Student: Good morning/afternoon.

Today I am going to be examining the text

structures and language features of a print-based and web-based media
article. Both produce representations that unfairly encourage readers to view a
recent musical festival in a negative light. The representations constructed in
the article ultimately disempower the performers and the attendees of the
festival. [CLICK]

[CLICK]
The print news media text Town caught between rock-n-roll and a hard place
was found in The Daily Truth. The article focuses heavily on the negative
community response to the Pedal to the metal music festival. [CLICK] The web-
based news media text, Heavy music festival not worth its mettle is taken from
the QLD Announcer website. Similarly, it focuses on the negative effects of the
festival.

While both texts use similar text structures and language features, including
negative headlines, images and caption to encourage unfavourable responses
to the festival and its attendees, the web-based news media text includes
additional interactive content that favours a stronger negative reaction. This
web article disempowers attendees of the festival and performers, and could
encourage wide spread opposition to the continuation of the Pedal to the
Metal festival.[CLICK]

Analyse how text structures and language features invite audience responses
and communicate perspectives
1. [CLICK] Obviously the first element that drew my attention in the print
text was the large headline, at the top of the page. [CLICK] The headline
is a play on words, which suggests that music is somehow causing
problems for a town.
2. After having read the headline, I scanned the images and captions.
[CLICK] The written and visual information confirms that a music festival
is causing problems for the town of Greenhill.
In the captions, attendees are described as a dark tide. [CLICK] The
metaphor evokes feelings of fear and represents the festival-goers as a
sinister force. Pictured performers are described as ghouls. [CLICK] The
word choice is disempowering for performers and attendees alike,
representing them in inhuman terms. [CLICK]

3. [CLICK] After scanning the headline, images and captions, I found myself
having a second look at the images presented in the article to process
the finer visual details. Both seem to enforce the idea that the festival is
somehow sinister or menacing. Both images feature dark colours and a
huge audience in the foreground. The image of performers is taken at
slight low angle, making them seem intimidating. The image of the
audience features them at a moment of unity that makes them look
almost like an organised mob, which does look quite alarming.
4. [CLICK] Having already been positioned to view the event as negative,
imposing and sinister, I read the article for further details.
5. [CLICK] Throughout the article, quotes from community members
highlight the negative community response to the event. It is important
to note that there are no quotes from actual attendees of the event. The
fact that they are not given voice by the article is very disempowering
for performers and attendees. The writer of the article uses language
features such as idiom, hyperbole and extended noun groups to describe
the event and its attendees in negative terms. There is one exception to
the generally negative representation of the festival, where it is
suggested the festival does bring additional business to the town,
however a quote from the mayor suggests the additional business is not
worth the inconvenience of the festival.
6. [CLICK] In this print news article, attendees and performers are
ultimately disempowered. They are described in disparaging terms,
represented as sinister and of significant inconvenience to Greenhill.
[CLICK]

1. Like the print-based news article I read, the first thing that drew my
attention in the web article was the large headline, at the top of the
article. [CLICK] The headline uses a pun to suggest that the music
festival is of limited value.
2. After having read the headline, I examined the image and caption.
[CLICK] As there was only one image in the body of the web-article, I
looked at it closely and noticed that, similar to the print-based article,
dark tones and negative captions were used. The performer shown in
the article is described as a wild man. [CLICK] This makes the performer
seem intimidating and lacking in self control. By association the reader is
prompted to view the festival as dangerous and possibly out of control.
3. While examining the image attached to the article, I also scanned the
related video screen shots and video descriptions. [CLICK] The screen
shots displayed alarming images, such as overflowing rubbish bins and a
large, almost violent-looking crowd. The video titles are also alarming.
[CLICK] The selection of the word Aftermath in a video describing
clean-up following the festival, has strong word associations with
descriptions of natural disasters and is likely to evoke a negative
emotional response. [CLICK]

