Broadsheets vs. Tabloids: Neutrality vs. Sensationalism

Broadsheets vs. Tabloids: neutrality vs.
sensationalism
Miguel Ángel Benítez Castro

El Inglés de la Publicidad y la Prensa
MIVCI
Broadsheets vs. Tabloids: neutrality vs. sensationalism
Table of contents
1. Introduction............................................................................................................... 3
2. Introduction to the British press................................................................................ 3
2.1 Broadsheets vs. tabloids.................................................................................... 3
2.2 The language of broadsheets vs. the language of tabloids................................ 4
3. Analysis of news stories ........................................................................................... 5
3.1 Cigarettes to be sold under shop counters (24th March 2008) .......................... 6
3.1.1 Analysis of headlines ................................................................................ 6
3.1.2 Analysis of news reports........................................................................... 6
3.2 Corinne Bailey Rae's husband found dead from suspected drugs overdose
(24th March 2008) ........................................................................................................ 9
3.2.1 Analysis of headlines ................................................................................ 9
3.2.2 Analysis of news reports......................................................................... 10
3.3 Prince Harry aborts Afghan mission after web leak (29th February 2008)... 13
3.3.1 Analysis of headlines .............................................................................. 13
3.3.2 Analysis of news reports......................................................................... 13
4. War propaganda in 21st century Britain: prince Harry, a national hero or a war
phoney? ........................................................................................................................... 17
4.1 Lexical analysis............................................................................................... 17
5. Conclusion .............................................................................................................. 18
6. List of references…………………………………………………………………19
Miguel Ángel Benítez Castro 2


Miguel Ángel Benítez Castro
1. I$TRODUCTIO$
This paper intends to analyse the linguistic repercussions that the coverage of a news
story may have when reported in both British quality press (the so-called broadsheets)
and British popular press (the so-called tabloids) This purpose will be accomplished by
examining in detail the remarkable linguistic contrasts that may be found in the way
three different news stories are approached by several British broadsheets and several
British tabloids. Given that the access to print newspapers was somehow hindered by
the obvious lack of British press close at hand, I felt compelled to make use of the on-
line versions of the following British newspapers: The Times, The Guardian, The
Independent, The Sun, and The Daily Mirror. The news stories to be commented on in
this paper were taken from three different issues: 29th February, 3rd March and 24th
March 2008. As regards the structure of this essay, let me say that first of all I will
provide a brief introduction to the British press. Then, I will proceed to discuss in depth
the linguistic features peculiar to the way the three news reports are dealt with in British
quality press and British popular press. It should be pointed out that for each news story,
I will start by analysing the headlines, and then I will comment on the news reports.
Finally, the last section of this essay will be devoted to a small-scale lexical study of
war propaganda in 21st century Britain, as present in the coverage of Prince Harry’s
deployment in Afghanistan.
2. I$TRODUCTIO$ TO THE BRITISH PRESS

2.1 BROADSHEETS VS. TABLOIDS
To start with, it should be noted that Britain’s first newspapers appeared over 300 years
ago. Now, as then, newspapers receive no government subsidy, unlike in some other
European countries today. Hence, the survival of newspapers is very much dependent
on advertising, which constitutes a vital source of income.
Surprisingly enough, this small island boasts approximately 130 daily and Sunday
papers, 1,400 weekly papers and over 6,500 periodical publications. More newspapers,
proportionately, are sold in Britain than in almost any other country. According to
David McDowall (1999: 159), “national newspapers have a circulation of about 13
million on weekdays and 17 million on Sundays, but the readership is twice this figure”.
The national newspapers, both on weekdays and on Sundays, fall into two broad
categories: the ‘popular’ (also called in a derogatory way: ‘gutter’) and ‘quality’ press.
All the popular papers, with the exception of the Sunday Express, are ‘tabloid’ in
format. The tabloids are essentially mass entertainment, as evidenced by the fact that
they are smaller than the other papers, have larger illustrations, bold captions and a
sensational prose style (as we shall see later on). This leads to an emphasis on gossip,
emotion and scandal, and a significant reduction in the news content. By contrast,
quality newspapers, known as ‘broadsheets’ on account of their larger format,
emphasise news coverage, political and economic analysis and social and cultural
issues.
Some instances of both national quality and popular press are as follows:
$ational dailies:
Populars: Daily Mirror, Daily Star, Sun, Daily Express, Daily Mail.
Qualities: The Financial Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian, The Independent,
The Times.
$ational Sundays:
Populars: )ews of the World, Sunday Express, Sunday Mirror, Mail on Sunday, People.
Qualities: The Sunday Telegraph, The Observer, The Sunday Times, The Independent
on Sundays.
2.2 THE LA)GUAGE OF BROADSHEETS VS. THE LA)GUAGE OF TABLOIDS

