Language

• The masthead is in block text and uses the colours red and white. Other newspapers such as The Mirror, The Sunday People and The Daily Star all use this design. These are all red-tops as they specialise in tabloid journalism (simplification of political issues, celebrity gossip, sensationalism etc)
• The headline "Join our jabs army" uses an imperative to call readers to action. The choice of the word "army" for the campaign frames COVID as a tangible enemy that readers can help defeat. The use of military language for a medical story is typical of tabloids. The use of "our" also connotes The Sun as a proactive, dynamic paper who are helping the country
• The puff "Jabs army" is in the shape of a heart, with a Union Flag image, making it appear like a badge the volunteers might receive or a logo connecting them to the scheme. The heart juxtaposes the term army but connotes the group's actions will be caring and generous. The flag also connotes that helping to "fight" COVID is a matter of patriotism
• The main image is a photoshopped picture of the clock face of Big Ben. This is an iconic symbol of British culture and would be recognised to an audience, especially on Jan 1st when people would have heard the clock bringing us into the new year.
• The designer has replaced Big Ben's clock hand with a syringe which highlights that the story is about vaccinations. The needle pointing to 12 is an indication of the new year arrival and also suggests to an audience that time is of great importance when it comes to the distribution of the vaccine. This urgency is reinforced in the body copy of the article, "help get millions vaccinated rapidly".
• The pull quotes have been carefully chosen to appeal to The Sun's mainstreamer audience. Gary Lineker and Kate Garraway are trusted celebrities with personal anecdotes that have been widely reported to the press. Linker's quote is more an endorsement of the campaign which Garraways is more emotive and personal with her use of collective pronouns to create reliability "lets all club together"
• The opening of the article is on the right third of the cover and begins with "The Sun says...." suggesting the newspaper has real influence and reinforces the strength of opinion on the matter
• The standfirst uses flattery "our fantastic readers" to encourage the reader to get involved with the campaign. Later in the article they build a sense of community with the use of collective pronouns "us", and "we" while the use of direct address, "YOU" reinforce the jingoistic tone of the headline
• The off-lead story positioned in the masthead pictures Boris Johnson with his thumbs up connoting optimism. The byline indicates this is a political story and will involve the government. This is supported by the headline "PM: Britain Brexpects" which is an intertextual link to two historical leaders, Churchill and Nelson. This leads us to believe The Sun is pro-Johnson and pro-Brexit.
• Headlines create enigma codes as they tease people to want to read certain stories.