P1: News
Monday 11th September 2023
Print News
LO-To explore printed news and the theoretical framework
Industry
2) Online newspapers, owners lose money because people are not buying physical newspapers
3)
4)
Audience
1)
2) Yes some
3)
4) Social media, other people, billboards, gossip with others
5)
6) To form opinions and share them.
7)
Representation
1) Royals, celebrities, politicians
2) Negative stereotypes of politicians
3)
4) Pictures
Media Language
1)
2) Writing with bias
3) Article headlines
Tabloids and Broadsheets
Tabloid:
-Soft news
-Big headlines
-Lots of imagery
-Adverts
-Red masthead
Broadsheet:
-More text heavy- educated audience can read
-Hard news- politics etc
-Adverts
-3 or more stories on the front
Tuesday 12th September 2023
LO- To explore the news values of printed news
Production:
Production is expensive since it requires many materials and employment of staff. Technology has changed things since they are printed in colour now.
Distribution:
They are expensive to distribute because they have to be transported and in outlets early in the morning.
The cost could be lessened by printing locally, distributing online or having free papers.
Marketing:
They promote their papers through the TV and advertising, social media or sister papers, exclusives or synergy deals with other companies.
Circulation-Number of copies distributed, not sold.
Ownership
Refers to who financially supports and produces the paper.
The Guardian is owned by Scott Trust.
The Daily Mail is owned by DMG Media
Media Barons-wealthy individuals or proprietors.
Trusts-a legal arrangement that transfers funds from the owner to 'trustee' to manage and control the running of the paper.
Cross-Media converged conglomerates-global institutions that own numerous media outlets. These may be owned by Media Barons like DMG and Lord Rothermere.
What is the circulation of Daily Mail newspaper?
The Monday to Saturday edition of the Daily Mail circulates over 960,000 copies and has a daily readership of 2 million.
What are the circulation figures for The Guardian?
Demographics. According to 2021 data from PAMCo (the audience measurement company for publishers), The Guardian had a 3.2m monthly print and an 18.4m monthly digital readership. These figures compare very positively to the other quality dailies in the United Kingdom.
Technological Developments
1980's - Computers, printers and DTP programs
Effects on owners & audiences- Owners can print newspapers in a more organised and effective way.
1990's - The Internet
Effects on owners & audiences- Audiences could discover news online for free rather than having to buy news. For owners it will be harder to gain money but easier to advertise their company.
2000's - Broadband, Web 2.0, Smartphones & tablets, HD digital cameras, Apps
Effects on owners & audiences- Can take better photos for their papers and create apps for their news.
Homework
What did you find?
-Tabloid article seems to be aimed to uneducated people.
-Tabloid has lots of bright images
-Broadsheet has more words
-Broadsheet is for more educated audiences
What was the difference?
The tabloid article is more personal and specific to the celebrity, whereas the broadsheet article was formal and purely informative.
Generally, tabloid articles tend to include soft news whereas broadsheet articles include mostly hard news.
Monday 18th September 2023
LO-To explore the news values of printed
Press Agencies
-Newspapers have teams of reporters who gather news locally or through Press Agencies.
-They identify facts when major events happen.
-Press agencies report facts without judgement so all information is objective.
-Information is sold to newspapers who reshape the story to their own values.
-DMG Media and NewsUK are shareholders in press agencies.
Gatekeeping
-Editor is in charge of gatekeeping, responsible for filtering and selecting stories based on audience preferences.
-Stories then checked for accuracy.
-Editors practise protective coverage- withholding information on grounds it would be harmful to public, powerful people or legal investigation.
News Values
-Frequency
-Threshold
-Unambiguity
-Meaningfulness
-Constance
-Unexpectedness
-Continuity
-Composition
-Reference to elite nations
-Reference to elite persons
-Personalisation
-Negativity
Semiology
Coat of Arms=patriarchy, monarchy, standing up for your country
Prince Harry=drinking beer, seems not very princely and like the average man
Tuesday 19th September 2023
LO-To explore the political bias of printed news
Free Press
If a country has a free press, its newspapers, magazines, and television and radio stations are able to express any opinions they want, even if these criticise the government and other organisations.
Fourth Estate
The “Fourth Estate” refers to the news media, especially with regards to their role in the political process.
Political bias should be considered in relation to the ownership and regulation of the press. It can be seen to influence thinking and political outcomes, and therefore democracy.
Homogenous-Singular, similar & undistinguishable. This means that most papers offer a similar view of the news they report and therefore reinforce a singular view about our society/culture.
Plurality-That more than one viewpoint is maintained in the news, that owners can't reduce the plurality.
Daily Mail
-Headline 'Boris stares down the mutiny'= saying he 'stares down' shows they think he has power and is putting him in a positive light like he is in control of the situation.
-'Battle for soul of the Tories'=clearly supporting Tories attitude
-'The plots. The poison. The inside stories'=Saying he shouldn't be brought down, that they would have to poison him because he's so good. (Wrong)
Guardian
-Clearly left wing
-Headline 'Desperate, deluded PM clings to power'=left wing, criticising the conservative prime minister. Desperate/deluded=Negative, not appreciated, not reliable
Left wing, really unflattering image to put her in a not so serious, good or powerful light.
Daily Mail
She is posing and looking nicer in this image, being put in a sensible and positive light.
Levi Strauss' ideas of binary oppositions are presented within these two photos with Theresa May presented negatively in the Mirror and positively in the Daily Mail. In the Mirror, they use a picture of her that makes her appear wild and unruly, making her seem unprofessional and almost a joke. The caption 'Lies, damned lies and Theresa May' back up this idea since they are accusing her of being a liar, another negative idea to link with the ugly image. However, in the Daily Mail, she is presented as jovial, positive and bright, saying the British Spirit caption directly beneath to show her as a positive figure, bringing positivity to our country in their news story. This reaches the Daily Mail's target audience of right wing readers by following the newspaper expectations. The Mirror's beliefs are represented to their left wing audience through oppositions between similar stories in other papers and by following their usual beliefs.
HOMEWORK
-Blaming leader of opposing party
- Using their coat of arms logo to signify their patriarchal views.
-Focused on mostly only politics and celebrities
-Criticising conservatives and their priorities.
-Several of their news sub-headings are about worldwide crisis's and putting the people first, maintaining this belief throughout.
-Left Wing, concerned with public
-Criticising Tories, left wing
-Saying the government does nothing to help schools
-Newspapers concerning public
Monday 25th+26th September 2023
LO-To explore issues of regulation of printed news
What is regulation?
Controlling content that can be included in the media?
What are the arguments for regulation of the news?
To not have anything offensive included, or to protect certain people. News has too much political power and influence over the public.
What are the arguments against regulation of the news?
People argue the press should be free to tell the truth.
Regulation
-Regulation is concerned with maintaining the need for a free press and the function of the Fourth Estate to protect the people and democracy.
-Regulation in the UK focuses on news content and information printed by the press and ownership and competition laws.
-The British press is self-regulated through an independent organisation of editors.
-A breach would lead to a fine or printed apology.
-Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO)
-Independent Monitor for the Press (IMPRESS)
LO- To explore theories of regulation of the printed news
Curran and Seaton
Power & Media Industries
-Patterns of ownership and control are important in how the media functions.
-Media industries are capitalist and aim to increase concentration of ownership. This lead to a narrowing of opinions represented in the press.
-Owners pursue profits at the expense of creativity or quality.
-The internet does not represent a rupture with the past in that it does not offer a level playing field for diverse voices to be heard. News is controlled by powerful news organisations, who have successfully defended their oligarchy.
Daily Mail-Coat of arms symbol, reinforcing right wing views every issue
Guardian- Always having main articles as crisis's or sad images and stories
Daily Mail-Print News
-Paper owned by Rothermere family since 1896 = ownership pattern.
