Daily Mail
- Tabloid newspaper
- Sensationalist news
- Sense of hybridity - some more sophisticated news, however a lot of soft news
- 59% of readers are women, with an average age of 59
- 62% of readers are category ABC1, with the largest group being C1
- Majority of readers are educated, mostly degree level
- Majority of readers live in the South-East
- ‘Mainstreamers (follows the crowd), resigned (believes in the things they trust), succeeders (high social status)
The Guardian
- Broadsheet
- Hard news
- Educated
- Left wing
- 44% of readers are 55+
- 50% male and female audience
- 75% of readers are ABC demographic
- ‘Attracts a unique group of people who are curious about the world, who travel and aren’t afraid of change’
- ‘Progressive’
- Interested in culture, lifestyle and sport
- ‘Explorers (likes discovering new things), reformers (socially aware, unbothered about status), succeeders (high social status)
Wednesday 4th March
Print News
L/O: To explore the purpose and process of the printed news industry
Production: Why are print newspapers so expensive to produce?
-Require a large amount of material
-Employ many highly trained staff
How has technology changed the traditional approach?
-Printed in colour
-Printed in colour
-Satellite and internet - stories wired quickly from anywhere
-The printing process itself hasn't really changed that much
Distribution: Why are they expensive to distribute?
-Have to be physically transported across the country
-Need to be in outlets from early morning
How would you lessen the cost?
-Print locally
-Online can be global and cheaper
-Free papers - e.g. The Metro
Marketing: How do they promote their papers?
-Advertising - TV, social media, sister papers
-Exclusives
-Synergy deals with other companies
Circulation:
-Number of copies distributed, not sold
Ownership:
-Refers to who financially supports and produces the paper
-In the UK, there are 3 ownership models:
'Media Barons' - owned by wealthy individuals or proprietors, e.g. Rupert Murdoch,
Trusts - a legal arrangement that transfers funds from the owner to a 'trustee' to manage and control the running of the paper, e.g. Scott Trust (Guardian Media Group) The Guardian, far less biased as the owner has far less control over what goes into that newspaper
Cross-Media converged conglomerates - global institutions that own numerous media outlets. These may be owned by Media Barons, e.g. Daily Mail Group and Lord Rothermere
-Newspaper ownership in the UK has become increasingly concentrated, and therefore less diverse, as the industry is run by just 7 companies. More worryingly, almost 60% of the market share is owned by just two companies: News UK and DMG Media
Economic models and funding:
-The news industry contributes massively to the UK economy, despite falling print sales
-Production is financed in two different ways, but the main two forms are:
Circulation sales - 14.3 million people read a paper daily, 81% of a paper's revenue comes from print sales, cost of a national daily paper ranges from 70p - £2.70, cost of a national weekend newspaper ranges from 80p - £3.80
-Advertising - cost of full page colour ad in Daily Mail is over £30,000, papers make money from ads in both offline and online versions, print readers are 75% more likely to read ads
-Alternative methods of funding print news can include: subscriptions (online), memberships, reader donations
-The print news industry is facing a crisis due to falling sales and increased use of online news
-Traditional funding models may need revising
-Theresa May announced a review of the news industry in February 2018 to ensure quality news and journalism
-Possible funding strategies include: government or public funding subsidies, philanthropy, greater focus on payment from online access, pooled reporting to reduce the costs of journalists, greater use of freelance agencies
Technological Developments:
-Since the 1980s, rapid development of hardware, software and converged devices has significantly changed the relationship between owners and audiences
Technology Introduced and its effects on owners and audiences
1980s - Computers, printers and Desk Top Publishing (DTP) programs - made the process quicker and cheaper, owners control production and distribution on a mass scale, audiences have power to create their own print media more easily but not distribute it
1990s - The Internet - Growing availability of information leads to greater competition for owners, audiences have more control of information they receive from a greater range of sources; no cost
2000s - Broadband, Web 2.0, Smartphones and tablets, HD digital cameras, Apps - online news, access to a greater range of sources, 'fake news', owners no longer in control of production and distribution of news, owners no longer in control of information circulated, audiences are able to create, share and distribute their own news, audiences can access information anywhere
-In order to remain relevant and tackle falling sales, news has to go online
Advantages of Internet news:
-Production: Reduces environmental costs; energy saving
-Distribution: Reduces cost; global reach
-Circulation: Allows greater access which increases overall circulation; audiences can interact with the news; owners can owners can monitor story popularity
-The proliferation of technology has not been helpful for print news: The Guardian has lost 200,000 print readers in 10 years, The Independent is now only available online
Case Studies:
For The Guardian and Daily Mail, find out more about:
- The owners/trusts and funding model used
- Circulation figures
- Advertising costs
- Sales figures for the last 5 years
- Online website
- Online options: revenue
- Many of us think we have a free and independent press, but we don’t
- The billionaires that own the press set the agenda - six billionaires own or have a voting share in most of the national newspapers
- The owners of these papers interfere with what is published, which editors and journalists are promoted or fired as well as which political party the paper supports
- Journalists working for these newspapers are heavily influenced by their owners, changing their opinions for the billionaires owning the newspaper
- The Scott Trust, who own The Guardian, is wholly owned by the company directors who are prohibited from taking any dividends (sum of money paid regularly by the company to its shareholders)
- Corporate advertising revenue censors the content
- The media relies heavily on corporate advertising, often for more than 50% of its revenue
- Media heavily reliant on corporate advertising is compromised as it influences what is and isn’t written about
- Privately educated white men dominate the media
- Nearly half of UK national newspaper columnists graduated from Oxford or Cambridge
- 54% of the nations ‘top 100 media professionals’ attended private schools (compared to around 7% of the population)
- This creates an upper middle class worldview in much of the media
- There is underrepresentation of black, Asian and minority ethnic journalists, increasing the amount of racism we see in newspapers
- Women are also underrepresented, both in journalists and in the amount of coverage received
- Between April 2014 and September 2015 the number of male experts interviewed on flagship news programmes outnumbered female experts by 3.16: 1, with ITV News at 10 having 4.9 male experts for every woman
- Front page stories written by men 80% of the time
- The political use of supposedly neutral sources
- There is a strong bias in some media outlets when it comes to political events, e.g. during the Scottish referendum, the majority of Scottish news and politics programmes were seen to have a bias towards Scottish independence
- The intelligence services manipulate the press
- Research has shown that some journalists are being paid by the intelligence services
- Reporters are routinely approached and manipulated by intelligence agents
- As has been much discussed since Donald Trump’s election, alternative (as well as corporate) media can be fake, far-right and/or not sufficiently fact-checked. Only if alternative/co-operative/investigative journalism is financially supported by its readers will they be able to research and write high quality articles
How can this be applied to The Guardian and Daily Mail?
