PART 2 Chapter 5 NEGOTIATING MEANING
5.4 NEGOTIATING MEANING
5.4.2 Reader interpretations of style and presentation
The following sections explore how readers of the Son perceive and interpret the newspaper's style features. According to the literature, tabloid newspapers make use of various style features to present the typical tabloid topics such as sex, sport, crime and the supernatural (see section 3.3.1).
Thus, style features refer to the ways in which tabloids present their content to readers, and these features manifest in the newspaper's language, layout, and other visual elements such as photographs and graphics, as well as shorter stories (see table 2.2). The stories are mostly written in a colloquial, simple and emotive language, the visuals are bold and strong, and the shorter stories are easier to digest (see section 2.4.2 and table 2.2). The content analysis in chapter 3 demonstrated that Son employs these typical tabloid news features to engage its readers. Although the content is not always of a frivolous and superfcial nature, the topics (sex, sport and crime) are typical of tabloids and, moreover, they are presented in a typical tabloid style: dramatic, sensational, straightforward and witty. Content that is more serious is, therefore, presented in an attractive and easy-to-use package. This ties in with what is expected of quality journalism: it should make sense of information, and interpret, analyse and present it in an engaging and clear manner that its audience can comprehend and to which they can relate (see Vehkoo, 2010:21, 22;
Stamm, 1985:37, 38; sections 2.4.8 and 2.4.8.1).
5.4.2.1 Format and visual presentation
The readers' responses imply that the Son's tabloid approach is successful. Firstly, they appear to appreciate the smaller A3 format of the newspaper. This makes sense because many of them read the newspaper at work during lunch- or tea-time, on the train to or from work, as well as in bed or
when using the toilet. It would be very uncomfortable and in some instances even impossible to read a broadsheet in these places. The respondents implied that this adds to the paper's attraction:
“Ja, en hy's vir my ook baie gemakliker om te lees, want Die Burger is mos nou groot. Veral as ek nou wil lê en lees.
Hom vou ek nou net om en dan vou ek hom miskien nou weer só. En dan lees ek nou eers dáár en dan lees ek nou weer hiér,”203 a female reader demonstrated how she frst folds the paper, and then reads it.
Furthermore, the respondents appear to perceive the Son as a logical and organised newspaper.
Some readers indicated that the content is organised clearly and that they always know which photographs and stories belong together. “Ek hou van die voorkoms, want ek kan onmiddellik sien wat aangaan,”204 stated a 66-year-old fower seller, and a 45-year-old cleaner said that she likes the paper's appearance because everything is simple and clear. A 23-year-old male respondent agreed, replying that he fnds the appearance to be “lekker duidelik”.205 One reader referred to the layout as
“neat”. The newspaper's use of boxes, large headlines, shorter stories and colour undoubtedly contributes to the structured layout. Regarding the shorter stories, one reader responded that,
“hulle praat genoeg hier”.206 One reader tried to explain why he prefers the shorter stories in the Son to the longer stories in Die Burger:
Interviewer: Sê... ’n laaste ding wat ek by jou wil weet nou dat jy so van Die Burger en die Son praat. Dit pla jou nie dat die stories ’n bietjie korter is in die Son nie?
Respondent: Nee, glad nie. Hulle gee net vir jou die... hulle gee vir jou die detail daarvan.
Interviewer: Hulle gee vir jou die detail en die...?
Respondent: Verstaan jy? Ja. Want almal, veral nou as ’n koerantberig langdradig is kan jy nie verstaan nie, maar as jy hom so kort en kragtig kry, dan verstaan jy hom altyd.
[See addendum A, E23 for translation]
It is evident from the conversation that readers appreciate the shorter stories because they fnd these easier to read and understand. A conversation with another reader correlates with his response:
Respondent: Dis beter as die Argus en Die Burgers [sic] en daai goete wat so dik is.
Interviewer: O, okei.
Respondent: Dis meer interessant om daai te lees as daai dik koerante.
Interviewer: So jy hou meer van die kort stories?
Respondent: Dis so.
Interviewer. Okei. Jy gee nie om dat die korter stories minder inligting gee nie?
Respondent: Ja. Dit maak meer sense as daai lang stories.
203 [“Yes, and I also find it easier to read, because Die Burger is large. Especially when I want to lie down and read. I fold this paper, maybe twice, like this. And then I read there, and then here”]
204 [“I like its appearance because I can instantly see what's going on”]
205 [“very clear”]
[See addendum A, E24 for translation]
Shorter stories also retain the readers' attention, and appear to make more sense to them. This correlates with the fndings in chapters 2 and 3. The above responses also indicate that the readers are aware of the newspaper's visual sign system, i.e. the design elements it employs to draw and retain their attention. These references to the organised layout were unexpected because the Daily Voice, the Son's direct competitor, is a rather disorganised newspaper and its layout sometimes confuses the researcher. This attentiveness to technicalities was not anticipated, but it demonstrates that the respondents not only react to colour and striking photographs; their responses suggest that they are discriminating readers who select the paper that appeals to them, and pertains to their lives (see Johansson, 2007:9; Hall, 2007:128; Ang, 2006:178; Bird, 2003a:65, 66; sections 4.3.1.4 and 4.3.4).
