In my essay on Propaganda, one of the sources I looked at was a printed edition of the New York Times, and I touched on how editorial design can be used to further emphasise a bias.
I wanted to explore this in greater detail, because I hadn’t really considered how the design alone can show a hidden bias, even if the articles themselves appear to take a neutral viewpoint.
I found an article on Eye on Design magazine ( https://eyeondesign.aiga.org/revealing-the-hidden-biases-in-the-editorial-design-of-the-new-york-times/ ) which explores Alexandra Bell’s series, Counternarratives.
This series was particularly relevant to my essay, as she also focuses on the New York Times, printing out huge posters of front pages, and annotating the layout to pick out hidden narratives.
The interview was very informative, explaining how she started creating the series when she noticed how the way the news reported a number of police shootings, didn’t feel appropriate. She talks through her process, marking up the original articles to flag images or words which seem inappropriately placed, before using InDesign to re create the layout in a way which changes the narrative.
What I find interesting is that she doesn’t change any images or text, she simply re positions each element, making them larger or smaller to emphasise a different narrative.
This highlights what a difference layout can make to the way information is conveyed. The use of hierarchy completely alters the way you read an article. By making an image central or larger in proportion to other images, it gives that image more emphasis, and encourages the viewer to look at it first. By placing an article down the side of the page in a thin column, it has less emphasis than an article spanning the front cover accompanied by a large image.
The choice of captions and subheadings, given hierarchy by a larger size, also reinforce the bias within the design.
Something which stood out to me was how she suggests that the printed medium allows for editorial bias in a way which digital methods can not replicate, saying that “the hierarchy’s violations are clearer in print”.
I find this interesting because in many ways print is becoming less relevant and less relied upon than before. I would say the majority of people consume news online, especially the younger generations, and the printing of newspapers which are only relevant that day may seem wasteful now that people are more aware of sustainability. However, the point about hierarchy shows there are still advantages to print, in terms of communicating a narrative more effectively.
As a graphic design student, this research has provided a useful insight into how the design of a publication can have as much impact as the writing itself, and should not be overlooked as a tool of communication in the media. It has also made me more aware when looking at magazines and newspapers of hidden biases within the design. The examples Bell has focussed on show how the media convey racial and political bias, but in her reworked versions, show how design can be powerful at highlighting current issues.
This research has also made me think more about how the medium affects how a message is conveyed, and shows the benefits of using traditional methods such as print, which I will be aware of in my own work.
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