Drawing on the distinction that Systemic-Functional grammar (Eggins 2004: 93) makes
between spoken and written language, and between informal and formal language, it
may be claimed that broadsheets have many features in common with formal and
written language, whereas tabloids present a highly spoken and informal style. In order
to illustrate such assertion, firstly I will focus on the linguistic implications of mode
(spoken language: tabloids vs. written language: broadsheets), and then I will turn to the
linguistic consequences of tenor (informal language: tabloids vs. formal language:
broadsheets) The examples illustrating each of the linguistic features considered have
been drawn from the news reports analysed in the following section.
As far as mode is concerned, in the first place it may be argued that spoken
language tends to show a dynamic structure, while written language is more synoptic
and more carefully designed. This explains the reason why news reports in broadsheets
more often than not follow a highly structured organisation of the information (in terms
of the answers to the main wh-questions: who, what, where, when, why, how), whereas
news stories in tabloids are structured mainly around the most emotive and shocking
elements of the news story.
Secondly, mode also exerts a significant influence on the kind of lexis used when
speaking and writing. Spoken language tends to be dominated by ‘everyday’ lexis (often
Anglo-Saxon in origin) By contrast, written language makes more use of prestige lexis
(often Latin in origin) than spoken language does. Concerning the dichotomy between
tabloids and broadsheets, it appears that ‘everyday’ lexis is far more common in
tabloids than in broadsheets, which in turn implies the prestigious quality of
broadsheets, as opposed to the everyday and informal quality characteristic of tabloids.
This point may be illustrated thanks to the following two examples:
(1) In a bid to cut the number of smokers (The Sun)
(2) In an attempt to reduce the number of smokers (The Times)
Next, in addition to lexis, syntax also plays a major role in the linguistic differences
between spoken (tabloids) and written language (broadsheets). The evidence shows that
spoken language tends to be syntactically simple, while written language is usually
syntactically complex. This, in turn, has a direct bearing on the ‘lexical density’ of the
text, in the sense that on the one hand, spoken language is lexically sparse, and on the
other, written language is lexically dense. Both features will become clearer in the
following two examples:
(3) According to the Department of Health, the strategy will
save hundreds of lives (The Sun)
(4) The Minister for Public Health, last night signalled she was
ready to take on retailers to implement changes she claimed
would certainly save hundreds of lives (The Times)

In relation to tenor, let me say that the most outstanding differences between formal
and informal language have to do with lexis. One such difference stems from the
emotiveness present in some words. This means that informal language (tabloids) tends
to be highly attitudinal and emotional, while formal language (broadsheets) is more
neutral and objective. The following two headlines will serve to illustrate this point:
(5) Soul singer Corinne Bailey Rae distraught after husband
found dead. (The Daily Mirror)
(6) Singer’s husband dies of suspected drug overdose (The
Guardian)
As a general rule, there is often a one-to-one relationship between emotiveness and
coloquiallism, which means that attitudinal lexis tends to be colloquial (abbreviated
forms, slang) as well, and neutral lexis is usually formal (full forms, no slang) as well.
In order to illustrate this point, I will provide another tabloid headline for the news story
presented in examples (5) and (6):
(7) Tributes to singer’s hubby (The Sun)
Another relevant lexical difference between formal and informal language lies in the
naming of human participants. Informal language (tabloids) tends to employ first
names, nicknames and diminutives, whereas formal language (broadsheets) often makes
use of titles and full names:
(8) )o plot to kill Di, says MI6 spy (The Sun)
(9) MI6 held no files on Diana (The Guardian)
A final feature of British tabloids, as opposed to British broadsheets, was suggested
by Fowler (2001: 91), and is connected with the high degree of personalization found
in tabloids. By personalization, he argued that tabloids tend to be packed with items
about individuals, but they are lacking in reports of general or extended processes. This
certainly goes hand in hand with the emphasis that tabloids place on gossip, emotion
and scandal.
3. A$ALYSIS OF $EWS STORIES

Having provided a brief introduction to the socio-cultural and linguistic peculiarities of
the British press, now I will move on to a detailed linguistic analysis of three news
stories to find out the extent to which British broadsheets may be considered more
neutral and objective, as well as the extent to which British tabloids may be regarded as
more sensationalist and emotive. The three news stories subject to analysis have been
chosen not only due to their interest, but also due to the outstanding linguistic and
discourse differences one may easily notice when comparing the coverage of these news
stories in British broadsheets with their coverage in British tabloids. The first news item
to be commented on in this section appeared on 24th March 2008, and has to do with a
government measure banning the display of cigarettes in public places. The second
news story, also appearing on 24th March 2008, deals with Corinne Bailey Rae’s
husband’s death because of a suspected drug overdose. The third news report, appearing
on 29th February 2008, is an account of Prince Harry’s swift removal from Afghanistan
after the news leaked that he had been fighting there. As stated above, the commentary
will be structured around an initial analysis of tabloid and broadsheet headlines, after
which I will confine my attention to an examination of the linguistic and discourse
aspects characterizing at least one news report from the two types of press (quality vs.
popular) Last but not least, it is worth pointing out that my analyses will take into
account mainly syntax (word order and syntactic structures) and lexis.
3.1 CIGARETTES TO BE SOLD U)DER SHOP COU)TERS (24TH MARCH 2008)

3.1.1 Analysis of headlines
Cigarettes to be sold under shop counters (The Times)

• Use of the passive voice to stress or emphasize the importance of cigarettes (the
affected element) in this news report.
• To be sold: some sense of compulsion/commitment/obligation.
• No mention of the ban.
• Simple sentence.
Ciggies in display ban plan (The Sun)
• Complex noun phrase (Ciggies in display premodifies ban plan)
• Use of an abbreviation (informal and colloquial vocabulary: ciggies)
• More straightforward and attention-getting than the previous one.
• The affected element comes first.
Government could ban display of cigarettes (The Independent)
• The agent of the action (Government) comes first (active sentence)
• Could: Tentative logical possibility (making the action described more tentative
in terms of possibility or likelihood) .
• Neutral and objective headline.
• Simple sentence.
Cigarette display ban considered (The Daily Mirror)
• Very similar to the headline appearing in The Sun, except for the use of a past
participle (considered) instead of a noun (plan)
3.1.2 Analysis of news reports
3.1.2.1 The Times

