To finish off our in-depth topic on Newspapers we need to create an index for our blog tasks.
As we know, creating a blog index is a great way of checking you have completed all the work on the topic and haven't missed anything crucial you may need in a future mock exam or assessment.
Firstly, create a new blogpost called: Newspapers final index.
Your Newspapers index should include the following:
For your index, the text should link to YOUR corresponding blogpost so you can access your work quickly and easily for checking and revision. This also means if you have missed anything you can catch up with the work and notes and won't underperform in assessments and exams due to gaps in your knowledge.
The second part of our case study for The Times focuses on Representation and Industries.
This is the final part of our case study work for Newspapers and is full of information that could easily come up in our exams.
The Times: Representation notes
Front page
Some key aspects of the representation on the front page:
By using the crest in its masthead, the newspaper is associating itself with being British and part of an established heritage and tradition.
Offers a positive representation of Boris Johnson and the Conservative party in their main front page story.
Picture story features a white child dressed up for World Book Day - reinforcing white middle class British values most Times readers would agree with.
Kicker informs readers of what the recent budget will mean for homeowners. This creates a strong representation of Times readers as wealthy property owners.
Inside page
Some key aspects of the representation on the inside page:
Amazon story is presented in a lighthearted way - almost an opinion piece rather than a serious news story. This is a strong contrast with the Mirror's reporting of the store as a 'threat to jobs'.
Views the Amazon store as progress and exciting rather than a threat. All the criticisms that appear in the article are immediately followed by a more positive viewpoint to reassure readers and present Amazon positively.
This story suggests the Times supports big business and corporations like Amazon over ordinary working class British people.
Some particularly middle class elements in the article - e.g. reference to the feta sandwich. Also reference to banking apps and technology - an assumption that Times readers would be familiar with this.
Politics
The Times generally supports the Conservative Party and is against the more leftwing Labour Party. The newspaper will often act as a voice for the establishment (the wealthy and powerful) and will not support anything that threatens major changes to the status quo (how things currently are). This can be found in the CSP pages of the Times we need to study.
Reminder: News values
Media theorists Galtung and Ruge defined a set of news values to explain how journalists and editors decided that certain stories and photographs were accepted as newsworthy, while others were not. The following list is adapted from their work:
Immediacy: has it happened recently?
Familiarity: is it culturally close to us in Britain?
Amplitude: is it a big event or one which involves large numbers of people?
Frequency: does the event happen fairly regularly?
Unambiguity: is it clear and definite?
Predictability: did we expect it to happen?
Surprise: is it a rare or unexpected event?
Continuity: has this story already been defined as news?
Elite nations and people: which country has the event happened in? Does the story concern well-known people?
Negativity: Is it bad news? Bad news tends to get more focus as it’s more sensational/ attention grabbing.
Balance: the story may be selected to balance other news, such as a human survival story to balance a number of stories concerning death.
The selection of particular news stories, images and text can create very different representations - as we can see in the same Amazon story across the Daily Mirror and the Times - as well as the focus of the political stories on each front page.
The Times: Industries
The Times is owned by News UK (a subsidiary of News Corporation). News Corporation is a conglomerate mostly owned by Rupert Murdoch, an Australian media mogul with many business interests worldwide such as the Fox network in the USA.
In July 2009 News Corporation had to pay large sums of compensation for the phone hacking scandal, where their journalists were accused of using illegal methods to obtain information. The Times circulation in 2019 was 376,000, down 12% in a year and much lower than the high point of over 800,000 in the 1990s. Since 2020, The Sun and The Times have not published their circulation figures, perhaps to prevent knowledge of how many readers they have lost.
In response to the decline in print newspapers, the Times has:
Moved towards a multi-platform landscape. This means that it publishes and synchronises across its print, desktop and mobile platforms. Some newspapers (e.g. The Times) have a paywall on their online content. The Times has had a hard paywall since 2010, but it often experiments with making content available for free. Last summer, it began free registrations and has been adding around 30,000 a week.
Created a social media strategy in collaboration with the digital team to drive growth of their Twitter and Facebook profiles.