-Current market share of DMG reinforces right-wing political agenda to a large audience.
-News values support populist reporting that relies on sensationalised or personalised stories.
Daily Mail-Online News
-MailOnline has posted an increase of revenue of £93mil in 2017, achieved through celebrity and entertainment.
-Through the MailOnline DMGT has become the UK's leading news outlet with a share of 20.1%.
The Guardian-Print News
-Paper owned by Scott Trust ensures ownership & control do not affect journalistic values.
-Aims to provide a voice for different perspectives, rather than narrowed opinions presented by controlling outlets.
-Aim to guard against commercial pressure through trust format. Changes in format and more online shows need to adapt to survive.
The Guardian-Online News
-GMG needs to make a profit to survive the Scott trust separate the journalism arm from the commercial arm so that the journalism is not compromised.
-The internet has allowed theguardian.com to increase the market share of the news industry so it is a different political voice to the conservatives.
Usefulness
Print News:
-Studying newspapers as an industry draws attention to issues such as: forms and effects of ownership and control, the working practices of journalists and other creators, and issues of risk and profitability.
-Applies to the narrow range of political opinions expressed by British national newspapers, with a bias to pro-capitalism.
-Applies to the long history of 'press barons' owning newspapers in order to achieve status and wield political power.
Limitations
Print News:
-In prioritising the effects of ownership and control on the content of newspapers this theory may not aid in understanding how ideologies, audience choice or media language conventions may determine media content.
Hesmondhalgh
Cultural Industries
-Cultural industries follow a capitalist pattern of increasing concentration and integration so production is owned and controlled by a few conglomerates.
-Risk is seen in terms of loss of money. Risk is high because production costs are high.
-Companies rely on repetition to minimise risk and cover failure. Repeated formats are easily recognisable to audience and use copyright laws to protect products from reproduction and piracy.
Daily Mail- Always includes a celebrity on the cover, to reach their hybrid target audience constantly.
Guardian- Front cover layout is always the same, using the same colour palette.
Daily Mail-Print News
-DMGT as parent company of DMG Media, allows Rothermere family to integrate a number of outlets & services, reducing competition.
-Increasing digital outlets and reducing printing plants helps reduce risk.
Daily Mail-Online
-The MailOnline enables global distribution and circulation extending DMGTs reach. It follows the conservative values of the Daily Mail so can reinforce those on a larger scale.
-Development of the MailOnline outlet has reduced risk significantly for DMGT. Production cost are low and advertising revenue is high.
The Guardian-Print
-Has struggled to survive in a competitive market dominated by a few global conglomerates. Circulation dropped 13.1% in 2018.
-Developing digital outlets, moving to compact format & identifying other revenue streams helps reduce risk.
The Guardian-Online
-The online version has meant that news can be accessed and has increased their share in the market.
-Risks are lower as the cost is lower to produced and there are a greater number of users to increase revenue, digital revenue was 50% of GMG income in 2017.
Usefulness
-The idea of the cultural industries draws attention to newspapers as an industry-its forms and effects of ownership and control, the working practices of journalists and other creators, and issues of risk and profitability.
-Applies particularly to the response of newspapers to competition for readers and advertising revenue from the 'new' media.
-Corrects over-optimistic views of the internet as an arena for freedom and unlimited creativity.
Limitations
In prioritising the effects of ownership and control on the content of newspapers this theory may not aid in understanding how ideologies, audience choice or media language conventions may determine media content.
Livingstone and Lunt: Industries
Power & Media Industries
-Consumers are individuals who seek benefits from the media and require regulation to protect them. Citizens are social, seek public or social benefits from the media and require regulation to promote public interest.
-Traditional regulation is being put at risk by: increasingly globalised media industries, the rise of the digital media, and media convergence.
Homework:
Daily Mail critical review:
This is a recent review by a member of the public.
It suggests that the Daily Mail is a 'racist, sexist, newspaper and that they voice their opinions in a narrow minded manner, upsetting some of their audience.
Guardian Critical review:
It suggests that the guardian include mostly negative stories, meaning certain social groups such as Christians can be put in a negative light.
New Homework:
Daily Mail- Ruling (ipso.co.uk)
-The Daily Mail misquoted interviewee, using direct quotations giving impression that what they wrote is exactly as person said it.
-The Daily Mail altered the individuals comments for publication however, the interviewee felt that the alteration misrepresented what they were saying. The individual did agree to the changes but the Committee felt that her agreement was invalid due to her vulnerability on the matter.
-Clause 12 states that the press must avoid prejudicial references to an individuals gender identity, sexual orientation etc, unless genuinely relevant to the story.
=conclusion: no breach after investigation. suggest that newspapers uses regulator that isn't certified by the Leveson standards shows that perhaps they are not good enough to regulate and that the news could be corrupt.
Monday 2nd October 2023
Economic:
The Guardian- Owned by Scott Trust, relies on newspaper sales and donations.
Daily Mail- Owned by DMG Media, purpose is to make profit.
Question 3
Explain how economic contexts, including commercial and not-for-profit funding, affect the distribution of newspapers. Refer to The Guardian and the Daily Mail to support your answer.
The Guardian is owned by Scott Trust, a paper that aims to present a range of perspectives rather than a narrow range. This contradicts Curran and Seaton's theory that states that patterns and ownership do not control the paper's values. Their ownership is based on circulation and donations. The Guardian, however has struggled to adapt in recent years with circulation being dominated by certain powerful conglomerates. This fact has led to, in recent years, a drop in circulation due to their not-for-profit funding technique, by 13.1% in 2018. However, recent adaptations in creating free news online has led to an increase in interest and costs of production have lowered, and there is a higher number of users to increase revenue. In 2017, digital revenue was 50% of GMG income. Physically, the Guardian have reduced the size of their paper to save money and increased the cover price since their target audience is middle class people who can afford to spend money on a paper that is all about the greater good. The Guardian's increase in revenue has led to a much greater online presence, with a 7.8 million desktop, 3.1 million tablet and 15.8 million mobile views.
The Daily Mail is owned by DMGT ownership by the Rothermere Family for over 100 years.
Homework
Explain how the cultural context in how the news is produced influences the content offered to audiences (10 marks)
Within the news, cultural context has influenced the way in which news has been produced to a high extent. Many newspaper companies have gone online to ensure a wider range of audiences have access to the news, including newer generations and people from different economical backgrounds. This has led to a decrease in physical newspaper production costs and an increase in demand online, leading to The Daily Mail and the Guardian to adapt their papers due to physical circulation numbers dropping and having to maintain a culturally more demanding frequency of online newspaper production.
The Daily Mail has adapted to an online form of news through their website Mail Online, where they sensationalise their news stories to entice their readers to scroll and read through their online websites. They plaster all over their website in a disorganised way so that people accidentally click on them, creating further profit for their online business.
The Guardian, much like the Daily Mail has had to similarly adapt their news to an online free site, where they maintain their profit through a mixture of online donations and through rich philanthropics such as Bill gates, combined with the use of a few adverts. Hesmondhalgh states that there is a risk seen in terms of loss of money since production costs of newspapers are so high, which the Guardian supports as they have struggled to maintain circulation figures and have a smaller market share than the Daily Mail. The Guardian have maintained their physical paper, however despite the lower figures, they still prioritise the quality of their articles since they are part of a Trust and can afford to partly rely on the donations.
