Week 1 September (22nd-28th)

This week I decided to compare and contrast two papers from two different jurisdictions: the Irish Daily Mail(Republic of Ireland) and The Irish News(Northern Ireland). Having reviewed these papers over a period of time I came to some conclusions: the style and/or the political mindset of any paper, be it to the left of a hammer and sickle or to the right of a swastika, are inconsequential. Each and every single front page on every newstand throughout the entire island has but one initial goal: to attract the readers attention and consequently boost sometimes flagging circulation and of course revenue.

Both of my papers (each of which produced for Tuesday 23rd of September) follow suit in layout. The headline "death beyond human reason"(Mail) roughly tugs at one's heartstrings, subconsciously drawing our attention . The Irish News follows suit in that their main headline details the sectarian murder of a 15 year old boy from Ballymena. Nevertheless their main picture celebrates a more joyous occassion: Tyrone bringing the Sam Maguire cup back to Co.Tyrone. The mastheads of both respective papers also follow a similar pattern in there layout, and tone. Although their main articles feature turmoil, social agony and misfortune, their mastheads deal with lighter features. From baggy underwear which can make you ill(thank you Anthea Turner(Daily Mail)), to the red handed celebrations in a surprisingly sun-drenched Omagh, both papers have that yin and yang complex getting the balance almost always right. Both papers leave most readers satisfied, of whom get their daily doses of factual knowledge, ranging from the depressing to the despicable content of certain articles. There's a lil' bit of glitz and glamour in eachpaper to keep those celebrity vultures happy also.

Overall I recognised that each paper has its own style, be it fonts or takes on particular current affairs(most notably the Lisbon Treaty saga). They deal with political and social upheaval while bringing the frivoulous and the notoriously humorous to the fore of our reading experience. Indeed even their writing habits differ. For example, I found the tone of the Irish News to be somewhat more high-brow if you will, whereas the Mail, although its reputable status taken into account, take a more laid back approach to their writing, more informal yet still accurate and precise. All in all both papers did what were asked off them in their own self-styled and competent manner!!