• Frequent use of modality to express:
Neutral logical possibility (epistemic modality)
(10) Ministers are obliged to detail how much the measures are
likely to cost businesses
Neutral logical necessity/prediction (epistemic modality)
(11) The latest assault on smokers will also see the
disappearance of vending machines from pubs and restaurants in
an attempt to further limit children’s access to tobacco
Volition (deontic modality)
(12) I’m willing to do that
Compulsion/obligation (deontic modality)

(13) Cigarettes are to be forced beneath shop counters with

supermarkets and cornershops banned from displaying tobacco
products.
(14) “It is vital we get across the message to children that
smoking is bad”
(15) Ministers are obliged to detail how much the measures are
likely to cost businesses
• For each news report, I will comment on the first sentence, that is, the sentence
heading the full text.
(16) Cigarettes are to be forced beneath shop counters with
supermarkets and cornershops banned from displaying tobacco
products, The Times has learnt
-The affected product (cigarettes) comes first. Then, we find the affected places
where the product is sold: supermarkets and cornershops.
-The Times has learnt: To my mind, this might help to make the news report
more truthful and authoritative.
• Frequent use of the (agentless) passive voice to express impersonality and
perhaps detachment (which, in a sense, is related to the objectivity typical of
broadsheets):
(17) Action on the display of tobacco products at the point of
sale was first raised in a draft copy of the Cancer Reform
Strategy last December
• Unlike The Sun, The Times includes reactions from the two parties involved:
-The Minister for Public Health and ministers in general: those who are for the
measure.
-Retailers: those who are against the measure.
• Unlike The Sun, The Times contains some background information to the news
story:
-The implementation of similar measures in other countries :
(18) When the ban on displaying tobacco products is
implemented England will join just a handful of others to have
taken the step
-Measures already taken by the British governement:
(19) The successful introduction of the smoking ban last July
was followed by the increase of the minimum age of sale from 16
to 18 which came into force last October.
• Lexical differences:
-Formal vs. informal, colloquial or more straightforward vocabulary:
(20) Cigarettes (The Times) vs. Ciggies (The Sun)
(21) To further limit children’s access to tobacco (The Times)
vs. To stop kids from smoking (The Sun)
(22) In an attempt...reducing (The Times) vs. In a bid to cut the

number of smokers (The Sun)
-Use of an active sentence in the tabloid (with a verbal process: said) and a
passive sentence in the broadsheet. Besides, there is a clear lexical difference
(informal vs. formal expression)
(23) The Department of Health said it is launching a
consultation later this spring to look at ways to stop kids from
smoking (The Sun). Vs. Both measures are to be included in a
consultation to be launched later this spring (The Times)
-The latest assault on smokers (The Times): It presents the ban as if it was
something negative, something intended to annoy smokers.
3.1.2.2 The Sun.

• As compared to the previous article, very little use of modality. In a way, this
indicates that the Times is much more committed to and concerned with the
news story (on account of the kind of modality used: compulsion, willingness,
commitment...) than The Sun. This is reflected in the Times’ pretty extensive
coverage of the news story, as opposed to The Sun, which from my point of
view, covers this news story only ‘in passing’ (without getting into too much
detail). This significant difference might be connected with what was previously
said about the broadsheets’ emphasis on news coverage, political and economic
analysis and social and cultural issues.
• First sentence:
(24) SHOPKEEPERS could be banned from displaying
cigarettes under plans being considered by the Government
-Unlike The Times, The Sun places the affected human participant
(shopkeepers) at the beginning of the sentence.
-Could: Tentative logical possibility (cf. The Times: are to)
• Syntactic simplicity:
-At clause level:
(25) Measures that make it easier to sell nicotine replacement
gums and patches are also on the table (simple active sentence
containing a relational process: are)
Vs.
(26) (The Times) The consultation is also expected to include
measures that make it easier to sell nicotine replacement gums
and patches (complex passive sentence including a mental
process: expected)
-At phrase level:
(27) According to the latest figures from the Office for )ational
Statistics

Vs.
(28) (The Times) The most recently available statistics (heavy
premodification of the head noun)
• The Sun is less specific than The Times. When referring to the participants
involved in the news story, The Sun employs collective nouns, while The Times
uses proper nouns (naming the specific participants)
(29) According to the Department of Health, the strategy –
coupled with the wider smokefree legislation – will save
hundreds of lives.
Vs.
(30) (The Times) Dawn Primarolo, the Minister for Public
Health, last night signalled she was ready to take on retailers to
implement changes that she claimed would save hundreds of lives
(Reported speech, syntactic complexity)
• Scarce use of the passive voice (see example 23)
• Unlike The Times, The Sun includes reactions from just one of the parties
involved: The Minister for Public Health.
• Possible manipulation of data to make a statement look more threatening and
shocking (hyperbole):
(31) Someone who starts smoking aged 15 is three times more
likely to die of cancer due to smoking than someone who starts in
their late twenties, the department said
Vs.
(32) (The Times) “Children who smoke are putting their lives at
risk and are more likely to die of cancer than people who start
smoking later.”
3.2 CORI))E BAILEY RAE'S HUSBA)D FOU)D DEAD FROM SUSPECTED

