Newspapers: Weekly Media homework - news stories
Copy the headline, date and link.
Briefly summarise the story in a sentence or two: is this is an example of hard news or soft news? Does it reflect the politics or ideological stance of that newspaper/website?
Explain in a sentence how or why this story appeals to the audience of that newspaper (use media terminology and theory if you can). Is it quality journalism or an example of clickbait?
Headline:
“Trump counter-terrorism chief quits over Iran war, blaming Israel”
Type of news
Hard news
What the story focuses on
The Guardian focuses on the resignation of Joe Kent as a serious political and global issue.
Explains why he resigned (disagreement over the Iran war)
Includes his claim that Iran posed “no imminent threat”
Mentions accusations about Israeli influence on US policy
Gives background context about his political views and controversies
It also reports wider consequences, such as:
Political reactions
Divisions within the government
Possible investigations into leaks
Daily Mail Story
“Trump blasts ‘weak’ counter-terror chief after shock resignation over Iran war”
Type of news
Mixed, but more tabloid-style hard news
What the story focuses on
The Daily Mail focuses more on:
Donald Trump’s reaction calling Kent “weak on security”
The drama and conflict inside the government
Strong quotes and emotional language
Less attention is given to:
Detailed geopolitical context
Balanced explanations of the war
Instead, it highlights:
The resignation as a “shock” or “bombshell”.
Israel launches new wave of strikes on Iran: what we know on day five of war
The Guardian
Focus:
Provides ongoing, evolving hard news with frequent live updates and global context.
Emphasizes international reactions, human impact, and political analysis — including legal and diplomatic angles, economic effects, and criticisms of the conflict’s escalation.
The guardian reported detailed reports of strikes, casualty figures, and geopolitical consequences Coverage of global criticism, like condemnation from the Global South and legal arguments that the war might be unlawful.
It also Features on economic impacts e.g., rising global prices, disruptions, potential oil supply effects.
The Guardian
Breakdown of international diplomatic positions, including UK involvement and European responses.
Guardian’s style: Broadsheet-style reporting with contextual analysis over time, linking this conflict to broader historical or strategic themes, such as international law and diplomatic breakdown. Coverage tends toward hard journalistic reporting.
Example topics in Guardian coverage:
- Shifts in US messaging on the war’s justification.
- Effects on global markets, airspace, shipping routes.
- Speeches/stances from global leaders like Spain or international bodies.
The Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is not a broadsheet and does less deep international reporting and more soft-news/impact-oriented content.
Daily Mail’s coverage often focuses on impacts for British readers, especially evacuation plans or safety of civilians rather than deep geopolitical analysis. In some summaries, headlines emphasised UK rescue planning and British nationals stuck abroad rather than detailed military or diplomatic developments. Compared to The Guardian, the Daily Mail has historically focused more on human-interest angles, domestic relevance, and dramatic framing (e.g., evacuation, danger to Brits).
Typical coverage elements:
How the war affects specific groups (like UK citizens in the region).
Political reactions or statements from Western leaders in interview format (e.g., Trump comments about war duration). Soft news elements such as public and political reactions, personal safety updates, and narrative accounts of what the war means for everyday people.
Daily Mail’s style:
Tabloid-leaning more emphasis on reader impact, emotional or dramatic hooks, and less analytical depth. Stories may foreground headlines like “Brits trapped abroad” or comments from well-known figures.
Soft News vs Hard News Coverage
Hard News :
The Guardian: extensive live updates on strikes, casualties, diplomatic stances, legal debates, and international reactions — core hard news.
Daily Mail: distributes some hard news facts (e.g., statements from US leaders) but often through headline interviews and domestic impact frames (prime focus on Brits or Western politicians).
Soft News (interpretative or human-interest focus):
more frequent use of reader-impact angles, such as evacuation planning, British nationals’ risks, and personal narratives.
Soft news in The Guardian appears more in analytical features or explanatory pieces (e.g., what this means for global markets or law), not in superficial or sensational presentation.
This is hard news
Prince Andrew was arrested on his birthday The former duke of York was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. The arrest appeared related to his conduct as a UK trade envoy and followed the disclosure of emails related to Epstein. Among the files released by the US Department of Justice were documents that appeared to show the former prince forwarding sensitive government documents and commercial information to the convicted sex offender stating he The documents also appeared to show that Andrew forwarded Epstein information on investment opportunities in gold and uranium in Afghanistan.
The Guardian
Focuses on institutional accountability, and the broader social issues of abuse and inequality. It often frames the story around the "reckoning" for the British Establishment and the failure of the monarchy to adequately police its own members. Reflects a critical, republican-leaning perspective that questions the hereditary principle and advocates for transparency. It Appeals to readers interested in high-level investigation, "downfall of the elite" narrative (a "liberal accountability" angle) and for those who lean towards the left wing ideology .
Daily Mail
Approach: Focuses on sensational, emotional language ("Downfall," "haggard, shamed and haunted") and intense personal focus on the disgraced individual. It emphasizes the failure of the institution to protect taxpayers and the need for immediate, blunt accountability. Combines support for the monarchy-as-institution with populist condemnation of individuals who fail the "moral" expectations of that institution. Appeals to a readership that enjoys "moral outrage" (a populist "fall from grace" narrative), combining a patriotic defense of the "correct" royal family with a scandal-focused appetite for "juicy" details (using "tabloid moralizing" and "visual evidence" like the arrest photo). A blend of hard-hitting, sensationalist journalism, mixing investigative-led questions (about his finances) with tabloid-style coverage designed to generate maximum engagement.
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