The Daily Mirror Analysis

This paper is a red top which means the masthead stands out a lot and catches people’s attention. The font is very ordinary and not overbearing. The inclusion of the words ‘fighting for you’ in this particular masthead suggests that this paper is for the people. It is suggesting that this paper has the audience’s best interest at heart. The word ‘mirror’ could suggest that this paper is reflecting the ideologies of its audience. 

The headline, ‘Desperate Dad Driven to Suicide Bid’ is shocking to the audience and would have been used with this intention. They have used alliteration to draw the reader’s attention to this phrase and make them focus on it. The alliteration makes the reader feel more sympathy towards the story as their focus will make them think deeper.

The layout is busy but organised, so it is not confusing for the reader. On this front page, the headline is the standout part, despite it not having colour, possibly because it is the most hard-hitting. The use of pictures on the page adds colour and appeal as there are famous faces that readers will recognise. The stories are laid out in sections, which keeps the stories separate and easy for the audience to differentiate.

The most prominent picture is of Gordon Ramsey as it is the most eye-catching picture. The use of celebrity faces widens the audience range. The title of this story gives the reader the reason why Gordon Ramsey’s picture is used and adds a lot more meaning to the image overall. The picture that coincides with the headline gives the reader a deeper connection with the story as they have included a picture of a person. Seeing a person’s face makes the reader feel more sympathy than if he was just a name.

There is not much writing at all on the front page. However, the writing that is there is quite formal. The wording of the titles is over the top and very dramatic – this may relate to the severity of the topic and its worthiness to have an attention gripping title.

The news values that are used are negativity, closeness to home, meaningfulness. Negativity is used though the coverage of a suicide, which has links to political things. This has been used as people usually have very strong opinions on these subjects which means that they are covered widely. Closeness to home is used because people are interested in people who they would recognise, or something that may affect them. The story on the desperate dad is highlighting issues in England and the reader will most likely want these things to change. Also, the use of popular figures in Britain, Gordan Ramsey, and Premier League players, is something that is very recognisable and appealing to readers. The main story is very meaningful as it touches on a deep story that can impact everyone.