While they are aware of the more subtle elements, the photographs and use of colour appear to appeal to them the most. Some indicated that they like the newspaper's colourful masthead. “Die kleur is mooi wat buite-op is,”207 a reader said. When asked whether he likes the newspaper's appearance, a reader responded, “veral die kleur; dit trek sommer dadelik... dadelik ’n mens se aandag”.208 It would appear that these visual elements all function together to create a package to which readers are attracted, and this is most evident on the newspaper's front page. This is supported by the literature. Semioticians argue that signs function together to convey meaning and in this case, the various elements of the newspaper's visual sign system support one another to create a visually appealing front page (see Fourie, 2009:40; Smith, 2007:24, 25; Hawkes, 2003:103; Oosthuizen, 2004:449; Hervey, 1982:38; Kevelson, 1977:17; Eco, 1976:69). As expected, readers who indicated that they like the tabloid's appearance specifcally mentioned that the front page attracts them and invites them to buy and read the newspaper. “Die voorblad lok jou om verder te lees”,209 “Ek hou van die voorblad en enige iets wat aanloklik is”210 and “As jy die Son kyk, jy sal hom wil vat en gaan koop”211, as well as “Die koerant dinges vir jou... maak jou sommer maar lus... Hy attract jou, ja”212 were some of the responses. Others indicated that they fnd the overall look appealing and attractive, referring specifcally to colour and photographs. Most of these readers used the words “exciting”, “lekker”,
“attractive” and “fantastic” to describe the newspaper's appearance, and another respondent said that he likes the look because “dit maak jou lus om te lees”.213 Regarding other visual elements such as
207 [“I like the colour on the front page”]
208 [“Especially the colour. It instantly draws attention”]
209 [“The front page draws you to read further”]
210 [“I like the front page and anything that is attractive”]
211 [When you look at the paper you want to go and buy it]
212 [“The paper entices you; you want to read it. It attracts you, yes“]
213 [“It entices you”]
photographs, a reader indicated that he fnds the photographs explanatory, since he can often conclude what a story is about by just looking at the photograph. This indicates that the newspaper employs its visual and linguistic sign systems successfully to communicate to its audience in a clear manner. He also stated that the pictures are often illuminating, showing him
“what's behind a story”. This again confrms that using visual elements is an important means for tabloids to communicate with their often less educated or illiterate readers (see Allan, 2010:128, 129; Smith, 2007:2–4; Froneman, 2006:26; Opolot, 2005:33). This corresponds with what Johansson (2007:93) suggests regarding the use of visual elements such as photographs (see section 2.4.2). She argues that photographs often function as hooks to illuminate and explain the text to the reader, and it appears that this is also true for Son readers.
5.4.2.2 Language
The newspaper's use of easy, straightforward and colloquial language adds to its attraction signifcantly. This corresponds with the arguments made in chapters 2 and 3 that the use of a more familiar language or in-group code forms a crucial part of a tabloid newspaper’s style.
Readers appear to appreciate the Son's simple and familiar language and they interpret its straightforwardness and direct language as a sign of the paper's honest approach (this aspect will be explored in the following chapter). “Hulle vertel ’n ding net soos dit is,”214 was a 68-year-old housewife's response, and another reader replied that the newspaper “sê nie dinge om ’n draai nie”215 and the newspaper “sê vir jou straight; hy draai nie doekies om nie”.216 A 31-year-old male assistant manager said that he fnds the mainstream Die Burger too formal: “Ek hou van die manier waarop dit geskryf is. Die Son skryf soos die man op straat,”217 was his reason for preferring the language in the tabloid to that in Die Burger, which is mostly aimed at a white, middle-class market. Another respondent said that “die taal is net so lekker plat en ek like dit. Ons praat soos dit daar is, dis nie suiwer nie”.218 A male respondent claimed that he does not care about the way the newspaper speaks to him, as long as he can understand. When asked what she thinks about the language, a reader replied: “Dis hoekom ek die Son mos koop!”219 “Dis mos nou Afrikaans,”220 was another's response. A conversation with a male and a female respondent illustrates these readers' attitudes towards the language use:
214 [“They tell a thing just like it is”]
215 [“It doesn't beat about the bush”]
216 [“It says things straight; it does not beat about the bush”]
217 [“I like the way it's written. The Son writes like the man on the street”]
218 [“The language is down-to-earth and I like it. We talk like that – it's not pure Afrikaans”]
219 [“But that's why I buy the Son!”]