Tuesday 31st October 2023
Target Audience
LO-To investigate audiences of printed news and audience appeal
-The power elite - Liz Truss and Putin
-Good news - miracle
-Celebrity News - Ronaldo
-Surprise - miracle
-Bad news - Ronaldo
-Newspaper Agenda - caring about people specifically
-Relevance - world cup
-Magnitude - world cup
-Entertainment - Simon and Ronaldo
-Follow up - world cup
-The Power Elite - Suella, politician, Lexis
-Celebrity News - Actress playing Diana, image used as main picture
-Bad News - Suella, Lexis
-Magnitude - Tax rises for all, lexis
Tuesday 7th November 2023
Media Language
LO-To explore the genre codes and conventions in print news
Codes:
-A complex system of signs that create meaning.
-Can be divided into 2 categories:
1) Technical- camerawork, editing and MES choices that require technical equipment/skills to produce.
2) Symbolic- The meaning communicated through the technical elements.
Conventions:
-The generally accepted way of doing something.
Tabloid:
Size-280 x 430 mm
Lexis- Using humorous and not so serious articles. Headline in this image has alliteration, making them memorable and interesting.
Mode of address- Informal, not serious, soft news
Headline size- Very large, focusing on the headline rather than including information on the front cover
Image to text ratio- Text and images are around the same focus, the text is slightly larger but the photo is also a key thing.
Size- 375 x 597 mm
Lexis-Various detailed different article on the front cover, like a typical newspaper, full of information rather than anything humorous.
Mode of address- Formal, serious
Headline size- Smaller than tabloid headline, making space for stories on the front cover.
Image to text ratio- One image, big but not huge, text is much more large.
Barthes- semiology
-'Thousands to be spared cancer with 4p-a-day pill'=taking this pill will prevent cancer at only £14.60 a year, a positive message, hard news
-Realistically, the article shows that women can have a halved risk of getting breast cancer, so it doesn't actually prevent it- sensationalised
Tabloidization
Dual Convergence is when genres borrow conventions from another in the use of media language and so is increasingly resemble one another.
You also now get hybrid papers like The Mail that does exactly that.
Daily Mail
-Decline in sales of newspapers
-Ideologies are repeated
-Daily Mail is a hybrid between tabloid and broadsheet
The Guardian
-Decline in sales of newspapers
-Guardian evolves genres over time
Tuesday 14th November 2023
Media Language
Typography- masthead=top left and red and white and big, headline=middle left, subheading=central top, by-line=top middle right
Layout- sectional layout, text overlaps images, very little column writing, more images
Mode of address- informal lexis, hyperbolised
Locations-national, exterior shots
Masthead: White and red, bright and represent the colours of England from the flag. The font is sans serif.
Logo: No logo so no values are connoted through this.
Plug: Christmas turkey connotes that the paper also shares things with its readers, thus valuing them.
Puff: No puff, not clearly showing the price of the paper, might not be as value for money.
Layout: Divided into sections, the top left section identifies the brand, top right includes celebrity news, bottom section covers main image and headline.
Broadsheet:
Typography- masthead= top central and black and big, headline=middle below the masthead, subheading=below headline, byline= bottom left and small, serif font no colour
Layout- words in columns, lots of writing, big photo as main focus however more writing
Mode of address- formal lexis
Locations- National, interior shots
Monday 20th November 2023
Media Language and Case Studies
The Daily Mail
Considered first UK tabloid in terms of its journalism.
Considered to be a mid-market tabloid.
A newspaper that offers a mix of both soft and hard news to appeal to its target audience.
They use hyperbolised headings, conventional to tabloids.
They also include a large image, conventional to tabloids, with a focus more on images rather than text.
The logo is a coat of arms, symbolic of Britain and it's values. This signifies that the Daily Mail have conservative values and their news focus on traditional values, borrowed from a broadsheet genre. This reinforces that they can be relied on as a historical newspaper to their audience. The headline is written in a sans serif font, with the ideologies against the left wing believers and political party, also reinforcing the political views of the Daily Mail. Private schools are for few rich people, showing right wing values further. The masthead is borrowed from broadsheet genre conventions, creating a sense of reliability.
Levi Strauss applies to this cover in terms of liberal vs conservative parties and upper class vs lower class people through the headline. They show two sides of the government with the representation of a negative impact from the labour party against private schools. The ideology being created is that people belonging to private schools are better, when in reality this is biased and unfair.
The Guardian
The media language used reinforces the genre and the viewpoints and ideologies of the newspaper.
Masthead/Name-The masthead follows a broadsheet genre convention through the use of the serif type. This shows the history of the newspapers as the fourth estate and the importance of unbiased news.
Colour- The use of the dark blue and white classic colour, opposite of tabloid and shows the seriousness of the news.
Skyline & Puff- The use of more colour shows and exciting aspect to the paper to appeal to all. The cover also focuses on serious news too.
Main Image-
Tuesday 21st November 2023
Media Language Q2 Practise
How can we apply Baudrillard?
-DM-We see hyper-reality through the idea that Matt Hancock is more news worthy when featuring on I'm a celeb rather than his real life persona. The jungle in I'm a celeb is a simulacra since it appears to be real however, everything realistically is staged and set up to create an idealistic hyper-reality for the media.
-DM-The front cover is all about class division, criticising what Baudrillard says about postmodernism, since social distinctions are still rigid.
-G-Use of Brexit as a hyper-real event, a concept that has come from the actual political decision. It is used as a division method to divide the people of the country and divide what people want.
-G-The 'mask' is an icon of reality, crating a hyper-realistic representation of lockdown opposing to the harsh reality of lockdown.
Question 2
How far-Judgement/to what extent you agree
Intro-To state our viewpoint.
Middle-Both sides of argument.
End conclusion-State the viewpoint.
Conventions, viewpoints
1-Outline conventions of a tabloid
2-Technical
3-Symbolic-suggests-connotations
4-Lexis
How far do these things create ideologies?
Daily Mail=Hybrid-mid market tabloid
How far have media conventions been used to construct viewpoints?
The Daily Mail has hybridised conventions of both a tabloid and broadsheet newspaper, using a black broadsheet style masthead, however using hyperbolised lexis such as 'Let's reignite British spirit'. The lexis is formal in the Daily Mail however in The Mirror, they use a more informal mode of address to portray typical tabloid conventions. The Daily Mail has altered from a broadsheet sized newspaper to a tabloid size to adapt to the economically risen production costs. The use of the lexis 'British spirit' in the headline reinforces the British reoccurring values presented in broadsheet papers, particularly the Daily Mail. In The Guardian, the headline uses repetition of the word lies followed by Theresa May's name and unflattering image to create a negative representation of conservative political views. The contents of the cover includes interior shots, reinforcing the patriarchal beliefs of the newspaper.
Tuesday 28th November 2023
Print News: Representation
Dominant Group: Sociological term used to refer to a group that controls the values systems in a society. Not necessarily the largest in terms of size. Tend to hold social, political & economic power.
Within our society there is a dominant group that holds positions of power within social institutions or owns the production of cultural products such as the news.
Many academic theorists suggest that, in general, members of this group have the following characteristics:
-Middle-aged
-Male
-Middle class
-White
-Capitalist
-Christian
-Heterosexual
-Able-bodied
-Western
-University
-Because the dominant group have access to power and a means of communication, they have control over the way in which other social groups are seen.
-Individuals who don't fit the characteristics of the dominant group would be classed as being from a subordinate group. A white, British, working class woman would fall into the dominant ethnic group but the subordinate class and gender group.
-This suggests that the representation of individuals and social groups will always involve bias towards the dominant group because:
-The dominant group tends to include those who construct the representations in news content.
-The representation of other social groups, positively or negatively, helps to maintain the social position of the dominant group.
Number of stories: 2
Issues covered: Murder, royalty
Social groups represented: Females, sexualities, upper-class, men, white, middle-aged, able-bodied.
Social groups absent: Ethnicities, disability.Guardian
Number of Stories: 3
Issues Covered: Royals, war, politics
These newspaper covers show dominant ideology since they include white, heterosexual, upper-class, Christian men in their main featured images.