DRUGS OVERDOSE (24TH MARCH 2008)
Corinne Bailey Rae's husband found dead from suspected drugs overdose (The Times)
• This headline is highly informative and objective, in the sense that we get two
important pieces of information: 1. Corinne’s husband has been found dead and
2. The suspected cause of his death.
• This headline is not at all emotional; it gets straight to the point.
• Passive sentence (affected participant coming first)
Tributes to singer's hubby (The Sun)
• Tributes coming first. This reveals that the article will be based more on the
reactions from people who knew him, than on the objective and detached
information about his death.
• Highly sensationalist and emotive headline.
• The headline is made up of just a complex noun phrase (grammatical simplicity)

• Hubby : slang term for husband.
Singer's husband dies of suspected drug overdose (The Guardian)
• This headline uses an active sentence (cf. headline in The Times)
• Use of a present simple form (dies) to make the news report look closer to the
time of the event.
• This headline is no doubt less informative and detailed than the headline in The
Times, at least as far as the affected participant is concerned: Singer’s husband
instead of Corinne Bailey Rae’s husband (The Times). Obviously enough, this
also applies to the previous headline.
Soul singer Corinne Bailey Rae distraught after husband found dead (The Daily Mirror)
• Corinne Bailey coming first (subject) to stress her feelings (distraught). After
that, we are told the reason why she is so distraught.
• Highly sensationalist and deeply moving style.
3.2.2.1 The Times

• The Times offers highly informative, objective and respectful coverage of this
news item.
• Modality is scarcely used in this news report, probably in an attempt to give a
straight and unemotional account of the news story.
• First sentence:
(33) The husband of the Grammy-winning soul singer Corinne
Bailey Rae has been found dead from a suspected drugs
overdose.
-The first sentence is very similar to the headline.
-Passive structure: affected element comming first.
-Highly informative and objective (who?, what?, why?)
-Has been found dead: resultative perfect (very common in news reports)
• This news story lends itself to a commentary on the way the information has
been structured, and also on the information that has been considered and the
details that has been left out. We will notice clear structural differences between
the news report in The Times and its counterpart in The Sun.
1. Brief summary of the story (first paragraph):
WHO?: Jason Rae, a 31-year-old saxophonist with the Haggis Horns,
WHERE?: was discovered at a flat in the Hyde Park area of Leeds
WHEN?: On Saturday
BY WHOM?: by police called to the scene.
WHAT HAPPENED NEXT?: West Yorkshire Police (sayer) said that a 32-
year-old man had been arrested on suspicion of supplying controlled drugs
Passive voice (objectivity, detachment, impersonality)

2. Details about the postmortem examination.
3. Reactions from Corinne Bailey (cf. the report in The Sun):

(34) Ms Bailey Rae was not available for comment. Her record
label said in a statement: “EMI Records would like to offer its
sincere condolences to Corinne Bailey Rae and the Rae family at
this tragic time. We ask that the media respects Corinne’s
privacy and that of her entire family
4. Background information to Bailey’s music career and very brief biographical
account (2 lines)
3.2.2.2 The Sun

• Unlike The Times, this sensationalist newspaper offers extensive and
emotionallly-loaded coverage of this news story.
• First sentence:
(35) TRIBUTES were today paid to sax player Jason Rae, the
husband of singer Corinne Bailey Rae
-It focuses on the affective side of the news report.
-The deceased comes here at the end of the sentence. Thus, the emphasis here is
on the word tributes (passive subject).
-Singer Corinne Bailey Rae (The Sun) vs. Grammy-winning soul singer Corinne
Bailey Rae (The Times: heavier premodification)
-Sax player (The Sun) vs. saxophonist (The Times)
If we compare this sentence with the initial sentence in The Daily Mirror
(another tabloid), we will find that the affective and emotional component of the
news story is also highlighted.
(36) Soul singer Corinne Bailey Rae was devastated last night
after her husband died from a suspected drugs overdose.
• Structure:
1. Brief summary of the story:
(37) Detectives (agent: active subject) found the body of the
Scottish-born musician, 31, who played with funk band the
Haggis Horns, at a flat in the Hyde Park area of Leeds on
Saturday
Vs.
(38) (The Times) Jason Rae a 31-year-old saxophonist with the
Haggis Horns (affected: passive subject), was discovered at a
flat in the Hyde Park area of Leeds on Saturday by police called
to the scene.
The Times uses a passive sentence, while The Sun makes use of an active
sentence. Probably, using an active sentence helps to keep us in suspense
a bit longer, for the very first participant we come across is not the person
who has died (from a communicative viewpoint, the most important
element here), but the detectives (the agent) who have found him.
Consequently, it appears that the active voice to some extent helps to
heighten the emotional load of the news report.
WHO?: Detectives
WHAT?: the body of the Scottish-born musician
WHERE?: at a flat in the Hyde Park area of Leeds
WHEN?: on Saturday
WHAT DID HE DIE OF? It is believed he died of a drugs overdose.
The Times provides that information in the first paragraph, and
even in the headline, while The Sun does so a bit later. It is
curious that the cause of his death is revealed in a separate
sentence, and by using an extraposition structure. From my point
of view, this could serve a ‘sensationalist’ purpose.
2. Reactions from fans, acquaintances and friends:

-Tributes on his personal website:
(39) Fans of the sax player left tributes his band’s Facebook
website.
-Tributes on her personal website:
(40) Meanwhile fans of Bailey Rae were leaving tributes on her
website.
3. Reactions from Corinne Bailey (cf. the report in The Times: :Miss Bailey Rae
was not available for comment)
(41) Yesterday Bailey Rae was said to be heartbroken over the

death of her husband.
4. Previous interviews with Corinne Bailey, intended to make her present

moment look even more terrible (sensationalism, emotionally-loaded style,
highly attitudinal lexis):
(42) The singer, who shuns a wild rock and roll lifestyle, last
year told how she desperately missed Jason when touring.
Interestingly, The Sun makes an extensive use of ‘direct speech’ when the news
story is about an individual (in this case, a celebrity) and when it serves a
‘sensationalist’ and ‘emotive’ purpose. (Cf. The Sun’s news report on the
smoking ban)
(43) “I knew Jason was the right one for a mixture of reasons. I
really liked him, and I think that’s a good place to start from”
5. Posmortem examination:

(44) Yesterday a police spokesman said: "A post mortem

examination was inconclusive”. Police are awaiting results of
toxicology tests. (Incongruent use of direct speech. Honestly, I
cannot see the point of using direct speech here)
Vs.
(45) (The Times) A postmortem examination was performed on
Saturday night, but the results were inconclusive and the police
are waiting for the results of toxicology tests, a police spokesman
said (Compared to the information in The Sun, syntax here is
much more complex)
• Lexis:
-husband (The Times) vs. hubby (The Sun)
-Detectives found the body of the Scottish-born musician (By using the word
body, The Sun is stressing that he was dead, thus making the news story more
macabre and grisly) vs. The husband of the British soul singer Corinne Bailey
Rae was found dead at his home at the weekend after a suspected drug overdose
(The Guardian)
-Attitudinal/emotive vocabulary in The Sun and The Daily Mirror: the best horn
section in the world (The Sun), great (The Sun), really (The Sun), heartbroken
(The Sun), desperately (The Sun), intriguing (The Sun), distraught (Daily
Mirror), devastated (Daily Mirror), Corinne is in pieces (Daily Mirror).
3.3 PRI)CE HARRY ABORTS AFGHA) MISSIO) AFTER WEB LEAK (29TH
FEBRUARY 2008)
Prince Harry aborts Afghan mission after web leak (The Times)
• Prince Harry is presented as an active agent, who apparently, decides himself to
abort his mission in Afghanistan.
• Active sentence.
Harry to come home (The Sun)

• Some sense of obligation implied in to come.
• Some sense of familiarity and friendliness (Harry, home)
Prince Harry to be withdrawn from Afghanistan (The Daily Mirror)

• The Daily Mirror does not present Prince Harry as an active agent, but as an
affected (patient) participant. This effect is achieved by means of a passive
sentence.
3.3.2.1 The Times

• First sentence:

(46) Emergency plans to extract Prince Harry from Afghanistan

are being drawn up today after the news leaked that he had been
on a secret combat tour in Helmand province since before
Christmas.
-First element in the sentence: Emergency plans (affected: passive subject)
-Extract: It is odd that the journalist has used this verb to refer to a human
participant, for this verb is used mostly to refer to objects and things.
-Are being drawn up: present continuous (action in the middle of the process)
-Secret combat tour: The word tour denotes something positive, pleasant and
enjoyable, but not a war (‘a journey made for pleasure during which several
different towns, countries etc. are visited’/ ‘an official series of visits made to
different places by an important person’) This word, in a sense, sheds some light
on Harry’s utopian and positive idea of war, which will become more apparent
in the news report found in The Sun and The Daily Mirror.
• Harry’s functions in Afghanistan:
(47) He has been working in Helmand province as a Forward
Air Controller – responsible for providing cover for frontline
troops – and has been personally involved in clashes with
Taleban guerrillas.
Harry is portrayed as an active agent: has been working, responsible for,

personally.
• How does The Times refer to the news blackout imposed by the MoD (Ministry
of Defence)?
(48) His four-month deployment had been kept secret because of
a Ministry of Defence agreement with news organisations,
including The Times, but the details can now be made public
after the news leaked out overseas and on the internet.
- Passive structure (the affected element coming first)

- Syntactic complexity.
- Can: permission (deontic modality)
(49) the news embargo was lifted
-To my mind, it is paradoxical that in (48) The Times refers to the blackout as an
agreement (‘an arrangement, promise, contract willingly made with somebody’),
while in (49), the journalist regards it as a news embargo (‘an official order that
bans the trade with another country’)
• Since all the details about Harry’s deployment can now be made public, The
Times provides a list of all the events in which Harry has been involved:
(50) — On )ew Year’s Eve, working as a battlefield air
controller known only to pilots as “Widow Six Seven”, he called
fighter bomber strikes on Taleban positions. (Once again, Harry
is depicted as an active and brave agent)
• Ways of naming/referring to Prince Harry: Prince Harry, the third in line to the
throne, the Prince, Harry
• On the whole, this could be said to be an objective account of the news story.
The Times restricts itself to a real and down-to-earth presentation of the facts; it
is not until the last line that we find an ‘emotional’ component/nuance:
(51) "His conduct on operations in Afghanistan has been
exemplary," General Sir Richard Dannatt, Chief of the General
Staff, said. "He has been fully involved in operations and has run
the same risks as everyone else in his battle group."
3.3.2.2 The Sun
• First sentence:
(52) ARMY Chiefs have decided to pull Prince Harry out of
Afghanistan, The Sun can reveal.
-Active sentence aimed at making the news story more immediate and
emotional.
-Harry is presented as the affected participant.
-No mention of the element that triggered Harry’s withdrawal from Afghanistan.
-Syntactic simplicity.
• The Ministry of Defence confirmed that the 23-year-old officer's war had come
to an end in a statement late this morning.
-Active sentence: The Times reports this by using a passive sentence.
-The 23-year-old officer’s war: Personalizing the war somehow downplays
the harshness and severity associated with any armed conflict. It looks as if
the paper presented Harry’s deployment in Afghanistan as an adventure that
unfortunately has come to an end.
• As opposed to the coverage of this news story in The Times, here Harry’s active
(agentive) role in the Afghan war is clearly overplayed. Hence, we may well say
that Harry is presented as a kind of courageous war hero.
(53) The young lieutenant killed up to 30 of the enemy on his

