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COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF EDITORIALS PUBLISHED IN TOP-
THREE ENGLISH DAILIES DURING LOCKDOWN
Ms Devika Chhibber
Assistant Professor, University Institute of Media Studies, Chandigarh University, Punjab, India
ABSTRACT
Editorial of any newspaper is considered to be the expression and opinion of a newspaper on
the ongoing issues of any country or state. The purpose of editorial is to inform, aware,
criticise, persuade and reflect the readers in the entertaining, informing or alarming manner.
In the present context the world is experiencing a global outbreak in the form of corona virus.
Since its declaration of Pandemic covid-19 has been the word spread as fire. It is the most
searched word on internet and is the most trending word on different social media platforms.
In its press conference WHO director even declared the COVID-19 as pandemic and
infodemic. Pertaining to the current issues it will be interesting to explore, that in the current
scenario how top three English dailies are covering different issues. The current study aims to
explore the opinions framed and discussed amidst the first week of lockdown in India. The
study also aims to identify the nature and tone of editorial published. Most importantly the
study will also discuss and analyse the views of view makers.
Keywords: Editorial, Newspaper, The Times of India, The Hindustan Times, The Hindu,
content analysis, covid-19, Lockdown, Economy, health, India
I. INTRODUCTION
Since its introduction, Mass media became a prime source of mass
communication fulfilling the ICE needs of user viz. Information,
communication and Entertainment. Various media channels play key role in
framing and reflecting opinions and ideologies on different issues. From the
past Newspapers have been the most economical and reached out source of
mass information. Newspapers are also termed as old or conventional
media. The first newspaper of India was launched in the year 1780 by
James Augustus Hickey popularly known as Hickey’s Gazette. From 1780
to 2020 we have crossed more than two centuries and in all these years
there has been uprising growth of newspaper industry in India. Currently
there are 1, 18,239 registered publications with Registrar of Newspapers for
India (RNI) as on March 31, 2018. Over the two centuries the newspaper
industry has evolved better. The infusion of internet and digital media
technology was initially considered as a threat by some media Pundits. All
these prophecies of Newspapers farewell came to halt when IRS data was
released in the q1 2019. It highlighted that newspaper readership has grown
from 407 million in 2017 to 425 million in 2019. The current growth rate of
Vernacular press is 5.7 percent whereas the English Newspapers witnessed
10 percent growth rate.
All these up surging numbers of readership of newspapers symbolises the
growth rate of Newspaper industry in India. On the other hand, other
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developed economies countries like U.S, U.K, Germany, and Australia have
witnessed a declined in the newspaper circulation and readership.
In India in comparison to other mass media, newspapers have the wide
reader and circulation base. Newspapers dailies are published in different
editions and carry news, interviews, opinions and analysis on different
subjects like health, sports, politics, science, business etc.The present study
is focused only on Editorial Article of the editorial section of the
newspaper. Editorials are regarded as the most opinion genre of newspaper.
They are often written by the senior Editors, Bureaucrats, political leaders,
academicians and leaders of different sections.
In the words of Frank Moraes, First Indian editor of The Times of India
“Editorial plays major role of a critique in a democracy when the
ruling government is strong and opposition is weak. Editorials then
become the principal representative of opposition”
What is an Editorial?
An Editorial is a leading opinion in the form of article which reflects and
represents the viewpoint of newspaper on different issues. Editorials are
mostly written in the middle division of the newspaper titled as Comment,
The viewpoint, Editorial, Opinion, Edit Page etc. They are considered to be
an expression given by an individual or an institute which is considered
relevant for the people at large. Opinions and views expressed in editorials
frame the mindset of readers. Content of an Editorial differ from newspaper
to newspaper. Basic editorial structure is divided in three parts:
Introduction, Body and conclusion. Common features of an Editorial:
1. Editorials are critical in nature; they by default tend to represent both the
sides of the story and are not very applauding or appreciating in nature.