How ownership will influence representation in the printed press:
Ownership will influence representation since the media barons are creating a paper with their specific viewpoints and personal political opinions throughout their papers. Their main focus is to make money therefore they will sensationalise and include stories specifically targeted to certain audiences.
Journalists will establish their own opinions in their writing to satisfy their readers.
How economic factors will influence representation in the printed press:
Capitalism will influence representation since newspapers will alter their genres in order to make money.
Monday 4th December 2023
LO-Print News-Representation
This image shows stereotypes of feminine and masculine expectations, having makeup products on a pink background, with tools on a blue background. This reinforces the idea that women are only there to look pretty, while men are there to do all the work.
Class:
Upper-class people have more representations in papers, with only very few left wing papers, mostly tabloids, including people of working class.
The reason they include working class people in their papers are a way of placing upper class people in higher power, to make them seem vulnerable.
Ethnicity:
White is the dominant group, presented in an elevated way. The majority of other ethnic groups portrayed are either shown in a negative way or having to be of higher class to be featured on the paper, like Rishi Sunak.
The purpose of negative stereotypes are to suggest that people from other ethnic groups are subordinate to the white people.
Bell Hooks links to ethnicity since the white supremacist patriarchy dominates media representations and within the Daily Mail, the only representation of someone from a different ethnic group is mostly Rishi, who is upper class, whereas in the Guardian, people of different ethnic groups have been represented as inferior to the white supremacy of Brits.
Age:
Middle aged people are the dominant social group, and are represented positively. They are represented as capable and glamorous, wearing expensive clothes. The youth are not represented much, therefore positioning them in a belittled way.
The position the youth as subordinate elevates the status of the middle-aged dominant group.
Gender:
Male is the dominant gender. Women are presented wearing dresses and looking made up.
Women are presented to dress up nicely to fall into stereotypes and to reinforce that men are the dominant gender.
Van Zoonen links to gender since on the Daily Mail cover and the Guardian, they both feature white women of a middle class background in extravagant dresses as the main image. This fits with Van Zoonen as it supports that women are objectified in their appearance and that their roles fit to fashion and press.
Disability:
Able-bodied is the dominant group so is represented positively. The disabled are represented as dependent, vulnerable and immobile.
The purpose of these stereotypes is to position the disabled as subordinate to the dominant able-bodied group.
Hall says meaning is created by a representation, but it isn't just what is present but also what is absent & different. Stereotypes and how they are constructed should be deconstructed to identify what they tell us about ideology.
Gauntlett says the media have an important but complex relationship with identities.
Van Zoonen says ideas of femininity and masculinity are constructed in our performance of these roles.
Bell Hooks says intersectionality refers to the coming together of gender, race, class and sexuality to create a white supremacist capitalist patriarchy, which dominates media representations.
Tuesday 5th December 2023
Print News: Representation & case studies
The Daily Mail
Lord Rothermere values:
-White
-Male
-Rich
-Christian
-Able-bodied
-Middle-aged
Paper has:
-Conservative values
-Economic= middle class
-Social-= uni educated
-Political news and celebrity news
-Representations are positive of dominant group
-Conservative values supported
-Negative representations of minority group or an absence
'Outrage as royals in Scobie book race row named on tv' has been sensationalised to appear as if it is an extreme situation.
There is an absence of people of different ethnic groups, with only the featured image of two white women.
There has been an overall positive representation of the dominant group since despite the two people featured being women, they are upper class, able-bodied and white.
Traditional family values have been represented positively with the line 'My mum sent me to school without being potty trained- and its blighted my life'. This implies that since her mum went against traditional family values of potty training your child, that she eventually suffered because of it.
British culture has been represented positively since the royal family has been defended by the Daily Mail.
Right wing political ideology and the conservative party is shown since only the mostly dominant social group has been portrayed, with the conservative interests of politics, celebrities and royals being reinforced through the articles and headline.
There is an absence of representation of disability, undermining their relevance in society and empowering able-bodied people.
 |
Vegans are a minority group that are represented in The Guardian.
Conservatives are compared to 'tribes' which indicates that they are barbaric as they are similar to humans in the early stages of humanity.
The Guardian uses subordinate groups to criticise dominant groups
1)Rajeev Syal- Brown man, Rowena Mason-White woman, Aletha Adu- Black woman
2)Rowena Mason-White woman
3)Pippa Crerar- White woman, Kiran Stacey-White man
How does the Guardian construct stereotypes to communicate ideology & position audiences?
The Guardian uses stereotypes of political parties through the headline to reinforce pre-existing conceptions of the Tory party and their stance on immigration. One of Gilroy's beliefs is the belief in an inherent superiority of white western civilisations, which is exemplified in the Del Monte article
The Killing
Danish people don't like racism. We see this because Theis destroys Vagn when he is racist. Gilroy-does not apply.
The Killing 2
Danish audiences are not used to multiculturalism. Context-Is a public service broadcasting. 1 Asian person. Gilroy. Therefore will reflect the views of society.
The Killing 3
Women. Denmark thinks women are good. Sarah is important. Jan Meyer is stupid. Reversed gender roles-Butler.
Online News
LO-To explore the industry, regulation and ownership of online, social and participatory news of the Mail Online
1) New technology and websites that are easily accessible and mostly free online.
2) They earn it from advertisements and donations on their websites.
3) It has made it cheaper to produce and distribution happens faster from the higher amount of outlets.
4) Self-regulated.
MailOnline
Statistics
-MailOnline was launched in 2003 + rebranded as a separate site in 2006. Combined with print paper, DMGT has 20.1% share of the market.
-DMGT has adapted their paper to consumer preferences and has been successful in capitalising on new income revenues through their digital content.
-They offer MailOnline content on 4 different platforms: desktop, mobile, tablet formats, social media. There are also different advertising platforms.
-Unlike some papers, digital advertising is profitable for the MailOnline. In 2017, the MailOnline's combined revenue was £119 million, an increase of £93 million from 2016.
-Shows success of online brand. They can remain competitive and have not had to introduce a paywall for online readers.
Production
-The content on the website is exclusively for the MailOnline and is not published in the print version.
-The MailOnline employs over 800 people who post over 1,500 articles and 560 videos a day.
-Although separate, with a different editor, it retains the same conservative news values.
-Content features a broad mix on international news and mainly UK-focused coverage of sports, finance and travel.
-Entertainment, celebrity and lifestyle news is a major component and the site is dominated by images.
Distribution
-The MailOnline is digitally distributed across converged platforms (website, apps and social media).
-Has Snapchat content.
-Reduces distribution costs and enhances profit from advertising.
-Enables a global reach for the brand through their online content in the UK, USA, Australia & India.
-Allows the brand to attract younger audiences than the print newspaper.
Circulation
-Since 2015, the MailOnline is considered to be the most visited English language news website in the world.
-Approximately one third of its daily traffic comes from the USA and Australia.
-The MailOnline has 15million users accessing its content daily.
-It has 10million Snapchat readers daily.
-The Facebook page has 1 billion monthly video views.
Regulation
-As a member of IPSO, readers can complain regarding content written by the MailOnline on any of its online platforms.
-Since 2015, IPSO has received 39 complaints against the MailOnline. Only 2 of these were upheld.
-IPSO can only regulate content produced by the MailOnline journalists-given the participatory nature of the platforms, much content isn't regulated.
-The MailOnline journalists are tasked with filtering, editing and removing content deemed offensive on their platforms, but the volume of user-generated content makes this difficult to do successfully.
-This suggests a conflict between the impact of online news on the regulation of the MailOnline content:
-Minimal Impact: although there is more room for invading privacy or publishing inaccurate information, given the gossipy nature of the news site, this can be regulated if it is posted by their journalists.
