Difference between Newspaper and Magazine Journalism

(Sahar Riaz, Rawalpindi)

Newspaper journalism:
A newspaper is a publication that is issued daily or weekly and includes local and international news stories, advertisements, announcements, opinions, cartoons, sports news and television listings. It is important methods of letting the public know everything that is happening in their local area and around the world. Even with the advancements in computer technology, newspapers continue to be an important aspect of everyday life. Newspapers are written in columns, they are more formal
more political and general on things that have happened.

Each story has its own "headline" and a "by-line" giving the name of the reporter who wrote the story. Every newspaper story has to answer the following questions:
1. Who? - Who is involved in the story?
2. What? - What is the story about?
3. Where? - Where does the story take place?
4. When? - When does the story take place?
5. Why? - Why is this happening? (This is not always possible to answer)
6. How? - How this story happened.

Magazine journalism:
Magazine journalism uses the traditional journalism tools of interviews, background research and writing to produce articles for magazines. Magazine, a publication issued at regular intervals, usually weekly or monthly, containing articles stories , photographs, advertisement, and other features, with a page size that is usually smaller than that of a newspaper but larger that that of a book. Magazine journalism differs from newspaper journalism as newspapers have a very broad audience with widely varying ages and interests confined to one metropolitan area. Magazines have a national audience who has a very specialized interest in one particular topic.

Differences between the two:
Approach:
Approach plays a major role between these two as the newspapers focuses more of what is needed: fixed and straight to the point. The magazines on the other hand tend to be more “freestyle” in the sense. The information throws up into various dimensions in magazines. They are more relaxed and practices well on the freedom that they are given.

Content:
What the newspapers basically offers are information that are fresh written on a straight and no-none sense type. It is based mostly on facts that are fresh and written as it happens, where it happens. Magazines’ content is different in the sense that those touches on just a specific subject matter. A magazine for fishing cannot have a content which talks about fashion and beauty tips. Newspapers can easily put those topics together easily inside its miscellaneous or hobby section and still makes sense.
The value of each content are also different as the newspaper tends to rely more on what is important and what are those things that the reader would want all written in a precise and straight manner. Content wise, the newspapers’ are way too serious than of the magazines’.

Divisions:
A large difference can be easily seen in this factor as the newspapers presents immediately in its front page the facts and information for its readers while the magazines’ cover page focuses on the various “must-read” pieces of information and appeals to the readers to turn that page and look for that specific story. Divisions inside the newspapers are more specific and tend to vary from one subject matter to another. Magazines’ main target otherwise is on a single or maybe two subject matters alone. In newspapers, there’s business, sports, local and foreign news, whereas the magazines does not have and rarely do have them. The newspapers are more versatile in its division than magazines.

Readability:
Newspapers reader is mostly exposed on facts and figures that are delivered or written in a straight manner. A magazines reader is treated to a more relaxed, free, artistic and “personalized” flow of information. A magazines writer tends to practice his or her writing craft more freely than a newspapers writer. Since newspapers most content are news, much of it won’t be of any use by the next day unlike magazines which can be read anytime even after a week. The newspaper is as good as one day use unlike the magazine which has to wait for its next issue to be considered that old.

Advertising:
Business wise, both tend to attract advertising but in doing so, magazines has some stiff advantage over newspapers. Advertisements in magazines tend to attract a “recall value” among its readers since they look much appealing and colorful with all their glossy pages. On the other hand, being given the fact that newspapers are circulated on a daily basis gives the notion that the same sells more than the weekly magazines.

Additionally, advertising on a magazine is way too costly than on a newspaper. Magazines at times, although not most of, tend to reside more on the advertising than the informing aspect.

Target audiences:
Newspaper targets everyone. Magazines also follow that trend type but what they do is classify them. It deals more on the identity of the audience. A sports magazine cannot be that appealing to a reader who’s so fond of tech stuffs. A magazine audience is more identified than of the newspaper.

Literary freedom:
A magazine writer has more freedom to express or has more room for subjectivity. Magazine writers have the freedom to express things on a creative manner. It further enhances the writers’ mastery of the expression through self expression. The newspaper writer on the other hand are compounded to a somewhat strict, strong and straight to the point view as their movements are mostly based on facts and figures.

Articles:
A magazine always has a feature article and a picture-usually of the subject featured- boldly pasted on the cover of the magazine. A newspaper might have a feature article but it does not have pictures in front of it

Hard news VS soft news:
Newspapers produce a substantial amount of content ranging from hard news stories to entertainment pieces and feel-good tales. As news is always breaking around the world, newspapers are never short of content. Magazines tend to focus on entertainment pieces and features about certain subjects within their chosen magazine subject called soft news.

Magazine writing lies between a work of fiction and hard news reporting. The magazine article can have all the entertainment value of fiction, using plot, scenes, characters and description. At the same time, the magazine journalist presents interesting, topical information – hard facts gained from research and interviews.

Publication:
Newspapers have the sole purpose of providing readers with the most up-to-date news from around the world. To maintain reader interest, newspapers must publish on a daily basis to ensure their information is up to date and relevant. Magazines tend to focus on entertainment pieces and features. Due to the cost of publication and limited information they have to produce, magazines are published either monthly or bimonthly.

Magazine as a support for Newspaper
Magazine is published along with the newspapers weekly or monthly. They support the newspaper publication by providing subjective understanding of issues rather than factual reporting.

In-depth understanding:
Magazines are a support for newspaper as they generally go more in-depth into stories than newspapers, trying to give the reader an understanding of the context surrounding important events, rather than just the facts.

Attraction:
Magazines are important as they are in color so the reader is kept captivated. It adds to the preference of reading newspaper as it appeals audiences through its presentation. There are different kinds of material for all ages, but teenagers read more magazines than any other age group so they are probably more stuff concerning them. Magazines are vibrant, have a lot of pictures, graphics, important life-saving information that could help us in life.

Preference for reading:
People also tend to read magazines at a slow rate, typically over a couple of days, so they offer an opportunity to use detailed copy. The magazine format also allows more creative variety through multiple pages and other features. It increases the readability of newspaper as well because the interest is developed through magazine.

Public-opinion:
It helps newspaper publication to get public opinion about different issues prevalent in the society through letters, comments and suggestions. It helps in improving magazine publication along with newspaper publication.

Specified information:
Specified magazines are designed to provide a single source through which readers can catch up on news, current events, and hot topics. They are more focused and the reader gets detailed information on a single issue as comapred to various events published in the newspaper.

Sahar Riaz
About the Author: Sahar Riaz Read More Articles by Sahar Riaz: 32 Articles with 63306 views Being a professional designer and animator, I have completed my studies in designing i-e graphic designing, web designing and animation. Specializatio.. View More