500 word essay: Malaysian Flight

            Kelsey Flinchbaugh

            For the purpose of this Blog Post, I located and read three articles in three different newspapers that included the same story.  Although each paper discussed the same issue, each one approached it in a different way. This form of research most likely proved that a newspaper’s where the paper is printed, its target audience, and readily available information, molds the story and influences what the reader takes away from it.

            The first newspaper that I located was The Reading Eagle. This paper targets the Central Pennsylvania area. It usual includes a wide variety of local stories, such as malls being built, the effects of recent weather conditions, and small town heroes. However, in today’s paper, The Reading Eagle also ran an article discussing the very controversial and ongoing investigation of Flight MH370 on page A4.  As many recall, the world first heard about the Malaysian plane allegedly disappearing off the face of the Earth and have since been anxiously waiting more information with greater detail. The Reading Eagle article that was written by The Associated Press, titled, “Prime Minister: Plane went down in Indian Ocean,” discussed the recent findings of the worldwide mystery. The article read in a factual way then added quotes from grief stricken family members. In the beginning, its goal was to inform the reader of the most recent information that officials have released. The article included a quote from Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, stating, “It is therefore with deep sadness and regret that I must inform you that, according to this new data, Flight MH370 ended in the southern Indian Ocean.” The article also informed the reader that the search for plane debris is ongoing but was recently put on hold due to weather conditions.  A small photograph of crewmembers inside a British military plane in search for debris is included. After the factual information, I believe the article added a great deal of ethos. For example, it included reactions from grief stricken family members that were gathered in a Beijing hotel, listening to Najib Razak give the latest in his broadcast. There is a graphic scene describing a mother grieving her son’s unexpected death by screaming and crying, “My son! My son!” And a quote provided by the girlfriend of an American passenger who wrote in an email, “I need closure to be certain…” and “I still feel his presence…” A large color photograph of a man holding his face in agony is in the article. The article also provided a text box on the left hand side with quick, important details to answer any questions including the latest news, the plane’s last position, if there were any survivors, who is suspected of crashing the plane and how they may have done it, and what debris is floating in the Indian Ocean.

            The second newspaper article that addressed the Malaysian flight tragedy was located in USA Today, on page 6A. This article, titled, “In Malaysia Jet Mystery, the Where is Closer than the Why,” read drastically different compared to the above story. Instead of opening the article by immediately providing hard-hitting facts, it opened with a sentence that said the world is discussing possible scenarios that could have played a hand in the missing airplane’s plummet into sea. The staff writer briefly included one sentence summarizing Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak’s announcement on Monday, March 24. The lack of focus on the broadcast told the reader that the possible scenarios are extremely important to consider since they are discussed the rest of the article. The article went on to elaborate on the theories that have arisen: hijacking, pilot suicide, and mechanical malfunction. A helpful tactic the writer used was comparing the Malaysian Flight to previous flights that lead to plain crashes into oceans regarding each theory. The article concluded with two possible objectives: Locating the aircraft and piecing together what happened is extremely important and that this worldwide hunt for a missing jet should never happen again because “it’s possible to stream real-time location information and other data.” Although it did not put a strong emphasis on factual information, the article addressing the possible scenarios was still relevant to the story and provoked interest in the reader.

            The final article that I read was located in The New York Times, on the front page and A10. The article, titled, “Jet Fell Into Ocean With All Lost, Premier Says,” was written by Thomas Fuller and Chris Buckley, and included a plethora of detailed and descriptive information for the reader. First of all, displaying the story on the front page of The New York Times convinces the reader that the issue is extremely important. The article began by saying a British satellite company used Doppler radar technology to determine that the flight ended in the middle of the Indian Ocean, a method that has apparently never been used to locate a sunken aircraft. Similar to the first two newspaper articles, the broadcast made by the Prime Minister was discussed. However, this article went into much greater detail by providing not only quotes from grieving family members, but also a quote from a popular Chinese social critic, a former Boeing instructor pilot, an oceanographer at the University of New South Wales, and a commander who serves as an operation officer in the Seventh Fleet. By including all five opinions, the article gave the reader a wider perspective of the situation and gives the article credibility. The article analyzed why the flight could have plummeted and what officials are doing now to recover the plane. A picture of the Indian Ocean and a key is provided to show the reader the plane’s possible flight paths, what areas have already been searched, and what areas are going to be searched in the very near future. Also included, is a detailed description of the grieving family member’s reactions to the Prime Minister announcing that all lives are most likely lost. The article reads, “A few people in the hotel ballroom in Beijing collapsed and were put on stretchers and taken to the parking lot, which was full of police cars and ambulances.” This description makes the reader sympathize with the family members.

            In comparing these three newspaper articles from The Reading Eagle, USA Today, and The New York Times, it is evident that where the paper is printed, its target audience, and its ability to get information drastically alters the message of the story. The first article provided factual information almost the whole way through and ended strong with emotional quotes. The second article focused only partially on the facts, mainly addressed possible reason why the crash occurred, and provided no quotes from outside sources. It felt a little more conversational than the other articles. Whereas the last story provided the most information, with the greatest amount of detail, the most credible and primary sources, and an emotional tie to the family members. In conclusion, The New York Times, in my humble opinion, wrote the best article because it provided any and all information that the reader may look for.