2. Editorials are persuasive as they persuade the readers by setting up an
agenda to ponder upon.
3. Editorial arguments are generally supported by facts and figures.
4. Editorial talk about current issues timely and not just the persons.
5. Editorial comprises of positive tone in the form of constructive criticism.
6. Editorials are clear and reflect the viewpoint of the newspaper on the
current issue.
Types of editorials
The nature of Editorials can be classified in to eight broad categories:
1. Appreciative: As the name suggests they are applauding in nature and
admire organisations for their work. However they are not common in
nature.
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2. Critical: These editorials constructively critics the works, action, policies
and decisions made in a democracy and also mention the possible solutions.
The main purpose is to aware the readers about the larger issues.
3. Interpretative: These editorials reflect newspaper take on different
societal issues and it also highlights the possible solutions to be taken by
the concerned authorities.
4. Persuasive: These editorials aim to generate a positive frame of mind
among readers and persuade them to think in the desired direction.
5. Campaign Editorials: They are generally written by opinion leaders from
different fields which highlights the support towards ongoing programmes.
6. Advocacy Editorials: These editorials are focused on advocating any
particular social issue and they seek support and contribution towards
common cause.
7. Academic Editorials: They are written by academicians and represent the
facts and figures associated towards the current cause or issue.
8. Satirical: This is the most common editorial practice of The Times of
India. The article is written with a comic tone which eases the heaviness of
the issue.
The present study is aimed to examine the Editorial articles published in top
three English newspapers as per MRUC q32019 data. The newspapers
selected are From March 24, 2020 to March 31, 2020. In India, lockdown
was announced by the Honourable Prime Minister of India on March 24,
2020 to suppress the impact of corona virus in India. Corona virus is a
highly infectious virus which has been declared as a pandemic by WHO on
March11, 2020.
This time period is selected as to analyse the viewpoint of the leading
English newspapers after the lockdown was announced. How they have
represented and treated different issues in the editorials?
Research Objectives:
1. To identify the issues covered in Editorial of top three English Dailies.
2. To identify the nature of Editorial published
3. To explore the tone of Editorial Published.
3. To identify Visual and graphical presentation used.
4. To analyse the Headlines of Editorials.
5. To identify the most dominant topic covered.
II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE
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Editorial is considered to be the most intellectual piece of any newspaper.
We have selected four reviews for the present study which have conducted
content analysis on different issues of Editorials.
Azees Abdul (2012) conducted a study on content analysis of editorials of
Mathrubhumi; the study discussed the relevance of editorials in framing
public opinion on different issues. The issues can range from local to
international depending upon the edition of newspaper selected. The
researcher studied three month editorials and categorised the issues and
their frequency to analyse the results. The study identified the major subject
areas covered in the newspaper were politics, Sociology, Economics,
Defence, public Administration with the majority focusing on social science
or societal issues.
Tanker (1999) conducted a content analysis on the Economic and Political
weekly for a year January 1 to December 31, 1999. The study analysed the
trend of the editorials published in the leading political publication.
Editorials published during the time period were associated with social
causes indirectly and directly linked to the political and economy of the
country.
Luenburg (2002) conducted a content analysis on the Dutch newspaper’s
editorial articles. 2345 news articles were studied. The study reflected that a
different ideology is presented in context to the ongoing situations to
persuade the reader. The motivation of article is driven by the personal
motivation of the organisation.
Afzal. N and Harun. M (2015) conducted a study on Discourse analysis of
leading editorials on portrayal of Uprising in Libya and Syria. Two
mainstream newspapers the news International of Pakistan and Arab news
of Saudi Arabia were selected two identify representation of the uprising in
different cultural settings. The qualitative data analysis was conducted
which revealed that editorials are most rigorous source in shaping any
critical opinion and understanding of the issue and it highly impacts the
public opinion.
This review has helped the author in selecting the research methodology
and gaining insight of the present topic. The present study will analyse the
editorial article of top 3 English newspapers only and will help to
understand the importance and relevance of editorials in the present time.
