Blog Project #2

    

When was the last time you read a physical paper copy of the news? Yes I am talking about a newspaper. In this post I will be sharing some research I have been doing on the analysis of a paper copy and an online copy of The Epoch Times. I will be discussing the differences as well as the similarities that the two different formats present to their readers.

    Before we get started I want to give a little description of what this newspaper is about and what their primary focus is on the publication. This newspaper is a conservative international multi-language newspaper and media company. They primarily focus on political news stories from all over the world. Some example headlines between the online and paper copies include, “Greenland’s Mineral Wealth Could Pave Way to Independent Future”, “As China’s Economy Weakens, Tens of Thousands of Workers Protest Against Unpaid Wages”, Germany Wrestles With AfD ‘Extremist’ Label Battle”. 

    The online copy is organized in a way where all of the main photographs designated to the article are placed in the center row of the screen while the printed copy has its pictures more scattered throughout the paper. The online copy has a column on the left side that gives you the latest news article as well as how long ago it was published. The printed copy has one article at a time that you discover as you read through the paper. 

    When looking through the online and printed copy you will come across some advertisements. On the printed copy you will come across ads such as My Pillow and book promotions. The online copy has ads which include starlink and warnings for seniors and their health. To be completely honest, I did not stumble across many ads when looking through both the online and the printed copy of The Epoch Times. I would assume that this would be pleasing to the eye of readers.

    What makes this newspaper different from most is that it is open about the views they have. This can be good because readers know ahead of time that they are getting targeted and specialized articles that are tailored to their values, however, it could be a disadvantage because the news can be very biased and not give the news “how it is”. Another thing that makes this newspaper different from others is that it is international. It is not confined to the boundaries of the United States of America.

    Between the online version and the printed version there are some obvious differences. For one, the main difference is the way they are formatted. The online version is broken up into three columns, the left side has latest articles and opinion pieces, the middle column has all of the pictures that correspond to the articles which are located on the right column. The printed version has everything scattered on the paper and is in no particular order. They write out one article and then when that’s done they go on to the next. One thing the printed copy does is if they have a long article they will shorten it and say continued on “this” page. They do this to keep the reader engaged and not bored by the long paragraphs of tiny letters.

    Doing this assignment has really opened my eyes to the difference in how people receive their news. Although you are getting your news from the same source, the way in which the news is being delivered is so much different from each other. I learned that I quite enjoy reading from a printed newspaper because the pages are much bigger and it’s easier to read and interact with. On the contrary, reading the news on a website will keep you up to date with the newest breaking news that they have. I had fun reading between the two news sources and discovering the similarities and differences they had, as well as, learning the way in which I prefer to read my news. 😁

https://www.theepochtimes.com/