National open university of nigeria school of arts and social sciences
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| 3.3 Ideology in Newspaper Discourse Every instance of language is a reflection of the prevailing discursive and ideological systems in the society where it is used. Newspaper editors use different linguistic devices to project their ideological viewpoints and to suit the ideological expectations of their audience. What then is ideology Ideology in this context will be defined as a set of ideas or beliefs, which are held to be acceptable by the creators of a media text. Ideologies are based on a set of beliefs and attitudes shared by a group, class or society. Such ideologies can be projected in the media through news, advertisement, editorials and features. For instance, some writings are regarded as expressing gender imbalance since they tend to portray the female gender in the negative light. 3.4 Power in Newspaper Discourse Power in newspaper are expressed is expressed through the news writer and the editorial board. The news writer expresses his power through their choice of linguistic resources of the language. One major power expressed through newspaper is the power of persuasion, which is often used in the construction of headlines. Some headlines are so emotionally-laden that they could spark up riots as soon as readers set their eyes on them. Editorials also express some form of power as the board of the newspapers view their opinion on public issues and debates. Some newspapers are considered elitist, that means they represent the interest of the elites. Others are considered populist newspapers, representing the interest of the general public, particularly the less- privileged. Some are pro-government, while others are considered anti-government. Most anti-government newspapers will always carry headlines that are anti- government. While pro-government newspapers will carry only news that will paint the government in positive light. The power of persuasion is also enacted in advertisements. Advertisers are careful to choose words that will portray their mindset. Their goal is to persuade people to buy their products or patronize their services. Due to competition, they either emphasize what makes their products preferable or what makes other products less preferable. When advertisers focus on Others, their aim is to ensure that the image of others diminishes while that of theirs increases. This is clearly an enactment of power to show superiority over Others. 114 Paid advertisements are particularly known to struggle for the expression of power. This is particularly striking in obituaries and remembrance adverts. Since the media space is open to all those who can afford to pay for its use, some advertiser want to show that they are different from Others, by looking for striking status symbols. For instance, it is common in Nigeria to see obituaries that will list all the children of the deceased and their locations, usually outside Nigeria, such as UK, Germany, Australia, USA, and so forth. Colour may also be used to portray power. Full colour advertisements are costlier than black and white ones. Glossy pages are costlier than newsprint pages. Some Nigerian magazines like Ovation are published in glossy pages with full colour making them affordable to only the Rich. The news focus is also the Super Rich. Such magazines are published to celebrate the affluent. Download 0.49 Mb. Share with your friends:
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