-Significant impact: sharing, commenting and often anonymous participation on content is encouraged. This is largely self-regulated and the success is debatable.
1) The content on the website is exclusively for the MailOnline and is not published in the print version. Digital convergence has reduced distribution costs and enhanced profit from advertising. Since 2015, the MailOnline is considered to be the most visited English language news website in the world, so circulation has increased greatly.
Monday 15th January 2024
LO-To explore the industry, regulation and ownership of online, social & participatory news for the Guardian
The Guardian Online
-theguardian.com was launched in 2008, developed from earlier website Guardian Unlimited that began in 1999.
-Combined with their print paper and The Observer, GMG have risen to become the third largest newspaper in the world.
-Has roughly 34.7million monthly global users and country specific online versions in Australia + USA
GMG offer theguardian.com content on 4 platforms:
-Desktop
-Mobile
-Tablet formats
-Social media
These are also platforms for marketing The Guardian brand.
2017 digital revenues demonstrates the success of the online model:
-Digital revenue of £108.6
-An increase of 15% in 2017
-50% of GMG revenue
Readers can subscribe to digital editions from £11.99 a month with additional options to access further content.
Production
-Online version of paper retains same liberal, progressive values as the print version.
-Website offers additional features like the Opinion section + Soulmates, which enable a greater range of content than print version.
-theguardian.com is a core news website made up of niche sections covering subjects like business, entertainment, technology, arts, sport and media.
-There is a rolling news service that is constantly updated by journalists.
Distribution
-theguardian.com is digitally distributed across digitally converged platforms.
-Reduces distribution costs and enhances profit from advertising.
-theguardian.com has a global reach and has country specific versions in the USA + Australia.
-theguardian.com content is also distributed through a partnership deal with Yahoo with users from UK, USA, Australia, India and Singapore accessing content.
Circulation
-Since 2015, theguardian.com has increased circulation by 25%.
-It has 34.7million monthly global users.
-1.15million users access theguardian.com by mobile or tablet.
Regulation
-As a self-regulating publication, it is the role of the Readers' Editor to regulate both print and online content.
-theguardian.com has a global reach of 140million online users. Therefore regulating and responding to all isn't possible.
In deciding which complaints to prioritise, they use the following criteria:
-How serious the complaint is.
-The likelihood that harm could occur.
-The potential the content has to mislead.
-The proximity of the person to the issue raised and whether it directly affects them.
-How many have complained about the same feature.
-The risk to the reputation of GMG and their brands.
1) The production has changed because there is exclusive content online and additional topics. Distribution has changed since news is added every day on their website to keep readers engaged and increase circulation numbers. Online circulation has increased 25% since 2015 due to their 34.7million monthly global users.
The internet has encouraged globalisation of news by instantaneous production available through various platforms people own such a phones, laptops etc. The majority of people have access to the internet, which is available wherever you are, in any country.
Tuesday 16th January 2024
LO-To explore audience appeal and use of online, social and participatory news in the MailOnline
Cultural content news-How does it influence the content?
-Online: meaning news has been able to survive
-Accessible: it means it is constantly updated and changing and accessible everywhere, even whilst you are travelling or doing something.
-Functional
-International/national
-Adverts/pop ups
-Login-personalised content: You are able to see personalised articles and news to their interests and previous reading history. It also keeps it private, so you have your own contact with the news that is unlike necessarily everyone else's. You also have more access to more news once you are logged in and pay for more.
-Live updates-times
-Videos- mix of professional and amateur content: Receiving the news in a more user friendly for modern audiences. It also makes the news now available to share online, like and comment. If someone is especially passionate about the topic it allows them to be engaged in it.
-Constant scrolling for more info
Terminology
Ad-like: Liking an advert on a website
Click-stream: The information collected about a user while they browse through a website or use a web browser.
Echo chambers: An environment where a person only encounters information or opinions that reflect and reinforce his or her own.
Front door traffic: Encouraging users to view newspapers content on their website rather than another site (e.g. Facebook, it encourages advertisers.)
Audience Reach
New technologies & digital convergence enables owners to reach different segments of the market and at different times of the day. This allows them to extend their market reach globally and demographically.
UK news brand, cumulatively, have the following reach:
-84% of men and women
-88% of 18-34yr olds
Owners are able to reach a millennial audience who wouldn't normally read print news. Combined with their print reach, they achieve a much broader cross-section of the population.
This can also be sold to advertisers as online news readers engage differently with advertising. So, although not as lucrative as print advertising, digital advertising is still successful.
Desktop
-20% read news brand content weekly
-4million access news content daily
-Men aged 35-54 consume most on this platform
Mobile & Tablet
-27million adults access news content on this platform
-18-34 make up one third of this. 56% are women
-Mainly consumed between 6am and 10am
Social Media
-75% read news outlets on SM weekly
-SM news brand content is mostly consumed between 5pm and 10pm
-SM news outlets have accumulated over 920million interactions
-Facebook is the most popular social network with online news brand readers
Monday 22nd January 2024
LO-To explore audience appeal and use of online, social and participatory news
The Guardian
theguardian.com content is accessed by over 400 million daily browsers across its platforms.
The readers can be identified by the following demographics:
-67% aged 35+
-33% aged 15-25 (print is 9.5%)
-majority of visits from ABC1 group
Digital news provision is highly successful and they believe their audience to be very much 'consumers of content'.
Their audience can be broken down into the following:
-34.7million monthly global unique users
24.2million UK monthly cross-platform users
They are the market leader in providing online news content across desktop and Twitter platforms.
They use click streaming to analyse audience preferences. This can be seen through the Most Viewed section and shows readers are most interested in stories ranging from culture, sports, politics & economics.
Appeal through use of news values & selection:
Includes: The Power Elite, celebrity, entertainment, surprise, bad news, good news, magnitude, relevance, follow-up, news agenda
-The Power Elite
-Relevance
- Surprise
The Guardian Online follows Harcup and O'Neill's news values to some extent since there is a focus on stories following The Power Elite . The Guardian's readers are 67% readers aged 35+, which is reflected in the serious nature of the news. Sunak featuring on multiple story covers, shows that the guardian have a focus on relevance to their readers, since the majority of visits are from the ABC1 group. The low angle shot of Sunak shows his power, whereas the lexis shows that his power is being 'tested'.
-Bad news, relevance, follow-up
-Follow up news, magnitude, good news
Appeal through use of technical codes &language:
Includes: Layout, colours, font, mode of address, lexis
Uses & Gratifications of theguardian.com:
Includes: Personal identity, information, entertainment, social interaction
Shirky - End of Audience
-Traditional media are shaped by centralised producers.
-Audiences are seen as a mass of people with predictable behaviours.
-Audience behaviour is now variable; they are prosumers who can create and shape their own content.
-User-generated content creates emotional connections.
-In the 'old' media, centralised producers addressed atomised consumers; in the 'new' media, every consumer is now a producer. Traditional media producers would 'filter then publish' as many 'new' media producers are not employees, they 'publish then filter'. These amateur producers have different motivations to those of professionals-they value autonomy, competence, membership and generosity. User-generated content creates emotional connection between people who care about something. This can generate a cognitive surplus. 'The Audience' as a mass of people with predictable behaviour is gone. Now, behaviour is variable across different sites, with some of the audience creating content, some synthesising content and some consuming content. The 'old' media created a mass audience. The 'new' media provide a platform for people to provide value for each other.
Daily Mail Online Application
In sharing stories and posting comments, users can create emotional connections both positive and negative with others.
Guardian Online Application
In sharing stories and posting comments, users can create emotional connections both positive and negative with others.
Usefulness
-Draws attention to the potentially revolutionary effect of online media on news and the threat this represents to traditional models of news gathering and distribution.
-Draws attention to how online newspapers increasingly rely on participatory media such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to disseminate news.
