Leaving a Legacy

Nelson Mandela was revered as one of the great leaders

who shaped modern society. After enduring 27 years in

prison for his “offenses”, Mandela helped to end the tyranny

that was white minority rule. However, on December 5, 2013,

the great leader passed away, leaving nations in anguish and

heartbreak. To contribute to the mourning of his death, news

sources presented the event in various fashions as a way of

respecting his legacy, and spreading the word. The Washington Post

for example, described Mandela as a “healer” in its headline

with a peaceful, black and white photograph of Mandela

complementing the honorable statement. This combination

of strategies respectfully, and cleverly, grabs readers’ attention

by playing with their emotions as a way of encouraging individuals

to read more on what they have to say about the respectable man.

To compare, The Miami Herald the event differently. Although they

did mirror the Washington Post by claiming Mandela was an “icon”,

and portraying an image of the peaceful protestor smiling, The

Miami Herald also placed advertisements to products as well

as other news stories on their front page as another way of grabbing

their audience’s attention. However, these advertisements are, in a way,

distracting from the actual topic at hand, which suggests that the news

source does not care as deeply as sources such as the

Washington Post [2 images, 2 links, 2 quotations, 217 words].