NEWS
NEWS
What the questions are:
- Analyse language and representations in 2 sources using named theory- 10 marks
- Analyse and evaluate sources showing understanding of CRAIL- 15 marks
- Influence of media contexts on news (production/distribution/consumption)- 10 marks
- Evaluate an academic theory in relation to news- 10 marks
If question 1 is on media language, question 2 will be on media representation - and vice versa
___________________________________________________________________________________
The Guardian- left wing
Daily Mail- right wing
The Sun- right wing (owned by Rupert Murdoch)
Daily Mirror- left wing (most left-leaning paper)
The majority of papers will always express a right wing bias.
The Guardian- The Scott Trust
The Observer- The Scott trust
Daily Mail- Viscount Rothermere
The Times- Rupert Murdoch
The Telegraph- Rupert Murdoch
The Financial Times- Nikkei
Daily Mirror- Reach PLC - most left-leaning paper
Daily Star- Reach PLC
The Express- Reach PLC
DMGT (Daily Mail General Trust)- Viscount Rothermere. Owns Daily Mail, Metro, The I, The Telegraph.
News international/UK news/News Corp- Rupert Murdoch. Owns The Sun, The Telegraph, The Times, Sunday Times.
Reach PLC- Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror, The People, Daily Record, Daily Express, Daily Star
The Scott Trust- The Guardian, The Observer
90% of all UK news owned by 3 companies- oligopoly
___________________________________________________________________________________
Two main types of newspaper- tabloid and broadsheet
TABLOID
- "Soft news" (celebrity gossip, jokes)
- High image to copy ratio
- Low attention span
- C2DE (blue collar professions
- 60% of the target audience have not been to University
- Reading age of 10
- Informal
- Sans serif font
- Redtop
- Language techniques such as alliteration, puns, hyperbole, emotive language, short sentences, rhetorical questions
BROADSHEET
- "Hard news" (politics, financial events)
- Very text-heavy
- ABC1 (white collar professions)
- Higher attention span
- 90% of the target audience have been to University
- Reading age of 18
- Formal
MID-MARKET TABLOID
- Always has hard news as its main story
- Large headline that dominates the front cover
- Images often dominate the front cover
- Sensationalist headline
- Emotive language
___________________________________________________________________________________
80% of news now can be seen on social media, so less physical papers are sold.
House prices fall across the country
House prices plummet across the country
Football fans go on pitch
Football fans storm onto pitch
Train seats damaged by young people
Train seats destroyed by careless teenagers
Shortage of funds ruin schools
Shortage of funds caused disruption in schools
Refugees come into Britain
Refugees flood into Britain
___________________________________________________________________________________
The UK is 24th in the list of countries with freedom of speech in press, with North Korea at 180 and Norway at 1.
If a newspaper can argue that the story is part of the public interest, they can write about it.
We need rules to protect our privacy, protect us from bias or lies or a refusal to report a story.
THE PHONE HACKING TRIAL
- Journalists and private investigators working for The News of the World were found guilty of hacking into the phones of celebrities, public figures and the murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler.
- Compensation was paid to those who had their phones hacked
- The Leveson Inquiry was set up to investigate the practices and ethics of the press
___________________________________________________________________________________
North Korea has 4 newspapers and 4 radio or TV stations.
IPSO- If you have a problem with something published in the press, you write to IPSO
The Daily mail alone produces 2000 articles a day, and 4000 pictures a day.
Therefore, regulators are reactionary. They cant possibly police 100,000s of articles published every day-complaints and issues are raised post-release. A lot of content that shouldn't reach the public, does.
___________________________________________________________________________________
IPSO
Independent press standards organisation
- The newspaper's chosen regulatory body, but is not state backed. It is funded by the newspapers that it regulates.
- About 1500 print titles ands 1100 websites have signed up for IPSO. However, The Guardian have opted out.
- IPSO members include The Telegraph, The Daily Mail, Metro, The Times, The Sun, The Daily Express, The Daily Star, The Daily Mirror.
