Task 3: Semiotic Analysis

The front cover that I will be analysing is this one from Saturday April 1st 2017. This is particularly interesting as this issue was released on April Fools Day. For tabloid newspapers alike this is the perfect opportunity to joke with readers and write about a completely absurd story however, this year, the Daily Mirror took a different approach with this serious story. The article appears to focus on former singer and British celebrity, Linda Nolan, and her fight with cancer.

Masthead

This issue includes the most common and notable versions of the masthead of the Daily Mirror, the red version. The masthead includes the title/logo of the newspaper in large font. Other copy on the masthead include the date, price, website and also the slogan of the newspaper at the time "Fighting for You". This slogan infers that the newspaper has its readers, the people of the United Kingdom, at its best interest. Also on the masthead of the paper is an advertisement for a "Free Cadbury creme egg" which is very fitting for a red top newspaper as they often includes these types of promotional ads.

Headline(s)

The headline on this front cover reads "I don't want to die". This is of course a very dramatic and hard hitting quotation from Nolan and is in large black font. taking up over 1/4 of the page. This no doubt was done to catch the attention of potential readers. The name "Linda Nolan" is also a smaller headline o the page. This signifies who the article's prime focus will be on and is a form of the news values "notable people" and "personality". "Brave star talks for the first time about incurable cancer" is the subheading on the page and gives more information about the story whilst adding to the dramatisation.

Image

The main image on this headline is of Nolan sitting in a hospital bed surrounded by numerous instruments of hospital equipment. The singer, has a small bandage on her arm and a hospital wristband. The whole aura of the image and the mis-en-scene adds to the serious feeling that The Mirror want the story to have. Hospitals are usually places that people don't want to be in and are associated with illness and danger. Therefore, having the photo be set in a hospital makes it seem like Linda is too ill to leave, adding to the severity of the article. The image is anchored by text in the top and bottom right cover. In the top corner the anchorage reads "Health Battle: Linda Nolan speaks from hospital bed". This also dramatises the story. The bottom anchorage highlights the exclusivity of the story to The Mirror. This is an example of a news value and is something that is very apparent through many issues of the newspaper.

Layout/Design

This is the only story on the front page and therefore takes up the whole page. The image takes up the most space on the page and with exception to the masthead, covers the whole sheet. This automatically makes the story feel important as readers would be expected to understand that a newspaper would not devote its entire page to an insignificant story. The layout is very simple and straight to the point with little to no irrelevant information.

Use of language/Mode of Address

There is very little copy on the page, with the majority of the article being inside the paper itself. In the bottom corner, however, there are a few sentences in which the paper discusses Linda Nolan in third person and also gives a heartfelt quote from her. The language used throughout the page is very simplistic and easy to understand, typical of this paper and tabloid newspapers alike. This could be because the target demographic is people of the working class. Moreover, the front cover does not include any puns or colloquial/funny language, fitting with the serious tone of the story.