III. METHODOLOGY
In the present study content analysis method is selected on the basis of
review of literature. In the study both quantitative and qualitative aspects
will be analysed. Editorial Article will be unit of Analysis in which the
Text, tone and visuals will be analysed. It will be helpful in understanding
the social significance and representation of editorial article.
Sample of the Study
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Sample of the study is selected on the basis of Indian readership survey data
collected by MRUC of quarter 3 of 2019. Top three English Dailies are
selected viz. The Times of India, Hindustan times and The Hindu. Editorial
articles published during these eight days in the newspapers will be
analysed.
Time frame of the study
Selected time frame for the present study is March 24, 2020 to March 31
ST
2020. The lockdown was announced in India on March 24, 2020 hence this
time is selected and also March 31
st
is the end of financial year. Hence it
will be intriguing to know what were the major issues covered in the
Editorial Articles during the first week of lockdown.
Analysis Parameters
The Editorial article is analysed on the basis of text, tone and visual
presentation. Text is broadly classified into Issue covered, word count,
keyword density, Author. Tone is calculated on the basis of classification of
nature of editorial and a sentiment analysis was conducted online to identify
the positive, negative or neutral output of the editorial article. Visual
Presentation includes the use of Graphic or picture presentation along with
the article.
IV. ANALYSIS
Total of 29 editorial articles were analysed for eight days from March 24,
2020 to March 31, 2020. The Times of India and The Hindu carry a
different layout for Sunday edition which consists of different in-house
columns. Hence no editorial was calculated for that day i.e. March 29,
2020.
4.1 Text Analysis
Total Number of words in Editorial Article
Dates
TOI
HT
The Hindu
24-03-2020
984
1084
1638
25-03-2020
917
923
1503
26-03-2020
887
914
1487
27-03-2020
945
952
1477
28-03-2020
887
913
1471
29-03-2020
0
987
0
30-03-2020
896
910
1765
31-03-2020
892
995
1677
TOTAL
6408
7678
11018
Grand total
25104
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Percentage
26%
31%
44%
The Hindu published most lengthy and information based factual article
with in-depth coverage to the issues whereas the times of India and
Hindustan Times gives an average of 900 words each for their editorial
article. Total percentage of The Hindu is more as compared to the
Hindustan times and the times of India.
4.2 Author of Article
In the collected data the editorial article submitted can be broadly classified
in four categories viz. In-house editorial, Academician, Politician and
Corporate. In times of India most of the articles are submitted by in-house
Senior Editors like Sagarika Ghose, Bachi Kakaria etc which reflects the
truest opinion of the newspaper. In case of Hindustan times most of the
articles are contributed by senior research fellows and academicians of
different universities and research institutes, whereas in the Hindu the
contribution is mix of corporate, politician and Academician.
4.3 Issues Covered
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
TOI
HT
HINDU
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The above table represent the issues covered in the three dailies after the
Lockdown. On an Average all there were three common issues which were
covered differently on different days by the newspapers. The prominent
issues were Economy, Health and Politics. Both national and International
aspects were discussed in the common issues.
