1Tom, could I ask you for some advice, please?
2Yes of course, if you think I can help.
3What's it about?
4It's my first media studies assignment, and I'm not sure how to go about it.
5You must have done it last year.
6Is that the one comparing the coverage of a particular story in a range of newspapers?
7That's right.
8Oh yes, I really enjoyed writing it.
9So what sort of things do I need to compare?
10Well, there are several things.
11For example, there's the question of which page of the newspaper the item appears on.
12You mean, because there's a big difference between having it on the front page and the bottom of page ten, for instance?
13Exactly.
14And that shows how important the editor thinks the story is.
15Then there's the size:
16how many column inches the story is given,
17how many columns it spreads over.
18And I suppose that includes the headline.
19It certainly does.
20It's all part of attracting the reader's attention.
21What about graphics -
22whether there's anything visual in addition to the text?
23Yes, you need to consider those, too,
24because they can have a big effect on the reader's understanding of the story -
25sometimes a bigger effect than the text itself.
26Then you'll need to look at how the item is put together:
27what structure is it given?
28Bear in mind that not many people read beyond the first paragraph,
29so what has the journalist put at the beginning?
30And if, say, there are conflicting opinions about something,
31does one appear near the end, where people probably won't read it?
32And newspapers sometimes give wrong or misleading information, don't they?
33Either deliberately or by accident.
34Should I be looking at that, too?
35Yes, if you can.
36Compare what's in different versions, and as far as possible,
37try and work out what's true and what isn't.
38And that relates to a very important point:
39what's the writer's purpose,
40or at least the most important one, if they have several.
41It may seem to be to inform the public,
42but often it's that they want to create fear, or controversy,
43or to make somebody look ridiculous.
44Gosh, I see what you mean.
45I suppose the writer may make assumptions about the reader.
46That's right - about their knowledge of the subject, their attitudes, and their level of education,
47which means writing so that the readers understand without feeling patronised.
48All of that will make a difference to how the story is presented.
49Does it matter what type of story I write about?
50No, national or international politics, the arts... anything,
51as long as it's covered in two or three newspapers.
52Though of course it'll be easier and more fun if it's something you're interested in and know something about.
53And on that basis a national news item would be worth analysing -
54I'm quite keen on politics, so I'll try and find a suitable topic.
55What did you choose for your analysis, Tom?
56I was interested in how newspapers express their opinions explicitly,
57so I wanted to compare editorials in different papers,
58but when I started looking,
59I couldn't find two on the same topic that I felt like analysing.
60In that case, I won't even bother to look.
61So in the end I chose a human interest story -
62a terribly emotional story about a young girl who was very ill,
63and lots of other people - mostly strangers -
64raised money so she could go abroad for treatment.
65Actually, I was surprised -
66some papers just wrote about how wonderful everyone was,
67but others considered the broader picture,
68like why treatment wasn't available here.
69Hmm, I usually find stories like that raise quite strong feelings in me!
70I'll avoid that.
71Perhaps I'll choose an arts topic,
72like different reviews of a film, or something about funding for the arts -
73I'll think about that.
74Yes, that might be interesting.
75OK, well thanks a lot for your help, Tom. It's been really useful.
76You're welcome.
77Good luck with the assignment, Hazel.