In 2018, Times and Sunday Times hit 500,000 subscribers as digital outnumbered print for first time at an initial cost of £1 per week for a digital subscription.
Key question: Why have print newspapers declined?
ACCESSIBILITY / DIGITAL AGE: The growth of the Internet as a major source of news (since the 1990s). This has particularly impacted on advertising revenue for newspapers as we use the Internet (often free) for services. Television news is also available 24 hours a day so no need to make ‘appointment to view’ or buy a daily newspaper as updates on-line are more up to date. COST: People are accessing news freely through social media and other online outlets. Newspapers cannot compete with the speed and cost-free nature of this. Twitter has no printing costs, printing factories, distribution costs and journalist wages. CHOICE & VARIETY: Previously we would go to small number of outlets for our news (BBC and other national broadcasters, national and some local newspapers). Now there are so many places we can access news (numerous TV channels, websites, social media accounts, blogs). IMMEDIACY: Critics of the newspaper as a medium also argue that newspapers haven’t moved with the times. The technology revolution has meant that readers accustomed to waiting for a daily newspaper can now receive up-to-the-minute updates from Web portals, bloggers and new services such as Twitter.
Newspaper regulation
How and why are UK newspapers regulated? The Press Complaints Commission (PCC) was a voluntary regulatory body for British printed newspapers and magazines. The PCC closed on Monday 8 September 2014 after criticism following the phone hacking affair. It was replaced by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). The role of IPSO is to:
Regulate 1500 print and 1100 online titles.
Listen to complaints about press behaviour.
Help with unwanted press attention.
Advise publication editors .
Provide information to the public.
Provide a journalist whistleblowing hotline.
There is currently a heated debate in the media regarding whether the newspaper industry requires stronger regulation. Some people argue that the newspaper industry cannot be trusted to regulate itself using IPSO and that stronger, statutory regulation should be introduced instead. This would also implement the recommendations of the Leveson Inquiry which followed the phone-hacking scandal. There are links in the extension tasks below if you would like to read more about the newspaper regulation debate.
Blog tasks: The Times case study Create a blogpost called 'The Times - Representation and Industries' and then work through the following questions: Representation 1) What representation of the Conservative Party can be found in the main story on the front page?
2) What representation is offered by the World Book Day picture story on the front of the Times? 3) How does the coverage of the Royal Family in the Times contrast with the reporting of the same events in the Daily Mirror?
4) How is Amazon represented in the Times inside page story?
5) How does the representation of Amazon contrast with the Daily Mirror story on the same topic? Industries 1) Who owns the Times? Write the name of the company AND the billionaire who owns the company. 2) What was the The Times's circulation in 2019? How many papers did the Times used to sell back in the 1990s? 3) How has the Times reacted to the decline in print sales and the growth of the internet? 4) What does IPSO stand for and what is IPSO's job? 5) Why do some people want stronger regulation of British newspapers?
Grade 8/9 extension tasks How does the coverage of the Royal Family in the Times reinforce British social and cultural values?
The first part of our main case study for The Times is focusing on Media Language and Audience.
Here are your two CSP pages for The Times:
The Times: notes
Media language
Language: The Times tends to attract an audience that is older and more traditional (Conservative politics), so the stories are targeted towards these values and beliefs to target their specific audience.
Mode of address: The Times employs a formal style with advanced language to reflect the needs/education level of the audience.
Construction: The Times uses some layout design techniques to attract its audience (sell lines, kickers, pugs). There are usually not as many as The Mirror, though.
Technical Codes: Whilst The Times employs colour, it is much more understated than the tabloid Mirror. More traditional fonts, styles and sizes reinforce this traditional symbolism.
Conventions: The Times observes more traditional codes and conventions than the Daily Mirror, with less direct address and a more formal, authoritative tone as if giving the reader less active participation and more passive access to information.