Respondent A: Die taalgebruik is... dis appropriate.
Respondent B: Ja, wees jouself.
Respondent A: Moenie kom sê...
Interviewer: So, as dit dít was, moet jy sê?
Respondent A: Ja.
Interviewer: Rape is rape, dis nie iets anders nie.
Respondent A: Jy kan skryf ‘verkrag’, dan sit jy in hakies ‘rape’.
[See addendum A, E25 for translation]
It is evident from this conversation that the respondents are serious about being informed in their own language. This response was echoed by a fruit seller: “Hulle is mos straightforward. Dis hoe dit is.
Jy moenie hier sit, dan moet jy sê ‘kyk daai vark, kyk hoe druk hy my avokadopeer!’ Die avokadopeer gaan mos af, hy word mos bruin. Jy sê sommer: ‘Nee, maar los! Daai avos is nie vir jou nie, man! Gaan Pick 'n Pay toe en druk daai goed daar, man!”221 The importance these readers place on being informed in their own language became evident when readers replied that they had stopped buying the Daily Voice because it is not in Afrikaans – even though some of them admitted that they fnd the Daily Voice’s content more exciting and pleasing. “Want dis ’n Afrikaanse koerant en ek is Afrikaans,”222 was a reader's response. (The Son must have observed this in its circulation fgures when it still distributed the English version of this newspaper.) Some of the English-speaking readers of the Daily Voice to whom the researcher spoke in search of Son readers indicated that language is a deciding factor for them. It would appear that readers, no matter what newspaper they support, want to be served in their own language. This correlates with what was found in chapters 2 and 3: Son readers want relevant information that is presented to them in a familiar, straightforward and exciting manner.
A 25-year-old male business owner indicated that reading the tabloids broadens his vocabulary, for it includes words with which he is unfamiliar. This suggests that readers who are not literate, fuent in their writing or exposed to more formal written language might gain from paging through or reading the newspaper. These readers probably fall into the group of readers established by the tabloid newspapers in South Africa. It is highly unlikely that readers who have not completed their high school education will be able to comprehend fully all the information offered in the more mainstream newspapers.
Where foul, crude and explicit language is concerned, the respondents did not indicate that they take issue with this style feature. In fact, content that is characterised by crude language in
221 [“They are straightforward. That's how things are. You shouldn’t sit here and say ‘look at that bastard, see how he’s bruising the avocado!’ The avocado goes off, it turns brown. You simply say: ‘Don't touch that! Those aren’t your avos! Go to Pick ’n Pay and bruise the avos there!’”]
222 [“Because it's in Afrikaans and I am Afrikaans”]
particular, such as the stories on the former page three and the letters and answers included in the Antie Mona column, appears to be a main attraction for the respondents in this study – whether they are male or female. One retired male respondent indicated that he does not like the “growwe taalgebruik”,223 and another middle-aged male respondent agreed that the use of foul, crude or explicit language does not appeal to him. They were, however, in the minority.
One last aspect that readers mentioned is relevant to the discussion about presentation. The respondents specifcally mentioned the Son's extensive coverage and follow-up stories. This was also noted in the content analysis: court and high-profle cases especially are covered over several weeks, such as the Tik trio, Najwa Petersen and baby Jordan stories (see section 3.3.1.1). The readers seemingly appreciate the trouble the newspaper goes to in order to provide them with all the details of a story. A fruit seller indicated that this attracts him to the newspaper:
Respondent: Al die inligting. Dis nie ’n ding wat jy nou lees, nou moet jy... dis amper soos ’n leesboek, né?
Interviewer: Ja?
Respondent: Wat jy lees, né?
Interviewer: Ja?
Respondent: Nou eindig hy, nou moet jy wonder, huh? Het daai man en daai vrou nou getrou?
Interviewer: Ja?
Respondent: Het hulle gelukkig saamgebly?
Interviewer: Hulle sê...
Respondent: Of hoe het dit geëindig. Hulle vat hom straight deur.
[See addendum A, E26 for translation]
Other respondents too indicated that they follow stories, and for them these resemble a soap opera. The newspaper offers extensive coverage, providing them with all the details, looking at the story from all angles, and informing them about different aspects. This might be one of the reasons for readers claiming to be fully informed and knowing “all the news” after reading the Son. These stories may be neither long nor intricate, the language might be straightforward and easy to digest, but this does not imply that the tabloid fails to provide its readers with adequate and well-researched stories. On the contrary, the newspaper succeeds in providing readers with relevant stories, while penetrating the underlying issue, investigating events, and providing in- depth coverage (see sections 2.4.8 and 2.4.8.1).