frontline tour by directing at least THREE air strikes. (Capital
letters: sensationalist style); he traded fire...manning a heavy
machine gun;
(54) Showing enormous courage, the prince came under enemy
rocket, mortar and machine gun fire almost every day on the
)ato security mission.
(55) And he got up close to the enemy — bringing down bombs
on Taliban attackers in his role as a Forward Air Controller.
• How does The Sun refer to the news blackout imposed by the MoD (Ministry of
Defence)?
(56) His extraordinary tour of duty was known about by all
British media — including The Sun — but kept secret under an
unprecedented voluntary arrangement. Yet notorious US news

website the Drudge Report yesterday revealed damaging details,
sending top brass into a spin.
-(The Sun) Highly attitudinal and emotional lexis vs. (The Times) neutral lexis:
(The Sun) extraordinary tour of duty Vs. (The Times) his four-month
deployment.
(The Sun) unprecedented voluntary arrangement Vs. (The Times) a
Ministry of Defence agreement.
(The Sun) notorious US news website (notorious: ‘well-known for being
bad’) Vs. (The Times) a major American website.
The Sun is overtly taking sides with Prince Harry’s heroic deployment in
Afghanistan. This becomes clear in the use of an emotionally-loaded,
attitudinal lexis showing the tabloid’s annoyance or displeasure at
Harry’s removal from that country.
• Lexis
-Ways of naming/referring to prince Harry: Prince Harry, the 23-year-old
officer, Harry, Tob brass, the young lieutenant, the Prince.
-Ways of referring to Harry’s deployment: extraordinary tour of duty.
-Ways of referring to/naming the enemies: Taliban fighters, Taliban fanatics,
fanatical fighter, Taliban sympathisers, Taliban attackers.
-Ways of referring to Afghanistan: war-torn country.
3.3.2.3 The Daily Mirror

• First sentence.
(57) Prince Harry is to be pulled out of Afghanistan amid fears
for his safety.
-Prince Harry is presented as the affected (patient) participant (passive subject)
-Simple, straightforward way of beginning the news report (cf. The first line in
The Times)
-Like The Times, The Daily Mirror (though in less detail) somehow informs the
reader about the reason for Harry’s withdrawal from Afghanistan: amid fears for
his safety.
• As one might expect, The Daily Mirror also emphasizes Harry’s active
(agentive) role in Afghanistan:
(58) The 23-year-old Household Cavalry officer, who has been
fighting the Taliban in Helmand Province for the past 10 weeks
• How does the Daily Mirror refer to the news blackout imposed by the MoD
(Ministry of Defence)?
(59) The move, which will be a bitter blow to the Prince, follows
the breakdown of a news blackout deal agreed across the UK
media after foreign websites leaked details of his deployment.

-Compared with the way the Sun approaches the news blackout, this
tabloid seems to be much less sensationalist and emotional, and in turn,
more objective and straightforward. The only affective/emotive element
to be found in this sentence is a bitter blow.
-The Daily Mirror is the only paper explicitly calling the ‘agreement’ a
news blackout.
• Significant information missing in the other papers:
(60) It is feared that the revelation that the third in line to the
throne has been fighting in Helmand would increase the tempo
of attacks on British forces by the Taliban.
• Lexis:
-Ways of naming/referring to prince Harry: Prince Harry, the 23-year-old
Household Cavalry officer, the Prince, Harry and his comrades, the third in line
to the throne.
-Ways of referring to/naming the enemies: The Taliban
4. WAR PROPAGA$DA I$ 21ST CE$TURY BRITAI$: PRI$CE HARRY, A

$ATIO$AL HERO OR A WAR PHO$EY?
As Richardson (2007: 180) argues, during wars, journalism undergoes the powerful
influence exterted by war propaganda. As is obvious, no propaganda is politically
unbiased, which means that any news report written during a war period will always be
driven by the view imposed by the official authorities. Such situation is clearly
illustrated in the news story we are dealing with: Prince Harry’s deployment in
Afghanistan.
In order to assess the biased role that war propaganda plays in this news item, I have
carried out a lexical analysis of three news reports dealing with Prince Harry’s daily life
on Afghan soil, and appearing on 29th February 2008. The newspapers on which I have
based my analysis are two tabloids: The Sun and The Daily Mirror. The reason why I
have not taken any broadsheet into consideration has to do with the fact that the
broadsheets I analysed (The Times and The Guardian), to some extent, provided an
unbiased and objective overview of Prince Harry’s Afghan mission, which was
obviously missing in The Sun and The Daily Mirror. Hence, from a propagandalike
perspective, the two tabloids are far more revealing than the two broadsheets. As may
be noticed in the examples provided below, Prince Harry is consistently portrayed as a
‘war-hero’, as a ‘role-model’ all British youngsters should try to ‘imitate’.
4.1 LEXICAL A)ALYSIS

Prince Harry is Widow 6-7(The Sun)
Prince Harry in Afghanistan: 2nd Lt Wales calls in plane and mortar fire to hit (Taliban
fanatics (The Daily Mirror)
Prince Harry in Afghanistan: I don't miss boozy nights back home (The Daily Mirror)
-Ways of naming/referring to prince Harry: Hero prince, emergency air controller,

Harry, the prince and his comrades, Household Cavalry Officer Harry, Second
Lieutenant Wales, the young royal, the 23-year-old.

