The story is appealing the audience of Channel's 4 as it appeals to the audience due to the word 'paedophile' being mentioned. There is a major panic for paedophilia as it is highly frown upon and a criminal offence, due to the fact that younger people are much more vulnerable due to the advance in technology and social networking sites becoming highly popular. This type of story will appeal to younger audiences and older audiences which have children, as Channel 4 want the older audience to acknowledge the other ways in which kids can be vulnerable, such as on globally played game websites. Games like Habbo Hotel will be familiar within younger audiences as they may have possibly played this game themselves and this will help them understand the risks of playing this game, as people will sexually groom them online.
The Uses & Gratifications Theory also helps us understand how this story will appeal to audiences, as they want to have the benefit of finding out new information, which can be useful to them or beneficial for them to know. The horrific news which Channel 4 may report can be vital to some people's lives as they rely on the news stations to provide them with informative reports, as they may not find out this type of news elsewhere. Due to us finding it essential to find out some particle news such as the weather, this type of story will be essential and vital for the parents of younger children, as they would want to know something like this.
Furthermore, this story could appeal to anyone which has previously used the site, such as young adults, parents and social workers.