-Draws attention to the role of amateur producers in citizen journalism.
Limitations
-Does not apply to print newspapers due to their centralised production.
-Online newspapers have not embraced the 'publish then filer' model of the news media as top newspaper brands rely on their authority as a news brand to sell themselves, so this theory explains less about online newspapers than it could for fully user-generated online content.
-This optimistic view of the power of amateur producers may underestimate the power of the oligarchy of media conglomerates to shape and control online content and the importance of journalism as a professional practice.
Jenkins - Fandom
-New media have enabled participatory culture where audiences are active.
-Participatory audiences create online communities using new media forms to develop or influence how media is consumed.
-Fans act as 'textual poachers' - taking elements from media texts to create their own culture.
The development of the 'new' media has accelerated 'participatory culture', in which audiences are active and creative participants rather than passive consumers. They create online communities, produce new creative forms, collaborate to solve problems, and shape the flow of media. This generates 'collective intelligence'.
From this perspective, convergence is a cultural process rather than a technological one. Jenkins prefers the term 'spreadable media' to terms such as 'viral', as the former emphasises the active, participatory element of the 'new' media.
Daily Mail Online Application
Readers are encouraged to participate and be active in their consumption of content for each story uses are encouraged to share like or comment.
Guardian Online Application
Readers participate in online communities such as Twitter and Facebook, where through sharing their comments and interests they can develop or influence how the content should be understood.
Usefulness
-Draws attention to the potentially revolutionary effect of online media on news and the threat this represents to traditional models of news gathering and distribution.
-Draws attention to how online newspapers increasingly rely on participatory media such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to disseminate news.
-Draws attention to the role of participatory culture in developing citizen journalism.
Limitations
-Does not apply to print newspapers due to their centralised production.
-Fandom and participatory culture are less likely to occur in relation to online newspapers when compared to other areas of the internet due to their type of content and the ethos of professional journalism.
-This optimistic view of the power of online audiences may underestimate the power of the oligarchy of media conglomerates to shape and control online content and the importance of journalism as a professional practice.
Online News Websites
-Banner- top right.
-Headlines- everywhere.
-Navigation bar- (news, opinion, sport etc).
-Font and typeface- serif and sans serif for less relevant info.
-Social media links
-Feature article
-Sidebar
-Reader sign in link
-Search tool
-Video advert
-News content
-Copy
-Central images
-Advert
-Masthead
-Colour palette
-Comments button
-Share link
-Page links
Social Media Posts
-Banner
-Sidebar
-Masthead
-Profile picture
-Username
-Caption
-Image
-Community
-Like, share, comment buttons
Monday 29th January 2024
LO-To explore use of media language in online, social & participatory news. To explore media language academic theory and apply this to online news examples.
The Guardian
Website is typical of what we expect from a website, like the navigation bars.
The masthead that when you click on it it takes you to the top of the page again.
The news content is typical.
-Uses a quote that puts police in a positive light by making them seem sympathetic about what the mother has been through.
-The article states that a full investigation has been launched, making the police again seem like heroes.
-Giving links to people who can help.
-Used image of the ambulance because in the article they have stressed that they are focusing on the mental health of the mother, and to show that rather than the investigation, they are prioritising health.
-Image is blurry, uses non professional photos to show realism.
Barthes-signs
The sign of the ambulance showing that the story will be about someone who needs help of some sort.
Tuesday 30th January 2024
LO-To analyse representations in online, social & participatory news in the MailOnline. Explore and apply representation theory to the case study examples
Individualism
A social theory that emphasises the worth of the individual over the social group. It is associated with capitalist ideals of free enterprise, the pursuit of profit and the right to self-realisation and freedom.
Globalisation
A process by which the world is becoming increasingly interconnected due to increased trade and cultural exchange. This has seen greater trade and free movement of capital, goods and services, with the most successful companies being multi-national.
Consumerism
Encourages the acquisition of goods and services in ever increasing amounts. Economic policies emphasise consumption and are linked to the idea of individualism with consumption as the free choice of the consumer. it cuts across social groups such as religion, age, gender
and ethnicity in focusing on the interests of the consumer.
and ethnicity in focusing on the interests of the consumer.
-Ad at the top
-Police story-criticising the individual police officer
-Kylie jenner- Consumerism, makeup
-Globalisation- war story, Biden/Trump and the terrorist story under main headline
-Family values
-Celeb news- Sophie Turner, capitalist success
-Love Island, Claudia Winkleman- celeb news, consumerism
-Celebrity affair-exaggerated and made purposefully confusing by the feature article titles.
Event-Police Investigation on constable-Connotes that the police are unprofessional. This reinforces the promotion of Christianity and that the police constable is going to face consequences.
Issues- Israeli special ops storm hospital and kills 3 people, apparent terrorists. Shows the violence and war situations in other countries.
Individuals- Police officer. Singling her out and making her seem like an anomaly
Monday 5th February 2024
Individualism- Showing a sad story, makes the reader sympathise for the family by showing a clip of them crying in an interview. Also, by showing that the girl was performing at a concert before she was killed, showing she was a bright girl and had a great future ahead of her.
Globalisation- People globally will have heard of Wimbledon which brings in a global audience and allows DMGT to profit from the article.
Preferred meaning- Reinforces the importance of keeping up to date with celebrity lives.
Preferred meaning- upper class are the dominant group because it is talking about the king and his private education. Private education is actually presented as worse since the King hated his time there. Modern education is now preferred to archaic teaching.
Van Zoonen- Women objectification:
This article focuses on the Grammys and the female celebs that attended, using the words 'sheer' and 'plunging' highlighting the fact that their dresses show skin, this reinforces Van Zoonen's theory about women being objectified in the media, they are essentially stating that these women are nothing more than their dresses thereby, dehumanising them.
Gauntlett:
Tuesday 6th February 2024
Online News: The Guardian
-Politics and current affairs are the first stories we can see on the guardian website on the home page.
-Social welfare can be shown in the article on the home page titled 'Cost of living' and 'Environment'. You can also find the page 'society' under the navigation bar option 'News' at the top of the page.
-The arts, culture, sports and lifestyle are options in the navigation bar at the top of the page.
-Global, westernised cultural values are seen slightly lower on the page where it says 'News in focus":
Centre-left political ideology is shown on the homepage beside the King Charles article, talking about Liz Truss and Keir Starmer etc.
Hesmondhalgh:
-Theguardian.com may offer a different viewpoint to other online news platforms, it is still made for consumption, thus reinforcing globalisation, consumerism and individualism as ideologies.
-Consumerism allows GMG to extend the content from The Guardian across its online news platforms, building on its brand values via a loyal audience who are encouraged to continue consuming the brand. This has increased traffic to the site and improved revenue for GMG, suggesting the representations constructed are appealing to its audience and therefore advertisers.
-This indicates that the need to increase profit doesn't have to be at the expense of finding new readers with different news content.
Events:
Putting his individual thoughts over everyone else's thoughts: a division in the party, making it appear negative. 'Unwavering' shows that he isn't being a very good leader, and isn't considering any other options.
Issues:
Catastrophic, he is presented as naïve and bad, disbelieving in global warming.
Monday 19th February 2024
LO-To analyse representations in online, social & participatory news in the Guardian. Explore and apply representation theory to the case study examples.
The Guardian's website constructs representations through the use of positive and negative stereotypes and the reinforcement of liberal values.
The key ideological messages communicated on its website are:
Dominant groups who have social power - While there is some diversity in the social groups shown, individual representations of white, middle-aged, middle-class men dominates stories selected, reinforcing the power and visibility of the dominant group.
Eg- Uses white, middle-aged politician to deliver important news.
Hall- Article has created ideal meaning, altered by a man from a dominant social groups' thoughts and interview. The Guardian is highlighting the absence of people from different classes, races and genders through choosing to write the article around him.