Target audience The Times target audience is older with over half the audience aged 55+. In terms of social class, they are overwhelmingly in the ABC1 social classes - 62% from social group AB. This means Times readers are likely to be professionals, managers or company owners. They are likely to be in the Succeeder psychographic group. Audience pleasures and representation
Surveillance/Information
The main reason we read newspapers is to find out what is going on in the world around us. News, different opinions, information about current affairs. This includes British politics and the British Royal family (patriotic). The Times focuses on hard news that we expect from a broadsheet newspaper - politics, economics, world news etc.
Diversion/Entertainment
One of the main reasons we read newspapers is for entertainment. We want to be entertained.
Information about royals who are seen as an important part of British culture and also access to cultural aspects such as TV dramas and directors. This targets people with disposable income and an interest in culture/status and how they are perceived.
Personal Identity
A Daily Mirror reader will probably think very differently from a Times reader. Even if a reader does not always agree with a viewpoint the newspaper puts forward, they may still be agreeing with the values being shared. The Times newspaper seems to endorse the Conservative party and show their strong affiliation with the political party by the way stories are constructed. The way businesses are represented also shows the Times values private companies over working class people.
Becoming an active participant
Increasingly newspapers, especially online editions, encourage audience input through comments and email. The audience are not targeted with informal language or direct address as often, leading to a distance between journalist and reader. This encourages less dissent and comment and therefore more passive audience members who will accept the dominant view point of the paper.
Politics The Times is right-wing and supports the Conservative Party. It is generally against the left-wing Labour Party. The Times newspaper will act as a voice for the establishment (the wealthy and powerful) and will not support anything that threatens major changes to the status quo.
Blog tasks: The Times - Language and Audience Work through the following questions to make sure you are fully prepared for questions on the Times and the newspaper industry. Language 1) What is the main story on the front cover of the Times CSP edition and why does it appeal to Times readers? 2) List the other news stories and kickers on the front page of the Times CSP edition. Why do you think the Times selected these for the front page?
3) What is the main story on the inside page of the Times CSP edition and how is it constructed to appeal to Times readers? 4) How are the Times front and inside pages designed to reflect broadsheet newspaper conventions? 5) What does a close analysis of the news stories in the Times CSP edition suggest about the Times's political beliefs?
Audience 1) What is the main readership demographic for The Times newspaper? Add as much detail as you can. 2) What aspects of the front page of the Times CSP edition suggest that their readers are likely to be more educated and interested in hard news rather than entertainment?
3) Times readers are mostly over 55 years old. Why is this and how is this reflected by the new stories and kickers in the CSP pages we have studied? 4) What is the main audience pleasure offered by the Times? Use Blumler & Katz Uses and Gratifications theory.
5) Why might a reader enjoy this CSP edition of the Times? Use Blumler & Katz Uses and Gratifications theory categories and write as detailed an analysis as you can.
This provides an excellent contrast with the Daily Mirror. The Times is a right-wing broadsheet newspaper that generally supports the Conservative Party and is aimed at a more educated, middle-class audience. Remember, this is an in-depth CSP and needs to be studied with reference to all four key concepts: Language, Representation, Industries and Audience. We'll be covering all of those concepts over the next two weeks.
This is the front page of The Times we will be studying for the exam:
1) Write down three key statistics from this page.
2) Look at the various sections of the newspaper outlined on this page (e.g. Entertainment, Announcements, Travel). What do these sections suggest about The Times newspaper's audience?
3) Click on three of the sections - your choice. Write down one key detail for each section you choose e.g. Travel - more Times readers took a holiday abroad last year than any other newspaper.
Our final tasks for theDaily Mirror involve studying Representation and Industry.
Remember, this is an in-depth CSP and needs to be studied with reference to all four key concepts: Language, Representation, Industries and Audience.
Daily Mirror notes
Representation
The Daily Mirror supports the Labour Party and is against the Conservative Party. Generally, the newspaper will act as a voice for normal people (like NHS heroes) and go against the rich and powerful (like Conservative politicians or big corporations like Amazon).
You need to study the selected CSP pages for the Daily Mirror to see how the newspaper represents different people and groups.