-Ways of referring to/naming the enemies: enemy fanatics, rebels, The Taliban gang,
Terry Taliban and his mates, enemy fighters, The Taliban, the hardened fighters,
Taliban troops.
At first glance, it is not at all hard to notice the ‘demonization’ of both the
enemies and their homeland (see the example below), as opposed to the heroic
exaltation of Prince Harry.
-Ways of referring to Afghanistan: no-man’s land.
-What war means to Harry: But Harry has no complaints about the hardships and says
it is about as "close to being normal" as he is likely to get; ")o, I don't miss booze, if
that's the next question. It's nice just to be here with all the guys and just mucking in as
one of the lads."; “It’s nice to get out here, live it rough”; "It's good fun to be with just
a normal bunch of guys, listening to their problems, listening to what they think.
As stated above, Prince Harry’s conception of ‘war’ is no more than a funny and
challenging adventure.
-Some of Harry’s actions (mainly material processes, aimed at presenting Harry as a
brave warrior who is always ready to take up arms against the enemy): rescued
underfire comrades; calling in bomber jets, air strikes; crush a Taliban attack; kill
about 30 enemy fanatics; blasting the rebels away; sent bursts of fire; Harry,23, was
serving in the perilous forward position; he gave the Top Guns permission to blow the
rebels to pieces; Harry ordered two jets to drop guided bombs; to prevent accidentslike
friendly fire; has been battling the Taliban; scrutinises Taliban positions; oversee his
first bomb strike; The strike...spearheaded by the Prince; Harry watched the figures live
on his kill TV; he must control a key buble of air space; some of the nightmares the Con formato: Fuente: Cursiva,
Color de fuente: Azul, Fuente
young royal has endured out in Helmand province; has been commanding Spartan de escritura compleja: Cursiva,
tanks; Inglés Reino Unido
Con formato: Fuente: Cursiva,
5. CO$CLUSIO$ Color de fuente: Azul, Fuente
de escritura compleja: Cursiva,
To sum up, this essay has provided some insights into critical discourse analysis, as Inglés Reino Unido
applied to quality press and popular press. The evidence has confirmed our initial
expectations about the neutrality and objectivity commonly associated with broadsheets,
as well as the sensationalism and deeply emotional style peculiar to tabloids. We have
seen how the linguistic consequences of both tenor and mode (mainly lexis, but also
syntax) highly contribute to the more or less biased nature implicit in any news report.
This suggests that however objective any newspaper prides itself on being, there are
always certain linguistic nuances that will reveal some kind of implicit opinion or
viewpoint.
List of references
Books
EGGINS, S. 20042 [19961]. An Introduction to Systemic Functional Linguistics. New

York: Continuum.
FOWLER, R. 2001. Language in the )ews: Discourse and Ideology in the Press.
Routledge: London, New York.

MCDOWALL, D. 19992 [19931]. Britain in Close-up: An In-depth Study of

Contemporary Britain. Harlow: Longman.
REAH, D. 1998. The Language of )ewspapers. London: Routledge.
RICHARDSON, J.E. 2007. Analysing )ewspapers: an Approach from Critical
Discourse Analysis. Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan.
Online newspaper articles used in this essay
Cigarette Display Ban
Ciggies in display ban plan. 2008[/03/24]. The Sun Online. (Anonymous report)
Available from:
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article954016.ece [accessed 24 March
2008]
ELLIOTT, F. 2008[/03/24]: Cigarettes to Be Sold under Shop Counters. The Times

Online. Available from:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article3607714.ece [accessed 24
March 2008]
FENTIMAN, P. 2008[/03/24]: Government could Ban Display of Cigarettes. The

Independent Online. Available from:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/government-could-ban-display-of-
cigarettes-800018.html [accessed 24 March 2008]
HILL, J. 2008[/03/24]: Cigarette Display Ban Considered. The Daily Mirror Online.
Available from:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/latest/2008/03/24/cigarette-display-ban-considered-
89520-20361575/ [accessed 24 March 2008]
Corine Bailey Rae’s husband found dead
CUMMINS, F. 2008[/03/24]: Soul Singer Corine Bailey Rae Distraught after Husband
Found Dead. The Daily Mirror Online. Available from:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/showbiz/frontpageshowbiz/2008/03/24/soul-singer-corinne-
bailey-rae-distraught-after-husband-found-dead-89520-20361166/ [accessed 24
March 2008]
KNAPTON, S. 2008[/03/24]: Singer's Husband Dies of Suspected Drug Overdose. The

Guardian Online. Available from:
http://music.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,2267766,00.html [accessed 24 March 2008]

NUGENT, H. 2008[/03/24]: Corinne Bailey Rae’s Husband Found Dead from

Suspected Drug Overdose. The Times Online. Available from:
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article360782
2.ece [accessed 24 March 2008]
Tributes to Singer’s Hubby. 2008[/03/24]. The Sun Online. (Anonymous report)

Available from:
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/bizarre/article953516.ece [accessed 24
March 2008]
Prince Harry to be pulled out from Afghanistan
EVANS, M. 2008[/02/29] Prince Harry Aborts Afghan Mission after Web Leak. The
Times Online. Available from:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article3454535.ece?token=null&offset=0
[accessed 24 March 2008]
NEWTON, T. 2008[/02/29] Harry to Come Home. The Sun Online. Available from:
HTTP://WWW.THESUN.CO.UK/SOL/HOMEPAGE/NEWS/ROYALS/ARTICLE
862532.ECE [ACCESSED 24 MARCH 2008]
Prince Harry to Be Withdrawn from Afghanistan. 2008[/02/29]. The Daily Mirror

