Essay
Conventions of a Tabloid in Capitol Hill Story (The Mirror)
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- WJEC
QUESTION: Analyse how The Mirror displays conventions of a tabloid newspaper – referring to the riots at Capitol Hill.
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Question: Analyse how The Mirror displays conventions of a tabloid newspaper –referring to the riots at Capitol Hill.
The Mirror displays conventions of a tabloid newspaper through specific choices of media
language which tabloid newspapers use.
Tabloid newspapers mainly use language that is informal and colloquial in order to target
audiences. Its language is what makes tabloids distinct from other types of newspapers and
The Mirror uses such language which suggests to the audience that it is a tabloid.
Colloquialism can be identified through the act of addressing names informally. An evidence
of this can be found in the referral of the rioters as 'DONALD FANS' instead of rioters or
Trump supporters. The word 'fan' is a slang which is also very common in tabloids as many
audiences would recognise and use them, since it has become an increasingly popular term
since the growth of celebrities in the 21st century. It illustrates a person's admiration and is
derived from the word 'fanatic', which is the less common but original terminology. To have
the people be referred to as 'FANS' rather than fanatics, or even admirers or enthusiasts that
sound more formal and proper, indicates the colloquial quality of language that is
conventional of a tabloid. To refer to Donald Trump as simply his first name highlights the
colloquialism. He is perceived as someone the audience may personally know, rather than
someone with a high, professional status. He is not to be respected by addressing him with
an honorific and to mention his first name provides a conversational tone. Even the police
force is informally referred to, despite them supposedly having more respect than normal
people or despite the fact that the Capitol Riot was a serious event. So to refer to them with
the abbreviated term 'cops', which is commonly used in casual conversation, indicates the
informal language which is conventional of tabloids. It is important to know that even though
discussions with police officers, or conversations with mentions of police, are generally more
serious, people still prefer to use slang and colloquial language. This may be because they
are used to it and they are comfortable with it, since these words are commonly heard in
their area of living. The Mirror appeals to people like this in its storytelling to attract
audiences and highlights the realism of particular situations by using informal language.
Through these specific selection in word choice in order to make the language sound
colloquial, The Mirror displays conventions typical of a tabloid newspaper.
The Mirror also displays conventions through alliteration. In 'RUN RIOT' and 'rabble rouses'
are the repeated 'r' sounds. This may connotate growling which indicates the anger within
the rioters. The hard, plosive 'c' sounds in 'calls for calm during chaos at Capitol' are
repeated every other word, and the effect of this sound can create a cacophony. This implies
the volume of noise in the commotion which may make the audience uncomfortable when
reading. The use of auditory language communicates to the audience the sound effects that
can be heard during the event, which often makes the story reported sound more realistic,
and is likely the reason as to why it is so popular in tabloids. Alliteration also tends to remain
in audience's head because of its pattern of letters, so newspapers would use them
frequently to pull back their audiences. Alliteration engages the audience and so are
common in tabloids, The Mirror makes use of this convention to achieve the same effect.
The Mirror deliberately selects specific words to act as hyperbole in order to exaggerate the
story. One example of hyperbole used is the title 'AMERICA ON THE BRINK'. 'AMERICA'
presents the riot as a calamity that has affected the whole country, despite the fact that it
only happened in one area. 'ON THE BRINK' further extends the hyperbole as it has
negative connotations of being on an extreme edge before something disastrous soon
happens. It could suggest that the conflict in America will force the country to collapse. This
creates tension amongst the audiences, who will most likely anticipate nervously what will
follow after the event as a result. The Mirror then describes the rioters to be 'UNDER
SIEGE'. The word 'siege' is deliberately chosen over other words with similar meanings
because it communicates to the audience that forces other than the police, especially ones
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