___________________________________________________________________________________
IMPRESS
Independent monitor for the press
- Independent press regulator
- Fully complaint with the terms of the Leveson inquiry
- Not compromised by its funding system
- Funded almost entirely by Max Mosley
- Max Mosley's grandad was Oswald Mosley- the leader of the UK fascist party in the 30s and 40s
___________________________________________________________________________________
PRESS REGULATORS
Press regulators only regulate content based on public reactions, therefore the news still reaches the public before it is reviewed. This often causes misinformation or misleading content to be produced.
Without regulation, damaging lies could be produced, people's lives could be intruded or stalked, private and personal information could be leaked, inappropriate content could be produced and the government could take too much control and restrict stories.
This was clear during the Milly Dowler case, where her phone was hacked and false news was spread about deleted voicemails, indicating that she was still alive. This, however, was not the case, and a lot of worry was created for her family due to this. The Leveson inquiry was then put into place, which recommended a state-backed regulator for the press so that no misinformation would be spread.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Mini knowledge test
- Two mid-market tabloids- The Daily Express, The Daily Mail
- Three titles Rupert Murdoch's News UK owns- The Times, The Sun, The Telegraph
- Political slant of the telegraph- right wing
- Titles owned by Reach PLC- Daily Mirror, Daily star, The Express
- The Scott Trust finances The Guardian because they need to protect the integrity of the journalism
- The only paper with more female readers- The Daily Mail
- The Daily express' slogan- We're backing Britain
- The Daily Mirror's slogan-The heart of Britain
CONTEXTS
ECONOMIC
- Newspapers make money by selling to audiences, but where the money comes from often depends. If someone is paid by a company, they are more likely to promote it.
- Newspapers need to make money and give audiences what they want
- Technology has pushed newspapers to adapt, using apps and cross-media formats
- Covid19 affected newspaper sales and income
POLITICAL
- Newspapers often have political leanings
- Newspapers often have political leanings
- Governments may influence newspapers, but they are meant to remain free to report on democracy
- Most newspapers lean towards right wing views
CULTURAL
- People prefer online news, which has changed how stories are delivered
- Newspapers use appealing visuals and celebrity stories to attract readers
- Culture is what society accepts as normal
- Some newspapers mix cultural norms or genres in how they present stories
- Social media allows readers to share news and their own views
HISTORICAL
- Newspapers have been important for informing people about politics and world events
- Traditional print is being replaced by digital platforms due to technology
- Traditional print is historically the main source of news for over 200 years
SOCIAL
- Social backgrounds of readers affect which newspapers to include to keep their audience interested (e.g age, wealth, location)
- Newspapers reflect what is happening in the world, including people's concerns and anxieties
- Newspapers can produce social norms (cultivation theory- if you are always seeing negative news, it might change your perspective on life)
- Modern media reflects diversity
___________________________________________________________________________________
Same story, different headline
- 16th June 2023
- Boris Johnson lied about covid parties
- The Daily Telegraph try to work on a different story to Boris in order to take attention off his story
- The Guardian usually doesn't have as big of an image as this, and usually more text. However, as it is big news they need to make it clear
- The Guardian hide his face so that he can be pushed out
- Serif caps lock on Daily Mail suggests shouting
- Cultivation theory (George Gerbner)- if this was the only news you were consuming, your perspective might change
- Daily Mail put a teaser in the top to hint that Boris won
___________________________________________________________________________________
At the top of the Guardian's twitter feed, there is an area that talks about the people that own it and transatlantic slavery. They did this because they wanted to address the history before any other papers did.
Stories expected to be seen in the Guardian's twitter is golf, nature, etc. However, there was no information about Boris Johnson because the story is already a day old. Since it was released in the papers, it is old news- so the Guardian wouldn't post it. Twitter posts immediate news. The Guardian's website did post day-old news, because it isn't as immediate as social media platforms.
The comments on Facebook are almost as important as the stories themselves.
___________________________________________________________________________________
60/70 years ago, the Daily Mirror was the biggest newspaper selling around 4.6 million newspapers a day. Now, that is the total of all newspapers sold combined.