3. Next, I read the lead [CLICK] and found that, similar to the print text,
attendees were represented [CLICK] as an intimidating mob who adversely
affected Greenhill. While reading the lead, my attention was drawn to blue-
coloured hyperlinks. [CLICK] After examining the hyperlinks, I felt that a
stronger and more negative perspective of the event had been developed in
this particular article. [CLICK] I clicked on the links included within the lead,
which are entitled Greenhill [CLICK] and Pedal to the Metal [CLICK] . The
hyperlinks took me to two very different, related sites. The Greenhill link led to
an interactive map of Greenhill [CLICK] with places of interest tagged. I clicked
on the tagged photos which featured descriptions of naturally beautiful
locations and tourist spots near the town. On the other hand, the Pedal to the
metal hyperlink [CLICK] linked me to an earlier article produced by the QLD
announcer, entitled Reign of chaos. I skimmed the article and noticed that it
had included strongly adverse descriptions of the event. [CLICK]

4. When reading the rest of the article [CLICK] I noted that it also did not
include any quotations that gave voice to attendees of the festival. [CLICK] The
article was shorter than its print-based counterpart, but tended to use
frequent expressions of judgment to describe the event in a negative manner.
One interesting choice in subject matter was a claim that police had made an
undisclosed number of arrests at the festival, which seemed to imply that
festival attendees were linked to antisocial behaviour. More than an
inconvenience, the web article suggested that the attendees harmed the fabric
of Greenhill society!
5. After having read the article, I went back to the related content section and
watched each short video. [CLICK] The videos both featured extremely
negative depictions of the event and its attendees. [CLICK] Each made hostile
remarks about the behaviour of attendees and the mess left in the wake of the
festival. The arrangement and presentation of information as well as the
language features used by the text author combined to position me to accept
that the festival and its attendees were a blight on society. [CLICK]

6. For me, the article had generated great interest about the event. This
prompted me to examine [CLICK] the comments section directly beneath the
web article. I instantly saw two negative, abusive comments about the festival.
[CLICK] After clicking the read all comments hyperlink I noticed a mixture of
opinions. [CLICK] However, the fact that two negative comments are placed in
clear view of the article, doesnt seem to create an adequate distinction
between the perspectives of the web-article and the opinions of readers. The
website designers moderate all comments and could perhaps choose not to
publish such hostile comments as the two featured on the same page as the
actual news article.
7. [CLICK] A range of elements combine in this web article to represent the
festival and attendees in a negative manner. The festival is constructed as
hazardous to the idyllic town of Greenhill and its attendees are frequently
represented as antisocial criminals. The perspective that the festival and its
attendees bring nothing but trouble social and environmental to the
town is clear. The representations of Pedal to the Metal strip the festival and
its attendees of any social value, which is disempowering for those involved
with the festival. [CLICK]

Comparison and evaluation
[CLICK] The print news article, Town caught between rock-n-roll and a hard
place, describes the Pedal to the Metal festival as a somehow sinister event
that inconveniences the town of Greenhill. Likewise, its attendees are
described as an odd and ghastly group. This is certainly disempowering to the
festival and its attendees. [CLICK]
The web-based news article, Heavy music festival not worth its mettle, conveys
a similarly negative perspective on the festival [CLICK] but emphasises that the
festival has hazardous and long-standing negative consequences. The video
content related to the article accentuates this idea, as do hyperlinks, which
show Greenhill in a pristine state. When the related video content and
hyperlinks depicting Greenhill are considered together, the idea that the
festival ruins natural environments is accentuated. Similarly, related video
content and hyperlinks combine to represent the festival attendees as violent
and criminal. The sample comments featured on the web page article use
hostile language to support both of these perspectives. [CLICK]

[CLICK] The strident disapproval of the festival and its attendees, which
features in the web article, encourages strong negative emotional responses to
the festival. The article does not include any interviews with attendees or
performers, which may have served to provide some indication about the
value of the festival. Instead, the one-sided account strips the event and its
attendees of any social value to justify and strengthen the articles negative
stance towards the event. The inclusion of comment functions provides people
with a cue to share their opinions, but as the news website targets an adult
audience it is unlikely that the comment function will be used by attendees of
the event to tell their side of the story. [CLICK] This web article could play a
significant part in swaying public opinion against the Pedal to the Metal
festival, and preventing festivals like it, travelling to regional towns. [CLICK]
Thanks for listening and remember to always be a critical reader of news
media.