Online.. (Anonymous report) Available from:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/2008/02/29/prince-harry-to-be-withdrawn-
from-afghanistan-89520-20335665/ [accessed 24 March 2008]
War propaganda in 21st century Britain
NEWTON, T. 2008[/02/29] Prince Harry is Widow 6-7. The Sun Online. Available
from:
HTTP://WWW.THESUN.CO.UK/SOL/HOMEPAGE/NEWS/ARTICLE860972.EC
E [ACCESSED 24 MARCH 2008]
HUGHES, C. 2008[/02/29] Prince Harry in Afghanistan: 2nd Lt Wales Calls in Plane

and Mortar Fire to Hit Taliban Fanatics. The Daily Mirror Online. Available from:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/2008/02/29/prince-harry-in-afghanistan-2nd-
lt-wales-calls-in-plane-and-mortar-fire-to-hit-taliban-fanatics-89520-20335309/

[ACCESSED 24 MARCH 2008]
HUGHES, C. 2008[/02/29]. Prince Harry in Afghanistan: I don't miss boozy nights back
home. The Daily Mirror Online. Available from:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/2008/02/29/prince-harry-in-afghanistan-i-
don-t-miss-boozy-nights-back-home-89520-20335367/ [accessed 24 March 2008]



Broadsheets vs. Tabloids: Neutrality vs. Sensationalism

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Broadsheets vs. Tabloids: Neutrality vs. Sensationalism

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Broadsheets vs. Tabloids: neutrality vs.

Miguel Ángel Benítez Castro

Miguel Ángel Benítez Castro 2

Broadsheets vs. Tabloids: neutrality vs. sensationalism

2. I$TRODUCTIO$ TO THE BRITISH PRESS

2.2 THE LA)GUAGE OF BROADSHEETS VS. THE LA)GUAGE OF TABLOIDS

Miguel Ángel Benítez Castro 4

3. A$ALYSIS OF $EWS STORIES

3.1 CIGARETTES TO BE SOLD U)DER SHOP COU)TERS (24TH MARCH 2008)

Cigarettes to be sold under shop counters (The Times)

3.1.2.1 The Times

Miguel Ángel Benítez Castro 6

(13) Cigarettes are to be forced beneath shop counters with

(22) In an attempt...reducing (The Times) vs. In a bid to cut the

3.1.2.2 The Sun.

Miguel Ángel Benítez Castro 8

3.2 CORI))E BAILEY RAE'S HUSBA)D FOU)D DEAD FROM SUSPECTED

• The headline is made up of just a complex noun phrase (grammatical simplicity)

3.2.2 Analysis of news reports

3.2.2.1 The Times

Miguel Ángel Benítez Castro 10

2. Details about the postmortem examination.

3. Reactions from Corinne Bailey (cf. the report in The Sun):

3.2.2.2 The Sun

2. Reactions from fans, acquaintances and friends:

(41) Yesterday Bailey Rae was said to be heartbroken over the

4. Previous interviews with Corinne Bailey, intended to make her present

Miguel Ángel Benítez Castro 12

(44) Yesterday a police spokesman said: "A post mortem

Harry to come home (The Sun)

Prince Harry to be withdrawn from Afghanistan (The Daily Mirror)

3.3.2.1 The Times

Miguel Ángel Benítez Castro 13

(46) Emergency plans to extract Prince Harry from Afghanistan

Harry is portrayed as an active agent: has been working, responsible for,

- Passive structure (the affected element coming first)

(49) the news embargo was lifted

(53) The young lieutenant killed up to 30 of the enemy on his

unprecedented voluntary arrangement. Yet notorious US news

3.3.2.3 The Daily Mirror

Miguel Ángel Benítez Castro 16

4. WAR PROPAGA$DA I$ 21ST CE$TURY BRITAI$: PRI$CE HARRY, A

4.1 LEXICAL A)ALYSIS

-Ways of naming/referring to prince Harry: Hero prince, emergency air controller,

Miguel Ángel Benítez Castro 17

EGGINS, S. 20042 [19961]. An Introduction to Systemic Functional Linguistics. New

Miguel Ángel Benítez Castro 18

MCDOWALL, D. 19992 [19931]. Britain in Close-up: An In-depth Study of

Online newspaper articles used in this essay

Cigarette Display Ban

ELLIOTT, F. 2008[/03/24]: Cigarettes to Be Sold under Shop Counters. The Times

FENTIMAN, P. 2008[/03/24]: Government could Ban Display of Cigarettes. The

Corine Bailey Rae’s husband found dead

KNAPTON, S. 2008[/03/24]: Singer's Husband Dies of Suspected Drug Overdose. The

Miguel Ángel Benítez Castro 19

NUGENT, H. 2008[/03/24]: Corinne Bailey Rae’s Husband Found Dead from

Tributes to Singer’s Hubby. 2008[/03/24]. The Sun Online. (Anonymous report)

Prince Harry to be pulled out from Afghanistan

Prince Harry to Be Withdrawn from Afghanistan. 2008[/02/29]. The Daily Mirror

War propaganda in 21st century Britain

HUGHES, C. 2008[/02/29] Prince Harry in Afghanistan: 2nd Lt Wales Calls in Plane

Miguel Ángel Benítez Castro 20

[ACCESSED 24 MARCH 2008]