4.4 Keyword Density
Dates
The Times of India
The Hindustan times
The Hindu
Mar24
china, world, people
impact, covid-19
slums, population, covid-
19, average
Covid-19, India, health,
economy
Mar25
politicians, parliament,
corona virus, covid-19,
people
economic activity, health
care, income transfer,
supply demand
covid-19, health,
covid-19 response,
china, Italy, health care
Mar 26
medical council of India,
MCI, Doctors, medical,
battle
covid-19, state
government, lockdown,
food need, India
economic impact,
financial market,
external demand,
corona virus,
expenditure, India
Mar 27
HIV, aids, covid-19,
control
pollution, covid-19, crisis,
climate change, work
from home
Lockdown,
government, Kerala,
government, budget
management, covid-19
pandemic
Mar 28
corona virus, social,
class, India,
covid-19, India, China,
Democracy, Janta curfew
social security,
lockdown, ration,
Public Distribution
system,
Mar 29
---------------
crisis, political, covid-19,
health, Indian state,
pandemic, Indian politics
-------------
Mar 30
corona virus, spitting,
public, India, social
science, scientific, virus,
public
global politics,
leadership,
Mar 31
countries, India, work
from home, lockdown,
economy
Lockdown. India, People,
infected, corona virus
covid-19,
The keyword density was calculated on the basis of frequency of repetition
of the words in the Editorial. The keywords used by The Times of India
were Corona virus, covid-19, India, Lockdown, Medical. The average
keyword used in the Hindustan Times were covid-19, Health, Corona
Virus, Political,, State, government etc. The prominent keywords of the
Hindu were covid-19, pandemic, economy, politics, government, lockdown,
Health, India. Covid-19, corona virus, health, economy and politics were
the common keywords.
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V. TONE ANALYSIS
5.1 Tone of the Editorial
Most of the articles are written in constructive positive tone. The analysis
was conducted online through sentiment analysis in which textual tone was
automatically calculated. The Hindu is the only newspaper which 3 out of
seven times present neutral opinion and represent the facts. The editorials
published in Hindustan Times are highly positive which may be due to
interference of newspaper management. Among the three the Hindu
represents most balance tone of editorial write-up.
5.2 Tone of The headline
Headlines used in all the three newspapers are written in Neutral and a
negative tone only. Only once In the Hindu one outcome of headline came
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
TOI HT The Hindu
Graphic
Images
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Positive Negative Neutral
The Hindu
The hindustan Times
The Times of India
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positive. The automated sentiment analysis was carried out for the same as
well. The headlines were concrete and concise in nature. All the newspapers
have followed neutral pattern dominantly.
5.3 Nature of editorial
All the three articles predominantly used critical classification of editorial.
The Hindu being neutral in tone also included persuasive approach and
academic approach in its editorials. The times of India is the only
newspaper amongst three which used the satirical tone in the editorial write-
up. Hindustan Times editorials were highly positive in nature and mildly
critical which reflects lack of opinion or non disclosure of newspaper’s
opinions on the ongoing situations.
VI. VISUAL ANALYSIS
The times of India Solely used graphical caricatures and visuals to represent
the text of the story. Similarly in the Hindustan Times only jpeg images
were used. Out of eight days data 3-4 were file photo i.e. they were inserted
from the already existing ht database. The Hindu has partially used both
graphic and image visuals to support the stories. In the visuals most of the
shutter stock or Getty images were used.
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
TOI
HT
The Hindu
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
TOI HT HINDU
Graphic
Images
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VII. CONCLUSION:
The objective of the study was to examine and analyse and compare the
editorials of top three leading English dailies of India after lockdown. The
lockdown announced on March 24, 2020 has brought the world to stand
still. During such times the role of newspapers becomes more important in
representing and building the public opinion. The study of selected
editorials reflected that covid-19 has been the most dominant issue in all the
three newspapers. Different newspapers have highlighted their concerns and
suggestions for the ongoing lockdown situation in the country. Broadly the
four areas which were highlighted in the week were impact of lockdown on
economy and its different sections of society, the political upheaval and
also the fact based research suggesting and discussing the growing health
concern due to corona outbreak. The most common used keywords were
corona virus, covid-19, India, health, Economy, Politics. On the basis of
findings among the selected three newspapers the Hindu is considered to be
most balance representative editorial which is using a balanced approach,
tone and classification to reach out to its readers. The issues treated in
Hindustan Times looks callous in nature and most of the write-ups are done
by unfamiliar authors. It is primarily very important for a reputed
newspaper to specify its own say in the editorial. The times of India
playfully and smartly used satirical tone in its editorials which adds breath
of fresh air. Although the issues covered are dealt in lighter tone. The study
also revealed that the editorials of The Hindu seemed very in depth and
serious and project the issues in the neutral tone.
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