Article Commentary

“How does the article inform and entertain its reader?”

The Article informs and entertains its audience cleverly through the use of the article’s techniques. Firstly, the headline is in large and bold, catching the attention of its reader as it is the first thing they will read. Furthermore the headline gives a sense of shock as it says “Police Officer Death”. The abstract noun, “death” is very effective in capturing the attention of the reader as it is associated with murder, violence and loss which are taboo topics that doesn’t occur in the reader’s life therefore making them intrigued. Also Death is pre-modified with “Police officer” which further adds the shock as Police officers protect and serve the law, but if they’re not safe to enforce it then the reader feels that they’re unsafe too, giving a sense of unease and concern.

There are many nouns such as background of the offender, the make of the car stolen to inform the reader. These nouns portray a more clear insight towards what happened to the victim and thus maintaining the entertainment of the reader as they can have a clear picture of what may have happened to the victim.

Another technique the article uses are pictures, these pictures provoke many emotions to the reader as they either display the arrogance and sense of aggression of the offender or the innocence and care of the officer, which creates some sort of hero and villain relationship into the readers mind. The first picture perfectly portrays the stereotypical teenage hooligan the offender seems to be as he is shown to be posing absurdly. The picture also creates a sense of anger and dislike to the offender as he seems to be an unpleasant person to be around with, furthermore the picture also portrays a rebellious and immature young man who seems to deserve the consequences of his recklessness. On the other hand, the second picture portrays the innocence of the police officer as it shows him with his wife and children. Furthermore, the use of the embedded clause “Pc Phillips, killing the father of two” is effective as it provokes sympathy and compassion towards the Officer as his wife has lost her, and also his children will no longer have a father figure in their lives. This technique is very important in maintaining the interest of the reader as it creates the sense of a hero and villain story of which justice will prevail – the offender eventually going to jail.

The article also shows some caution of the language used, in case of any offence provoked through the fatality of what happened to the victim. The article uses the euphemism “before the fatal crash” to inform the harsh reality of what happened to the officer gently rather than the straight to the point ‘murdered’.

Article - http://news.sky.com/story/1565904/police-officer-death-man-appears-in-court