Online Digital Publication

The Mail Online

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/index.html

The Mail's layout is fairly similar online to its print version. They both contain a lot of adverts of the front/home page and they both feature a large, often sensationalist, headline with image/s to support the article. Both the print and online version contain copy that is just a taster of the full article. The big differences are that the online version contains more plugs for stories on its homepage than the printed versions front page. Also the online version is a lot more update due to it having the ability to add and update stories whenever necessary.

The purpose of the extra elements online are to make the paper more interactive. It is also to make it easier to use as some older people struggle with technology so the paper still wants their older readers to be able to access the news when printed papers stop being produced.

The news values in the Mail are made clear as their online articles are sensationalist and rarely political or important issues. They have articles about Prince Harry and The Kardashian's. Their political articles are only placed below these celebrity stories, conveying what types of stories the Mail values more. The news values in the online edition do remain the same as the print edition and are still inline with the Tabloid genre - focusing on sensationalist and celebrity stories.

The Guardian

https://www.theguardian.com/uk

The Guardian's online version has similarities to its print. It has an advertisement but rather than being at the bottom in print it is at the top of the website. Both platforms have mastheads with the name of the paper and have a main article at the top. The online platform has plugs down the right-hand side and has up to date weather information on the left-hand side. The online version has a lot more plugs and articles that are accessible easier on its homepage than are on the frontage of the printed version. the online platform has the ability to update the page whenever the editors want to and whenever new stories come in which allows it to be more accurate than the printed edition.

The purpose of the extra digital elements is to make the online publication easier to navigate and not a hassle as to put people off of the paper. It gives the online edition an edge against print because of the constant updates which may make it more appealing to some people.

The news values of The Guardian are made clear by its plethora of political headlines with only a few sports article sin the mix. There are essentially no sensationalist articles as that is not at the core of The Guardian. The Guardian are a broadsheet and so want to report on politics and current affairs rather than bothering with celebrity stories. This is the same in both the online and print versions of this paper and is a convention of this genre of news.

Comparisons:

I think, for both of the papers, the online versions will eventually attract more readers than their print. One of the main reasons for this, I believe, is the accessibility and accuracy of the online versions. They are always there in your pocket or the palm of your hand and can be accessed at any time during the day. The online versions are also free to an extent and so people can get the same news, cheaper and quicker. The online news is more up to date and is also more interactive than the print versions. I think that online editions are most likely becoming popular through young people using that platform more and the rise in users of social media. However, as it currently stands, print newspapers are more popular. I think the older generation prefer to get their news on the print platform as they feel it is more real and they don't have to attempt to navigate technology (something they are notoriously bad at). The Daily Mail does only have a monthly readership of just over double its printed versions Daily readership. The Guardian does have an online readership among adults of over eight and half times its daily readership in print. This is most likely becasue The Guardian has a younger readership that often prefer to use the internet. It is still less than its printed versions readership, however, these numbers of online versions are likely to grow exponentially over the next five to ten years and see the rapid decline of print journalism. 

I think that The Guardian invests more capital in their online platform. This is because, in my opinion, it looks better than the Mail Online. I think that The Guardian invests more online because it is a new paper, in comparison to the Mail, and needs to increase its readership. It is also more popular among young people and so uses the online platform to appeal to them. I don't think the Mail invests as much as The Guardian because it doesn't look as clean and appealing as The Guardian. Also because it is an established newspaper with a high readership, it doesn't need to try as hard to gain readers. Its readership is also in the older demographic and so online journalism is not a priority for them.

Both of the online editions generate income from the placement of advertisements on the page. They will get a percentage of sales from the companies they advertise for. The Guardian also earns money from supporters. It is possible to sign up to be a supporter of The Guardian if you want to keep it going. It costs £5 a month and is similar to how wikipedia earn money through pledges. As well as becoming a monthly supporter you can also make a one-off payment. The Mail does not need as much income from their online platform due to their huge number of readers in their print version. The Guardian makes more attempt to make money because it does not sell as many copies of its paper as The Mail does.

On The Guardian's online platform they have video clips that aid the journalism. The videos allow the words to be articulated into video and so may make the journalistic process easier and quicker. Videos also increase reader loyalty as sometimes videos are easier to understand than words and so readers may enjoy reading the news more. The Guardian also has online versions of their puzzles which may increase loyalty from the people that enjoy the puzzles at the back of the print version. The Mail Online also has videos to aid its journalism. Like before they make it easier to understand what has been written and so may increase reader loyalty.