VISUAL DOCUMENTS IN THE PRESS

Front covers, maps, cartoons and photographs

Illustration from United Mine Workers Journal. Indianapolis, Indiana. August 3, 1916.

“AFTER TWO YEARS: WHO WANTS ME?”. In the top left hand corner a man, holding a book, is gazing at the letters of the title.

In the very top, above the title, the miners’ motto is printed.

In the top part of the page, the title is printed in black and white capital letters/ block letters/ upper case.

An illustration, featuring the allegory of death striding across a field of miners and holding a scythe, is inset in the middle of the page.

The background is made up of an engraving representing an industrial city.

At the bottom of the page, the details of the publication are given (place and date).

On each side of the inset/ frame, a white cloud may conjure up/ evoke the pollution due to intensive mining and industrialisation.

THE COVERThe layout: mise en pageThe masthead: the "banner" across

the front page which identifies the newspaper and the date of publication ; the publication information on the editorial page

A perfect balance between text and photographs enables the readers to assess the reliability of the information and to read in an entertaining way.

An insight is given into the main articles in the issue: the lead (first sentences of an article) or the opening paragraphs of features are printed on the front page.

Much space is allotted to the photograph illustrating the article on Kuwait.

Two salient headlines are printed on each part of the main photograph as well as the deck, or subtitle.

Quality papersWhich of these elements may help

you gauge the reliability of a paper ?

- The space devoted to colour photographs

- The table of content- The phrasing (formulation) of the

headlines- The typography- The format of the pages- The price of the issue- The graphs and tables inset in the

articles- The figures or quotations given to

back up the demonstrations- The names of the columnist- The tone of the editorial

Write a brief description of this cover.

Clearancejobs.com Since Sept. 11, 2001, the top-secret world created

to respond to the terrorist attacks has grown into an unwieldy enterprise spread over 10,000 U.S. locations.

Giving into sensationalism

Sensationalize a storyAttention-grabbing detailsTear-jerking storiesThe emotional appeal of close-

upsUnnewsworthy storiesSympathize with the victimsSpice up a story with lurid

details onTrivialisation of Scaremongering (causing

unwarranted fears over)Downgrade a paper (bring a

paper further down-market)

News magazineEx: NewsweekFounded by Thomas J.C. Martyn, a former foreign editor at Time magazine,

Newsweek was first published on Feb. 17, 1933. Today, Newsweek has a worldwide circulation of more than 4 million. Content: Newsweek offers comprehensive coverage of world events with a

global network of correspondents, reporters and editors covering national and international affairs, business, science and technology, society and the arts and entertainment. Newsweek also features respected commentators

Newsweek.com offers the weekly magazine online, daily news updates, Web-only columns from Newsweek's top writers, photo galleries, audio and video reports from correspondents, podcasts, mobile content and archives.

Newsweek's editorial staff is based in New York.Like many news magazine, News week targets middle-aged male readers mainly.

Its readership is mostly upper middle-class.

News magazine Worthnoticing on this cover are:

- The eye-catching masthead: the white letters stand out very clearly against the red stripe; red can also be found in the bottom part of the page, which gives the price of the paper.

- The banner headline set in very large white letters that match the photograph.

- The photograph of Berlusconi illustrating the headline perfectly (pursed lips, tense wrinkled face, weary eyes).

- A second top story, or feature story is advertised in the very top part of the page.

Source: Audit Bureau of Circulations 2008 figures based on publisher’s statements for the first half of 2008

TIME MAGAZINE

Two issues on Global Warming

Tabloids

Studying Maps:Which aspects of the article is illustrated by the map? Is the map supporting one particular view point or is it neutral? Is the map clear enough ? Are the colours well-chosen? Do they have an illustrative funvtion or are they arbitrary? Are the legends illuminating, easily understandable and comprehensive?Is there another text surrounding the map? Are there symbols and if it is the case are they relevant? Is the scale indicated? Is it well adapted? Is there a second map, either more general or an enlargement that facilitates the understanding? Is the map visually catchy?

Maps

An aerial view of / an overall view of / a closer view of / to zoom in on a conflict-ridden part of the countryBorders signalled by thick lines / dotted linesAreas may be outlined or coloured (the colours must be telling) Mountainous areas appear in different shades of brownThe delineation/ mapping may be simplifiedThe major communication routes (highways, railways, thoroughfares, etc.) may be featuredRivers may be included

Cartoons, Sunday 29 March 2009

A LAUGHABLE SITUATIONBE THE LAUGHING STOCK OFTURN SOMEONE INTO RIDICULEMAKE FUN OF SOMEONEDISTORT THE FEATURES OFCARICATURE SOMEONE’S BEHAVIOURMAKE SOMEONE LOOK LIKE…

Brown is portrayed as Superman with blown-up muscles.Brown is depicted as a super hero.The cartoonist provides the viewers with a laughable portrait of PM Gordon Brown.Brown looks terribly ridiculous, fat and overweight as he is.

The political context of the cartoon

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown triggered laughter in parliament on Wednesday when he accidentally said he had saved the world during questions about the global financial crisis. The gaffe was seized on by Brown's political opponents and by newspaper cartoonists, who depict him as "Super Gordon," the economic savior who is convinced only he can deliver the world from the financial turmoil.

PHOTOGRAPHS: going against the trend Left: President-elect Barack Obama spent election night in his hometown of Chicago

with a close group of family and staff. (Daily News)

British soldier killed in Afghanistan, Thursday 1 April, The Guardian

Heat wave in Russia: text and image

In a piece of news that may sound bizarre to some, record-breaking temperatures in Russia are causing a rash of deaths by drowning.

Over 1,200 have drowned recently, sometimes combining swimming with alcohol to seek relief from temperatures approaching 40C (104F). An official from Russia’s Emergencies Ministry attributed most of the drowning deaths to this dangerous mix.

Text and imageA Russian man watches a forest fire burn

in Beloomut. Photograph: Andrey Smirnov/AFP/Getty Images The death toll from hundreds of wildfires across Russia rose to 34 today as more than 2,200 people were left homeless. Whole settlements have been engulfed by the flames, caused by an unprecedented heatwave in which temperatures have reached 42C in central and western parts of the country. State media showed footage of burning cottages, and groups of residents passing buckets of water from hand to hand. Several villages in the Nizhny Novgorod, Voronezh and Ryazan regions were reduced to drifts of ash. One man showed the melted engine of his car.

News footage

ChartsPay attention to:The title given to the chart: is it an interpretation of the chart or a mere descriptive element? The type of chart (bar chart, a pie chart) and the colours that are used;The time span or the period over which the study was conducted;The source of the information: is it visible and reliable?The geographical scope of the research;The sampling;The relation with the other elements on the page.