Writer/Designer Ch. 1
In an attempt to become more consciously aware of the five modes of communication detailed in Writer/Designer: A Guide to Making Multimodal Projects (4), I thought I'd compare and contrast coverage of one particular news item from various news sources.
(Image from aforementioned text found here.)
News item: Super Bacteria found in Rio's waters.
Modes in use: Linguistic, Visual, Aural, Spatial, Gestural
This particular coverage allows options for information intake, empowering reader &/or viewer with prerogative, admittedly something unique about multimodal communication. The video is shorter than CNN's, more to the point, which is also (for better or for worse) the way most people like to get their information these days.
What strikes me as one interesting point of comparison/contrast between all of these sites is their choice of first-impression imagery, and their choice of opening lines/captions associated with it. For the most part, USA Today's coverage, succinct as it is, seems the least "biased" of the 3, though undeniably all sources have an intent to raise alarm about the safety of the coming Olympics.
Modes in use: Linguistic, Visual, Aural, Spatial, Gestural
Like, USA Today, CNN allows for multiple avenues of intake here, though their video is longer, more in-depth, and features footage of interviews with various significant individuals: scientists studying the waters, Olympic athletes in training, news anchors on site, etc., all of which certainly adds legitimacy to concerns and fears likely to be raised by this coverage. If you're just scrolling quickly, your initial intake of info would be a photo of ships sailing in the infected waters, captioned: Sailboats sail in the polluted Guanabara Bay, venue site of the Olympic sailing events. Key word of note because of tone: Polluted. And to show sailboats there in sailing in waters, adding a visual reality to the reader's understanding, I think also increases concern.
Source #3: NY Daily News
Modes in use: Linguistic, Visual, Spatial
No video coverage for this one, though their combination of the linguistic and visual is significantly more persuasive than the previous two. The headline reads RIO WATERS INFESTED WITH SUPER BACTERIA WEEKS BEFORE OLYMPIC GAMES. Key word of note: infested. The first image included in the article adds a layer of visual irony, also upsetting. Showing a scenic and serene aerial view from behind the Christ the Redeemer, the accompanying caption reads: Guanabara Bay, seen behind the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, will host several marquee sailing and wind-surfing events in its polluted, bacteria infested waters. Key words of note: polluted, bacteria-infested. And to add salt to the wound of their message, their opening line incites more fear of a sinister presence behind the picturesque (supposedly pure, because of religious associations) waters: Super bacteria was discovered lurking in the waterways where the Olympics will be staged, the latest peril in the litany of health and security concerns plaguing the games.
While there are many things to note here, I think one significant take-away is the emotions incited by the NY Daily News because of their unique combination of modes, particularly the visual and linguistic.