Which are, in you opinion, the main differences between newspapers and magazines? A newspaper is fundamentally different from a magazine in content and style, because of the way in which it is produced and who it is produced for. Read the following text and work with a partner to write headlines for each paragraph, summarising the information presented in them: |
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- Because people who subscribe to magazines usually are on a break, or plan on spending some time reading the magazine at their leisure, an article can be longer than it ordinarily would be in a newspaper.
- People who read a newspaper do not have the time allotment for reading that magazine readers do, and newspapers are made to be very disposable, so articles are shorter, have more punch, and get to the point quicker; they focus more on catchy headlines than on baseline concept, in an effort to capture the reader's interest and get him to read the entire story.
- Magazines as a general rule are more advertiser-driven than newspapers, so content in larger magazines is often very carefully checked against guidelines from those advertisers.
- Newspapers are driven more by readership than by advertisers. Newspaper editors tend to print articles that are controversial and would loath to have an advertiser, no matter how large, tell them what they can and can't run in their paper.
- Newspapers tend to have a myriad of writers all competing for the same reader's attention. They are usually specialists in certain areas like opinion and editorial, city editors, crisis reporters, or what's affectionately known as "fluff reporting" on items like home décor and parties; a newspaper, even a small weekly, will often have anywhere from several hundred on up to a thousand or more.
- Magazines tend to have small staffs of writers who wear all the hats: editing, writing, proofing, sometimes even doing some layout and photography. Many top magazines are run by one hundred or less staffers.
- A reader of a magazine is looking for an article which gives them a feeling that they have either learned something of value, or have connected in some way with the rest of the human race, or their country, or that they have at least gained value in the form of relaxation or entertainment. They want something special that will make them feel as if they have spent that relaxation time reading wisely. A magazine reader prefers to read writers who think like he does.
- A reader of a newspaper is more concerned with staying on top of current events and trends, and, since he is reading because he feels he needs to, he doesn't mind the controversial or occasional sad story. He needs to hear what's going on in his world, how to stay ahead of the game in his city, career, life, money, etc. And he expects not to agree with every piece of writing he reads. In general, most mainstream magazines are read at leisure, while newspapers are read purposefully, while the reader is in a bit of a hurry.
- Most newspapers thrown into the driveway are only read 1/3 of the way through.
- Most magazines however, especially women's, parenting, mainstream, and trade, are kept for as long as a year by their subscribers and read and re-read cover to cover.
Now explain the following quote: “This is because a newspaper is like vegetables in your diet, and magazines are like the dessert.“ (http://www.writerswrite.com/journal/nov01/burch.htm) |