Industries
The Daily Mirror is owned by Reach, which used to be called Trinity Mirror. Reach publishes over 240 regional titles in addition to the Daily Mirror and Sunday Mirror - including our local newspaper website getwestlondon. The Daily Mirror's circulation has fallen drastically over the years from over 3 million a day in 1990 down to around 300,000 a day in 2022. Recent falls have been due to the rise of the internet which is why the Mirror's audience is much older now. To combat falling print revenues, the The Daily Mirror has:
The move towards a multi-platform landscape means that it publishes and synchronises across its print, desktop and mobile platforms. The Daily Mirror provides this online content for free. Some newspapers (e.g. The Times) have a paywall on their online content which means that they charge subscription fees to read articles. Free providers make money from advertising space online.
Created a social media strategy in collaboration with the digital team to drive growth of their Twitter and Facebook profiles.
Create news based content that updates regularly, is shared on social media channels, includes a range of video content and encourages audience involvement. Printed newspapers cannot do this so effectively.
News values
Media theorists Galtung and Ruge defined a set of news values to explain how journalists and editors decided that certain stories and photographs were accepted as newsworthy, while others were not. The following list is adapted from their work:
Immediacy: has it happened recently?
Familiarity: is it culturally close to us in Britain?
Amplitude: is it a big event or one which involves large numbers of people?
Frequency: does the event happen fairly regularly?
Unambiguity: is it clear and definite?
Predictability: did we expect it to happen?
Surprise: is it a rare or unexpected event?
Continuity: has this story already been defined as news?
Elite nations and people: which country has the event happened in? Does the story concern well-known people?
Negativity: Is it bad news? Bad news tends to get more focus as it’s more sensational/ attention grabbing.
Balance: the story may be selected to balance other news, such as a human survival story to balance a number of stories concerning death.
Blog tasks: Daily Mirror case study
Work through the following questions to complete your work on the Daily Mirror. Representation 1) What political party does the Daily Mirror support? How can you tell? 2) How does the Daily Mirror usually represent rich and powerful people or corporations? 3) How are ordinary working people presented in the Daily Mirror?
4) How is the Labour Party represented in the Daily Mirror? 5) How is Amazon represented in the article on 'no-till' Amazon stores? Industries 1) What company owns the Daily Mirror? 2) What is the Daily Mirror's circulation in 2022? How many papers did the Daily Mirror used to sell back in the 1990s? 3) Why has the newspaper industry struggled in the last 20 years? 4) How has the Daily Mirror reacted to the decline in print sales and the growth of the internet? 5) List five of Galtung & Ruge's News Values and explain how they link to the stories in our CSP edition of the Daily Mirror.
Grade 8/9 extension task The Daily Mirror's owner, Reach (then Trinity Mirror) bought control of the Express and Daily Star newspapers in 2018. Read this Guardian feature on the deal. Why did Trinity Mirror buy the papers? You will get some lesson time to work on this case study but will need to complete it at home - due date on Google Classroom.
Remember, this is an in-depth CSP and needs to be studied with reference to all four key concepts: Language, Representation, Industries and Audience.
Daily Mirror notes
Language
AQA has selected the following pages as our Daily Mirror CSP pages:
Analyse these pages and look at which stories have been selected for the newspaper and how they are constructed for their audience.
Audience
The Daily Mirror audience is older with almost half the audience aged 65+. In terms of social class, most are in the C1, C2 DE social classes. They are likely to be in the Struggler, Resigned or Mainstream psychographic groups.
