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Blink Twice and You'll Miss It

Today is March 28, 2022, of my weekly front-page observations. As of last week, I noticed a shift in Oceania news. Initially, when I began this journey, most papers relied on topics such as the pandemic. I grew weary about my choice to follow Oceania newspapers for fear of lacking in variety. However, among a few of the covers, I noticed the importance of highlighting sports for their readers. It led me to conclude that I was doomed to cover more of the pandemic with a mix of sports from week to week. Yet, when I approached my second week, I noticed a shift in covered topics. They felt personal and incredibly resourceful in some facets. One paper whose front cover has remained the same as last week is The Press, one of two papers located in New Zealand. They made sure to emphasize the poverty crisis. Focusing on this issue suggests that their readers care about covered topics affecting local communities.



As I near the end, more unique headlines are standing in the world of Oceania media. The West Australian, the only newspaper covering Australia today, is narrowing in on a "federal scheme to help an extra 50,000 families." Despite the usage of the word "scheme," the excerpt detailing the article states that "[the] Home Guarantee Scheme [will] help more Australians into their own homes and ease cost-of-living." Just as they are in America, two of these issues are some that plague voters. As Australians approach their voting day, I can only imagine how vital hearing this news is to the citizens. Especially those that are in dire need of their own homes. This excerpt takes up most of the front cover with bright red font and white outlining that catches the eye. The West Australian wants its readers, new and old, to take notice of the subject presented to them.


Elsewhere in Oceania, specifically Fiji, both papers seem to take the same approach. Each splits its front pages in half with incredible sports feats and harrowing moments of dialogue. The Fiji Times splits its front page in half (horizontally) with a sports win on top and "draconian provisions" on the bottom. The large photo of two teams in action takes up most of the top half. It has a white font that details the win for the local Fijian derby team. While the headline "Draconian Provisions" is in a grey font on the lower half, on a large scale. Now take the Fiji Sun, which splits its page in half (vertically) with a story spotlighting a specific athlete on the left and a horrible tragedy involving a mother and son on the right. Each takes unique approaches to capture its audience's attention. The Fiji Times creates a horrifying image with its choice of words, and Fiji Sun plays on emotions to make the reader empathize with the loss of a mother and her baby. However, the one striking difference between the two editorials is the legibility of the excerpt from the article in The Fiji Times. Underneath the giant headline, the words are ridiculously tiny and in a light grey that is almost too difficult to read. I can't help but notice that the paper wants the reader to feel impacted by the headline, yet not the knowledge that belongs to it.


In the end, I have been watching these papers for three weeks. Some have changed while others haven't. I believe that the covers today show the balance that news outlets face every day. From showcasing sports to meat and potatoes issues, today's front pages have displayed the appropriate way to pull in new and old readers.


[1 image, 2 links, 3 quotes, 3510 words]

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