Individualism is complicated - Freedom of speech and self-expression are celebrated and seen as important aspects of the human experience. But, individualism favours the individual over the group, and individual profit to aid self-realisation. These ideological features contradict the paper's centre-left political bias and liberal journalism.
Eg- Individual experience for immigrants who are being pushed out of their homes or even country. Something many people could relate to.
Gauntlett- Not a common theme in the media, facing the issues of Home Office's impact on immigrants, telling the story of a man whose story could relate to audiences, or make people who are unaware sympathise for the situation and cruelty the British government has caused.
Globalisation benefits society - It is represented as enabling access to develop knowledge about the world, allowing readers interconnection with a wider community to share knowledge, ideas and values. This presents an outward-looking, non-isolationist attitude of care about and engagement with issues of the world.
Eg-Big story about Russia and Putin's affect on the country. Big world issue as Putin is a politician and shows the problems and makes us aware of the severity of the things he does. He has supposedly had a Russian lawyer killed for his own benefits.
Van Zoonen- Culturally, we are only introduced to this woman as the lawyer's wife, and she is now claiming to continue the work of her husband, following his lead as a woman. She is not sexualised in the image.
Bell Hooks- The image shows a look of determination on her face, and she is a strong now independent woman who says she is going to get revenge by building a 'free Russia'.
Consumerism is part of everyday life - Representations of consumerism are embedded within the consumption of news as knowledge that can develop readers individually and socially, rather than a focus on material consumption.
Eg- Baftas article on main page, with mentions of specific well-known celebrities.
Tuesday 20th February 2024
Contexts
Historical
-Newspapers=one of oldest media forms, dating back to 17th century in UK.
-Mass readership of newspapers arose in Britain in late 19th century with extension of education and the vote, the increase in mass consumption and growth of urban popular culture.
-Print press has been shaped by developments in technology, which has impacted the ways in which news is produced, distributed and circulated.
-Since the 1980s, digital age as impacted the printed press to the extent that the industry has had to change in response.
Economic
-The British news industry contributes significantly to the British economy.
-Newspapers in the free market capitalist societies are commodities which are produced to be sold for profit.
-Technological advances have impacted the circulation of print news with the rise of online news.
-The economic structure and funding of the production and distribution of newspapers relies on circulation sales and advertising revenue from print. This relies on a consumerist economy.
-The current funding models in the UK must be reviewed if UK newspapers are to survive.
-Ownership models are moving from trust and proprietor companies to cross-media converged companies with global reach and a focus on profit.
-Ownership of market shares has to be monitored to ensure competition and plurality in the news industry.
Political
-A free press, self-regulation and The Fourth Estate are important in democratic societies.
-Protective coverage gives editors power over information that reaches mass audiences.
-Newspapers reflect political bias and have a political agenda which will increase in times of political conflict.
-Owners and editors support key political figures and reflect their political values in their news reporting, often owning newspapers to gain political influence.
-Politicians will test the reaction of the press to policies before deciding to continue with them.
-Reporting on government and opposition policy and elections can influence readers, so political outcomes and national decisions benefit the political parties that are supported by the newspapers owners.
-Government legislation, reviews and policy affect ownership, practice and the regulation of the news in the UK.
-Government can review the ownership of news titles every 4-5 years to ensure plurality in the market.
-Government can intervene to prevent mergers/deals if news owners have a majority market share of print news.
Social
-Gatekeeping the production, distribution and circulation of news means it is socially constructed product by owners and journalists.
-The news industry is a social institution, highly visible in our daily lives and run by owners in dominant social positions.
-The news reflects society at the time it is being produced, it shows what's happening in the world and it reflects current social concerns and anxieties, including those caused by social change.
-The news reinforces and comments on other social institutions such as law, government, finance, family, religion, education and media.
-New productions report on social issues such as current affairs, the economy, crime, employment, poverty, health, lifestyles and entertainment.
-News productions chooses which individuals and social groups to include, reflecting and adding to their visibility in society.
-Production and circulation of news socialises us into learning what is important and how we think about different events, issues, individuals and social groups.
-News ownership and production shapes our social consciousness.
Cultural
-Concentrated news ownership in the UK supports a one-dimensional, conservative view of British culture which reinforces cultural norms.
-Postmodern mixing of genres and 'implosion' is reflected in changing newspaper conventions and greater representation of diversity.
-News stories feature cultural events, traditions and behaviours that are considered important by audiences in their lived experience.
-Reading news content daily is cultural trend embedded in the behaviours of the British public.
-Increasing consumerism means that audiences expect more entertainment from newspapers and accept more marketing in newspapers.
-Recent trends in audience behaviour demonstrates a cultural preference for online media; this had led to a change in the consumption of print news and will impact the future of printed news as a cultural product.
Historical- History of the monarchy, story about Camilla
Economic-Cheaper to subscribers so that the audience commit to the purchase.
Political- Right wing, supporting the monarchy, Main headline criticises right wing politics, and linking to problem of it being in labour with incidents of antisemitism in the party.
Social- Headline shows the racial divide in Britain which has started in WW2, from the division of Jews in camps.
Cultural- Culture of lots of negative news, expected of news nowadays.
Historical- Still maintaining the expected production of print newspapers to keep the tradition of newspaper exposing the societal issues.
Economic- Cheaper to subscribers so that the audience commit to the purchase.
Monday 4th March 2024
Explain how the political context in which newspapers are produced influences their ownership and regulation. Refer to The Guardian and the Daily Mail newspapers you have studied to support your answer.
Newspapers are an important part in The Fourth Estate in democratic societies since they have an influence on public affairs and are self-regulated by a free press. Newspapers allow the general public to be aware of the issues in society and make judgement so this leads to papers not being too overly regulated. Editors have protective coverage which give them power over the information that eventually reaches mass audiences. Newspapers reflect political bias, which is seen through the Daily Mail's ownership by Lord Rothermere, which present conservative right wing values in their papers.
Explain how the historical contexts of newspapers evolved in the ways audiences interact with news. Refer to The Guardian and The Daily Mail to support your answer.
Newspapers date back to the 17th century in the UK, being one of the oldest media forms to educate people, being read by everyone during this time. In the late 19th century, mass readership of newspapers arose in Britain due to the extension of education and the vote, leading to the growth of popular culture. Print press has gradually been shaped by developments in technology, which has allowed production, distribution and circulation to extend. For example, The Daily Mail became global over time, having not only a British version but ones in various other countries such as Australia too. Additionally, since the 1980s, the digital age has impacted the printed press to the extent that the industry has had to change in response, with both The Guardian and The Daily mail having to adapt to free online distribution to reach a larger audience and match their competitors. They have also created social media pages, allowing the younger generations to access news through digital means.
Tuesday 5th March 2024
LO-To understand the exam format for the News unit
Questions 1 and 2
10 marks - 17mins
15 marks - 25mins
Analyse the representations in Source A and B. Use Van Zoonen's concept of patriarchy in your answer.
Van Zoonen states that women are objectified in the media and that gender is not who we are but what we do, which conforms to the patriarchy in society. In both of these papers, Cameron is presented as a stereotypical man to some extent, trying to control his emotions while maintaining the appearance of the typical upper-class, wealthy bourgeoisie. However, he contradicts some ideas of stereotypical masculinity through the idea that men don't cry, yet the most powerful man in the country during the time is seen crying in both the close-up of his emotional facial expression in The Sun, and the wide shot of Cameron and his wife leaving 10 Downing Street, a place associated with power juxtaposed with his feelings.
