Newspaper news story research

 Newspaper news story research: blog task

Create ONE blogpost that you return to and update weekly. Call it 'Newspaper news story research'. Then, each week you need to visit the MailOnline website and the Guardian website and choose one story from each to summarise and share. 

Most importantly, you need to do the following on your blogpost for each story...

1. Copy the headline, date and link.
2. Briefly summarise the story in a sentence or two: is this is an example of hard news or soft news? Does it reflect the politics or ideological stance of that newspaper/website?
3. Explain in a sentence how or why this story appeals to the audience of that newspaper (use media terminology and theory if you can). Is it quality journalism or an example of clickbait?

We'll be sharing our stories as a starter each week and this will ensure you build up a range of stories from both CSPs to provide examples to use in exam questions and essays. 

Daily Mail

Headline: “I gave Andrew a naked massage at Buckingham Palace… the £75 bill was paid by the Royal Family’s Coutts bank cheque”

Date: Published: 01:05, 24 February 2026 | Updated: 07:38, 24 February 2026

Link: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15585907/Andrew-naked-massage-Buckingham-Palace-Royal-Family-Coutts-bank.html

Brief Summary + Hard or Soft News

This story reports claims from a masseuse about giving Prince Andrew a private massage in Buckingham Palace and alleges it was paid using Royal funds. This is soft news because it focuses on scandal, celebrity gossip, and sensational personal details rather than major political policy or public affairs. It reflects the Daily Mail’s conservative and populist ideology, which often criticises elites and the Royal Family while also using scandal to attract readership.

Audience Appeal + Journalism Quality

This story appeals to the Daily Mail’s mass-market audience through sensationalism, shock value, and celebrity scandal; what Blumler & Katz’s Uses and Gratifications Theory would call entertainment and diversion. It also uses clickbait-style framing (“naked massage… paid by cheque”) to provoke curiosity and emotional reaction. This leans more toward tabloid journalism / clickbait rather than quality journalism because it emphasises scandal and voyeurism over balanced reporting.

Guardian

Headline: “Farhan has Hundred hopes despite Indian owners not signing Pakistan players”

Date: Mon 23 Feb 2026 15.09 GMT

Link: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/feb/23/pakistan-sahibzada-farhan-contract-hundred-indian-owned-teams-ecb-cricket

Brief Summary + Hard or Soft News

This story reports that Pakistani cricketer Sahibzada Farhan hopes to play in The Hundred despite rumours that Indian-owned teams may avoid signing Pakistani players because of political tensions. It also includes comments from the England and Wales Cricket Board about preventing discrimination.

This is hard news within sport journalism because it focuses on fairness, governance, and geopolitical issues affecting sport rather than gossip or entertainment. It reflects the Guardian’s liberal ideology by highlighting equality, accountability, and global political context.

Audience Appeal + Journalism Quality

This story appeals to the Guardian’s educated, socially aware audience by focusing on ethics in sport and institutional responsibility, which fits Blumler & Katz’s Uses and Gratifications theory through surveillance and information. It includes player quotes, governing-body responses, and historical context, showing balanced reporting. This leans toward quality journalism rather than tabloid reporting because it prioritises investigation, context, and fairness instead of sensationalism, unlike more populist coverage such as the Daily Mail.