___________________________________________________________________________________
KNOWLEDGE RECAP
1. Mid market tabloids- Daily Mail, The I
Tabloids- The Sun, The Star
Broadsheet- The Guardian, The Telegraph
2. Small writing on paper- Copy
Big name of paper on top- Masthead
3. Political slant of the telegraph- Right-leaning
4. Three titles owned by Reach PLC- Daily Star, Daily Mirror, Daily Express
5. Why does the Scott trust finance The Guardian?- Guardian is non-profit so the funds go back into journalism- editorial independence to protect independent, quality journalism
6. Which paper has the largest readership and largest female readership?- Daily Mail
7. What is the process by which broadsheets adopt tabloid features to attract a wider audience?- Tabloidisation
8. What is the name of the news role in politics? Fourth Estate
___________________________________________________________________________________
THE DAILY MAIL
- Focus of Daily Mail is entertainment
- They portray the royal family in a mainly positive light
- The audiences for Daily Mail and Guardian are virtually identical
- Viscount Rothermere has royal blood
THE GUARDIAN
- Has more hard news stories
Negative stories outsell positive stories 6:1 (negative bias)
___________________________________________________________________________________
Due to Gerbner's cultivation theory, audiences have already formed opinions before they purchase the newspaper. For example, they wont dislike Boris Johnson because of how he is shown in the newspaper - they would already have an opinion based on previous news.
___________________________________________________________________________________
PRACTICE QUESTION
How far have media conventions been used to construct viewpoints in sources A and B?
- Outline the conventions of the front page of tabloid newspapers, including use and style of headlines and images
- Analyse the contrasting use of symbolic, technical, and written conventions
- Make judgments and reach conclusions on the way media conventions construct viewpoints and ideologies
In sources A and B, the Daily Mirror and the Daily Express have used media conventions in order to construct viewpoints. The way that The Daily Mirror presents Boris Johnson contrasts to the way that the Daily Express presents him.
In source A of the Daily Mirror (a left-leaning newspaper), Boris Johnson is presented in a way that makes him look ashamed of himself. The use of the phrasing in the masthead of 'PARTY'S OVER, BORIS' is likely to be a reference to the parties that Boris had in lockdown, which is practically making fun of him on the front page. The masthead is written in a large, bold sans-serif font which makes it easily readable. The large, main image of his head which reaches past the rest of the image makes it immediately recognisable that it is him, and it is as if he is bowing his head in shame. 'Attacked by 148 of his own MPs' portrays the tories as a mess and shows betrayal. '148' is written in a yellow font in order to get the point across more clearly of the fact that it is a large number of people that disagree with him.
Contrastingly, in source B of the Daily Express, Boris Johnson is presented in a completely different way. The use of the phrasing in the masthead of 'I'LL LEAD THE PARTY TO VICTORY' makes it seem that Boris is determined to lead the conservative party in a positive direction. This is very different to the Daily Mirror, which portrays the opposite. The main image in the Daily Express consists of Boris facing the camera, and he seems to be talking. This image makes it seem as though he knows what his plan is, and that he is ready to go ahead with it. The main image is a lot smaller on this paper compared to the Daily Mirror, which could be because they want the audience to focus more on the fact that Boris will "lead party to victory", rather than the image, as this will be the first thing that people see and form an opinion on. However, Gerbner's cultivation theory states that audiences have already formed an opinion before they read the newspaper, so they are likely to already have an opinion on Boris based on what they have seen previously in the media.
In conclusion, both sources A and B of the Daily Mirror and the Daily Express present Boris Johnson, however their viewpoints on him are contrasting. The Daily Mirror is a left-leaning newspaper, so they present Boris in a way where they almost make fun of him and want to embarrass him, whereas in the Daily Express, Boris is presented as a hero who leads the party to victory. Although both papers are owned by the same company (Reach PLC), they present contrasting opinions in order to appeal to a wider range of audiences, which then leads to them earning higher amounts of money.
Comments
Post a Comment