Comparison of a tabloid and broadsheet article

In this essay, the differences between two publications will be examined in detail. One of the newspapers is a broadsheet newspaper called The Guardian and the other one is the tabloid publication called The Sun. Two articles from these papers will be compared with each other, exploring the similarities and differences between them. The articles in question are ‘Top-Toc-Treat-Junkies-like-patients not criminals’ which appears in The Sun and The Guardians article ‘Leading doctor urges decriminalisation of drugs’.

Broadsheet and tabloid newspapers employ different techniques to appeal to their readership.

A typical tabloid article has a simple headline, sometimes in the form of a pun or using colloquial language which grabs a reader’s attention. The heading in a tabloid article tends to be more vague using less information and leaving itself open for interpretation which means the reader will have to read on for further insight into the story. It has a style of writing is very different from a broadsheet. They tend to use a style of writing which is known as ‘sensational’ or ‘hyperbole’, which can make the story more dramatic than it actually is. The language used in a tabloid appeals to those looking for a less challenging read and targets most ages. Although a tabloid can seem to be less ‘serious’ than a broadsheets, they do often have facts and educated opinions to back up an argument in a article. There is a lot of emotive language used frequently to provoke the emotions readers such as ‘dirty needles’ and ‘awful lifestyles’.

A typical broadsheet article, on the other hand, is completely the opposite as it tackles more serious topics about current world affairs and encourages healthy debates. The headline is usually more formal than that of a tabloid and uses much less sensational language. The