15. Types of leads: • Declarativeتصريحية • Contrastتفسيرية • Questionاستفهامية • Quotationاقتباسية • Summaryتلخيصية • Explosive انفجارية

16. News Headlines • Attracts the reader’s attention • Summarizes the story • Helps set the tone of the newspaper • Define the situation

17. News Headlines Structure Headlines should be short, interesting and easy to understand • Omission of articles and verb to "be" • Opposition claims government responsible for crisis • 15 killed in plane crash in Lebanon 2.The simple present form is used (stays/reaches) whether it is about something that is happening, or something that happens repeatedly • CHINA launches space satellite • Bush meets Iraqi officials today

18. News Headlines Structure 3. The present progressive is used especially to describe something that is developing but the auxiliary is deleted • Britain heading for new crisis • Israel seeking to legitimize colonies • World getting colder,, says researchers 4. To refer to the future, headlines usually use the INFINITIVE • President to visit Egypt • Britain to spend more on cancer

19. Activity 1 Translate the following headlines into English: • الملك يقابل مبعوث الاتحاد الاوروبي • منظمة اليونسكو قلقة على وضع القدس • السعودية ستوافق على صادرات البترول • عباس يقول المفاوضات مسؤولية منظمة التحرير وليس حكومة الوحدة • روسيا تساند النظام في سورية

20. Activity 2 Translate the following headlines into Arabic: • Robbers snatch $ 60,000 in gold • Iraqi oil to flow today after Bush gives green light • Ban Ki Mon arrives in Paris today • Israeli troops kill Gaza 'fishermen' • Rocket from Gaza lands in Israel • Barack Obama tells Gaddafi: Libya violence must stop

21. News article Abstract (Summary) Attribution Story Lead Time Headline Source Place News Agency Journalist’s Byline Main Event Event n Attribution Background Commentary Follow- Up Actors Setting Action Verbal Reaction Conclusions Previous Events History Time Place Reaction Evaluations Consequences Expectations

22. Activity 3 Read the following article and match each paragraph with its appropriate category/ies See photocopies

23. Hijacking ends on Spanish Island LAS PALMAS, Spain (Reuters) -- The hijacking of an Air Mauritania plane Thursday ended in the Canary Islands, a Spanish government official told RNE national radio. An Air Mauritania Boeing 737 passenger plane with 71 passengers and eight crew members aboard was hijacked after takeoff from the airport in Nouakchott, Mauritania’s capital, Mauritanian officials said. A single suspect was arrested, Spanish media said. Emergency services earlier said several people had been wounded by gunfire. No further details were immediately available. "Fortunately the hijacking incident has ended favorably," Jose Segura, a government representative in the Canary Islands, told RNE. Earlier, a police officer at Nouakchott airport said the plane had been hijacked on a flight to the northern Mauritania port town of Nouadhibou and had flown instead to Dakhla in Western Sahara to take on fuel. The Canary Islands, off the northwest coast of Africa, are a territory of Spain.

24. Activity 4 1- Predict the content of the following headline: Mystery Disappearance of English Teacher: Students Suspected

25. Activity 5 2. use the information to compose a news report to go with the headline: • Tip: A common order for newspaper reports of this kind is: • Headline • General info about crime [news lead] • More details about what happened • A description of any suspects or the criminals • What police have done / are doing to try to solve the crime • (possible appeal for witnesses)

26. Activity 6 1- Predict the content of the following headline: Mystery of the Disappearing Teacher Solved

27. Attribution • Attribution means telling your readers about the source of your information, and who is being quoted. الاقتباس أو العزو يعني أن تخبر القراء عن مصدر معلوماتك، ومن يتم اقتباسه. • Information from sources can be paraphrased or quoted directly. المعلومات من المصادر يمكن نقلها بشكل مباشر أو اعادة صياغتها.

28. Different Types of Attribution • On the record: على السجلAll statements are directly quotable and attributable, by name and title. كل التصريحات يتم اقتباسها بشكل مباشر باستخدام الاسم والمنصب • Example: "The U.S. has no plans to invade Iran," said White House press secretary Jim Smith. • Reporters should strive to have their sources speak on the record whenever possible. A named source gives a story greater credibility.

29. Different Types of Attribution • Off the Record: خارج السجلInformation is for the reporter's use only and is not to be printed or made public in anyway. المعلومات يستخدمها المراسل فقط ولا يتم نشرها او الاعلان عنها بأي حال من الأحوال.

30. Different Types of Attribution • On Background: في الخلفية All statements are directly quotable, but can't be attributed by name or specific title to the person commenting. كل التصريحات يتم اقتباسها بشكل مباشر ولكن لا يتم عوزها باسم ومنصب الشخص الذي يدلي بالتصريح. • Example: "The U.S. has no plans to invade Iran," a state department official said. • On Deep Background: في الخلفية العميقةAnything that is said in the interview is usable but not in direct quotation and not for attribution. The reporter writes it on his or her own. كل شيء يتم قوله في المقابلة يتم استخدامه ولكن بدون اقتباس مباشر ولا يُعزى لشخص محدد وإنما يقدمه المراسل على أنه كلامه الخاص به. • Example: The U.S. has no plans to invade Iran.

31. Deciding Which sources to Use? • How does this source know what he or she knows? (Is this person in a position to know these things?) • How can I confirm this information through other sources or through documents? • How representative is my source’s point of view? (Is this just one person who complains loudly about the situation, because they have a personal problem? Or is this the most articulate voice speaking for an entire group of people who have serious, legitimate problems?) • Has this source been reliable and credible in the past? • Am I only using this source because it’s the easy way to go or because I know I’ll get something I can use? • What is the source’s motive for providing information? (Is this person trying to make himself look good, or to make others look bad? Why is he or she talking to me in the first place?)

32. Favourable Reporting Verbs “Say” and “Tell” are generally neutral. “Repeat”, “reiterate” and “explain” are generally positive reporting verbs. “disclose” and “reveal” generally presuppose the truth of the statement and the reader is given a piece of confidential information. President Bush disclosed for the first time yesterday that Iraqi troops were deploying powerful surface-to-surface missiles“ "aerial photographs reveal that the bridge was destroyed“ “confirm” implies the idea that what is said is true. It points to the reliability of the sayer. Defence secretary confirmed in Warsaw that 150,000 American reinforcements...

33. Unfavourable Reporting Verbs “claim” and “allege” generally raise doubts in the minds of the reader about the truth of the words said. “Iraqi officials alleged that bombs dropped by Allied forces on Thursday had missed a bridge and struck an apartment building” "Libya yesterday claimed to have destroyed a NATO unmanned aircraft in the Libyan desert”

34. Pattern 1: reporting verb + that + subject + verb acknowledge admit agree allege argue assert assume believe claim conclude consider decide demonstrate deny determine discover doubt emphasize explain find hypothesize imply indicate infer note object observe point out prove reveal say how state suggest think (a) Scientists argue that previous researchers have misinterpreted the data. (b) Researchers have demonstrated that the procedure is harmful. (c) Scientists find that social problems increase social tensions. (d) Analysts observe that both states are essential.

35. Pattern 2: reporting verb + somebody/something + for + noun/gerund applaud blame censure criticize disparage fault praise ridicule single out thank (a) John criticized Adam for his use of incomplete data (b) Both Smith and Jones condemn previous researchers for distorting the data. (c) Ali thanked Mohammed for his contribution to the discovery of insulin.