Cameron's wife is presented in The Times' article as a made-up, dressed up supportive wife, holding his hand and being by her husbands side through the difficult situation. She is smiling as if she has to put on a cheerful face for the cameras, conforming to expectations of women in society, being presented for display. The image suggests that Cameron is vulnerable alongside his wife who is there to make him appear supported and composed since he has a tense expression whereas his wife is positive.
The Sun have decided to use a headline to make him appear aggressive through using a clearly false They use a close up image to highlight his emotion as upset and tearful. The lexis and the fact that they include a censored swear word, highlights Cameron as a typically aggressive man despite the fact that they have misled the audiences to believe that he is something that he isn't.
In general, through the use of Van Zoonen's concept of patriarchy in general, we can see that gender conforms to societal expectations through the masculine representations of David Cameron in both sources. In The Sun's article, Cameron's expression presents Cameron as upset but protective of his emotions as he isn't outwardly crying which reinforces the patriarchy. In The Times' article, the focus on Cameron's authority over the country through the location shown in the image emphasise the relevance of his emotions as a powerful leader.
Monday 11th March 2024
Question 2
How far has genre influenced the media language in Sources A and B?
In the British press there are two distinct types of newspapers. One of these is broadsheet papers, typically containing traditional serif fonts and mastheads with formal lexis that reflected their hard news. Their focus is on including a variety of news articles on the cover rather than lots of images -which tabloids tend to use more- to target their ideal audience of well-educated middle and upper class people. Broadcast papers, on the other hand rely on soft news, with stories about celebrities and bright pictures with informal, sensationalised news to appeal to their alternate demographic. These conventions have been complicated by the existence of the middle-market tablets: hybrid papers such as The Daily Mail.
In conclusion, both of these papers have been influenced by genre, shown within both extracts.
Question 3
The Guardian Ethos:
Our values were set out by CP Scott in his centenary leader in 1921. They are: honesty, integrity, courage, fairness, and a sense of duty to the reader and the community.
Tuesday 12th March 2024
Question 3:
P1- Press political positions
P2- Political bias in the news
P3- Ownership-regulation-need to regulate
P4- Regulation- eg. invasion- Levison enquiry
Question 4:
P1- Shirky's theoretical ideas explained
P2- Applying Shirky to the Guardian
P3- Compares Daily Mail to Guardian
P4- Shirky's other idea applied to both papers
P5- Limitation: how it doesn't fit
Q1-Gilroy
P1
-Immigrants are criminalised due to representations of Britain having not mourned loss of empire.
-Black atlantic
-Superiority of white western civilisation
P2
Immigrants are criminalised-Guardian opposes this idea
P3
Immigrants criminalised-They are seen as a threat by calling them a 'mob'
P4
Superiority of white western civilisation-Middle Eastern country doesn't look civilised in The Guardian paper- there are no police, ambulances etc. just people carrying bodies out
P5
Applies- UK democracy not accept mob rule
P6
Conclude
Monday/Tuesday 25/26th March 2024
LO-To summarise the theorists and respond the exam questions
Question 1
Barthes
Signs = signifier-signified
Signifier = literal object, image and is the denotation
From this we get the signified which is the connotation - what's suggested from the image etc.
Ideological myths that appear.
Source A
Boris = cover image/headline
Bad rep = 'Betrayal', Image - Boris and kids emphasises contact with them
PM = conservative = negative
Boris = inadequate, inferior - he has failed at his job - critique of the government
Source B
Headline = blames tsar and draws attention away from Boris being to blame. Lexis 'bust-up' emphasises Collins as negative
Political Context = Collins has quit, his fault
Barthes denotation is the text in the headline
Connotation is that Collins is a quitter
Myth = Right wing support of PM and monarchy via image
Question 2
Do the comments reflect the time-historically (what was going on), socially (society) and culturally (the culture of people at the time)
Question 3
Talk about the stages of news in history, how it's adapted over time to changes
Monday 13th May 2024
Q1
17 mins
Media Language- Layout, images, texts, masthead.
Political Contexts- Context of politics in terms of production.
Levi Strauss- Some things only exist with oppositions. Like night wouldn't exist without day. In politics this is left and right wing papers.
In Source A, the Sun has used particularly visual media language juxtapositions in the lexis and image to create opposing ideas in relation to the political context. Levi Strauss stated that in order for some things to exist, their has to be a binary opposition. This is clearly reflected through the Sun's lexis in the headline with the words 'tears itself apart' followed by the contrasting main image of the political party standing together, smiling and seemingly having a great time together. Through this we see that the conservative party is very false and we are unable to trust them, since on the outside they appear to be collected when in reality, what we don't see is that they are 'fighting'. The lexis contains words such as 'blazing row' and 'in-fighting' which further reinforces the political context of the conservative party being unreliable and unruly. Another clear binary opposition presented through the headline is right wing and left wing beliefs.
Q2-Don't get marked for theory
25 mins
In both Source A and B, they both construct different versions of reality through re-presentation based on their viewpoints. This is specifically due to their target audiences and their political position and beliefs that allow them to reconstruct their own versions of certain events.
Q3
17 mins
Social- Beliefs in society
Cultural- Where something is from and the way we do things in our culture
Historical- Past
Political- Politics
Economic- Money
Culture- Online vs print, how print has merged to online. How we engage and how it is constantly updated online.
Audience interaction
Can share articles online to other people-expected culturally
Comments
Social media- Guardian and DM both have social media pages with news that link to their website news
Access anywhere- We now have internet and WIFI
Notifications from apps- DM and guardian both have apps-personalised news via sign in
Subscriptions-DM have Daily Mail+ with exclusive news. G-donations and membership with values of inclusivity to allow everyone to access news
You can contribute to news stories- citizen news
Can watch videos online
Live update online
Consumerism- DM and G have ads and encourages donation
Q4
17 mins
Curran and Seaton
-Power of industry owners
-Ownership and Control
-Ownership is important to how companies operate.
-Companies consume each other to get more power.
-Creativity is sacrificed at the cost of profit. Narrowing views.
-Internet has not changed the power balance.
Hesmondhalgh
-Risk in terms of loss of money and profit.
-Minimise risk by following certain values repeatedly in their news.
-Companies capitalist and convergence.
-Internet not transformed the media, more powerful companies controlling life via speeding up work.
1 Barthes
2 Meanings further to denotations they create that are naturalised
3 Equilibrium, disruption, Recognition, Resolution, New Equilibrium
4 Neale
5 They begin to alter to a new sense of norm
6 Levi Strauss
7 Dead and Alive
8 Things that are represented in the media as better than what they actually are
9 Simulacra- Can't tell what is reality and what isn't
11/9- Great start, well done.
ReplyDelete19/9- Good analysis. T: 4. can you try to add some context to the analysis, in terms of audience expectations and news values, can you also try to use other elements of media language to back up your points above.
ReplyDelete2/10- Good knowledge of the newspaper and the issues. T: 6. You need to tie your points to the question and link to economic factors.
ReplyDeleteHomework 30/10- Great start, T 1,2,3.
ReplyDelete13/11- Great notes and work on your case studies page, T: Ensure that you have clear concrete examples of theory and areas we are working in the form of a cover.
ReplyDelete4/12-.1. Key examples are needed from your representation analysis, you need to be able to reference clear examples in the newspaper.
ReplyDelete9/1/24- Great note taking today and working on the tasks. T: can you collect some screenshots from the MailOnline comments and a complaint against the MailOnline.
ReplyDelete29/1- Good analysis of the online page and use of viewpoints and ideologies. T: You need more in depth analysis of the media language used in social and participatory news.
ReplyDelete11/3- Outstanding notes on the theory and application choices to different newspapers, brilliant work on contexts, your notes are excellent, use these for your revision, you have everything you need here.
ReplyDeleteQ1 T: 1. Comprehensive, detailed and accurate application of knowledge and understanding of media representations in relation to Patriarchy to analyse Source A and Source B.