Blog tasks: Daily Mirror case study
Work through the following questions to cover the Language and Audience key concepts for the Daily Mirror. Language 1) Write the definition of the following key language for newspaper front pages (you may want to add an example for each from our Daily Mirror CSP): Masthead: Pug: Splash Head: Slogan: Dateline: Kicker: Byline: Standfirst: 2) How much does a copy of the Daily Mirror cost? (Note: the current cost is different to the CSP edition - I recommend learning both). 3) What are the main stories on the CSP edition of the Daily Mirror (see above)? Make sure you learn the headline and what the stories are about. 4) Why is the choice of news stories on the Mirror CSP front page typical of a tabloid newspaper? 5) What is the balance on the Daily Mirror front page between images, headlines and text? Audience 1) What is the Daily Mirror's audience? List the key statistics here. 2) Why do the Mirror stories on the CSP pages appeal to the Daily Mirror audience? 3) Why might a reader enjoy the Daily Mirror? Use Blumler & Katz Uses and Gratifications theory to add detail to your answer. 4) Why are print newspapers generally read by older audiences? 5) How is the 'Amazon no-till shops' story constructed to appeal to Daily Mirror readers? Grade 8/9 extension tasks Read this Guardian column on the Mirror's struggles with covering Brexit. How did the Mirror suggest people vote in the EU referendum and how did many of its working class audience actually vote? Guardian Media critic Roy Greenslade writes about why tabloid newspapers like the Mirror are struggling to attract younger readers in this column. Make a note of some of the key statistics in this article and also what Greenslade thinks tabloids should do to stay relevant in the digital age. This column also has an excellent discussion of the Mirror's political stance which is ideal to grade 9 answers. You will get some lesson time to work on this case study but will need to complete it at home if it isn't finished - due date on Google Classroom.
Remember, as an in-depth CSP this needs to be studied with reference to all four key concepts: Language, Representation, Industries and Audience. Introduction to newspapers - notes
GLow Words
Left-wing (Socialist): in favour of social equality and reform. The Labour Party is considered left-wing and the Daily Mirror generally supports Labour and left-wing causes.
Right-wing (Conservative): prefer the traditional way things are and in favour of low taxes. The Conservative Party is considered right-wing and the Times generally supports the Conservatives and right-wing causes.
Agenda: issues brought to the attention of the people through news.
Elitist: for the good of a few people, usually the upper classes or most educated.
Political Bias: when an industry or media product supports a certain political view.
Hard news: information on topics like business, politics and international affairs.
Soft news: blurs line between information and entertainment so may be centred more on gossip, celebrities or lifestyle issues.
Tabloid: smaller, popular and tends to focus on sensational stories and softer news.
Broadsheet: larger, more niche and tends to focus on serious, harder news.
Historical, social and cultural context
The ‘Press’ is a collective term for the newspaper industry. The name comes from printing presses. Newspapers are still popular media products for audiences to get their news, be entertained and informed. There are a range of national (Daily Mail), regional (Birmingham Mail) and specialist newspapers (The Racing Post).
Whilst still popular, since the 1950s, there has been a gradual decline in newspaper sales due to the rise of TV ownership (and news programmes) and, more recently, the growth of digital news through websites and social media. The importance of a free press A free press implies that journalists (those that write for newspapers) and newspaper editors can edit content free of intervention from Government influence. More than a third of the world’s population live in countries where there is no press freedom. Journalists are often imprisoned if they disagree with the Government, social media channels are not allowed, non-democratic countries often control access to information and employ state-run news organizations.
Recently, democracy has been challenged by the decline in trusted news sources and the rise of 'fake news' or misinformation. Here's a good video highlighting the dangers of a 'post-truth' society:
Tabloids and broadsheets
There are generally two classifications of newspapers – tabloids and broadsheets.
Tabloids tend to be easier to read, feature shorter articles and include more photographs. They report on major news, but also include a lot of showbiz gossip, entertainment and sport. They tend to be the better sellers. Examples include The Sun and the Daily Mirror.
Broadsheet newspapers traditionally used to be larger (printed on ‘broad sheets’) although most are the same size as tabloids now. They tend to be more serious, have smaller fonts, more advanced use of language and less photography (although they have included more over the last 20 years to be more popular). They tend to have lower circulation figures than tabloids. Examples include the Times and the Daily Telegraph.
Introduction to Newspapers: blog task
Create a new blogpost called 'Introduction to Newspapers' and answer the following questions:
1) What type of news can you typically find in a tabloid newspaper?
2) What type of news can you typically find in a broadsheet newspaper?
3) If someone is left-wing, which political party are they likely to support? Which newspaper would they be likely to read?
4) If someone is right-wing, which political party are they likely to support? Which newspaper would they be likely to read?
5) Why has there been a decline in newspaper sales in the last 20 years?
6) Why is a free press important in a democracy like the UK?