Monday 9th March
Print News
L/O: To explore the news values, bias and regulation of printed news
News Gathering
- Newspapers have teams of reporters who gather news locally or through Press Agencies. These agencies operate globally to identify key facts when major events happen
- Press Agencies report facts without judgement and so all information is objective. This information is sold to newspapers who reshape the story to reflect their own values
- DMG Media and News UK are shareholders in Press Agencies - It may not cost them as much to get the same stories
- The editor acts as a gatekeeper; responsible for filtering, selecting or omitting stories based on importance and appeal
- These stories must then be checked for accuracy
- As part of this process, editors can practise protective coverage: withholding information on the grounds it would be harmful to the public, powerful people or impede a legal investigation
- How could this benefit an owner? - Allows the owner to not be written badly about and to protect themselves
News Values
- Guidelines used to identify which news is considered to be most valuable, appealing and newsworthy for audiences
- Indicates that the news is a socially constructed product
- 12 of the most significant news values are: frequency, threshold (the bigger the size of the event, the more likely it is to be reported), unambiguity, meaningfulness, consonance (meeting expectations rather than defying them), unexpectedness, continuity, composition (stories that compete with one another), reference to elite nations, reference to elite persons, personalisation, negativity
- Whilst the editor is in charge of gatekeeping, the tastes and preferences of the audience are highly influential
- For example, readers of The Sun may prefer sensationalised stories and so personalisation may be made a value so as to create emotive stories. However, in The Guardian, composition may be a significant value as the readers desire a sense of balance, liberalism and appreciate debate
Pick 5 different front covers and identify which values have been applied to the cover stories
The Mirror:
- Reference to elite persons - Meghan and Harry
- Personalisation - Readers of tabloid newspapers prefer to see sensationalist news, particularly celebrity gossip, like Meghan and Harry
- Threshold - Coronavirus is a big, worldwide pandemic
- Negativity - 'Coronavirus Fears'
The Guardian:
- Threshold - Coronavirus pandemic
- Negativity - Fears of coronavirus
- Unambiguity - Straightforward headlines
Daily Mail:
- Reference to elite persons - Meghan and Harry
- Negativity - Third victim dies due to coronavirus
- Threshold - coronavirus
- Personalisation - Daily Mail readers prefer sensationalist news, the Royal Family is in their interest
The Sun:
- Personalisation - Royal Family, appeals to audience
- Unexpectedness - different to other newspaper front pages that day
- Threshold - coronavirus
- Negativity - coronavirus
- Reference to elite persons - Meghan Markle, sports stars
The Times:
- Negativity - coronavirus fears
- Threshold - coronavirus
- Unambiguity - straightforward, sophisticated way of delivering headlines
- Composition - Variety of different stories to appeal to the audience
- Personalisation: Range of different stories for different audiences
Political Bias
- The UK news industry is considered a free press
- Newspapers have been referred to as The Fourth Estate - Seen as public protectors
- Examples: MP expenses scandal, Facebook and Cambridge Analytica scandal. both cases involved the abuse of political power and privilege
- Political bias should be considered in relation to ownership and regulation of the press. It can be seen to influence thinking and political outcomes, and therefore democracy
- A paper's political and ideological values are often referred to as left and right wing. A paper's position can vary depending on time, editors and owners
- The majority of the public see the Mail as being very right wing and The Guardian as fairly left wing
- A survey shows that over half the national daily papers support right-wing values. This provides a homogenous (similar, singular and undistinguishable) view of our news
- This means that most papers offer a similar view of the news they report and therefore reinforce a singular view about our society/culture. Opposite is plurality
- Both the Daily Mail and The Sun are: right wing, support and reflect the values of the Conservatives, owned by wealthy, white, male Media Barons who control global media outlets
Do we really have a free press?
Technically, we do, however issues of political bias, gatekeeping and values somewhat prevent this.
Wednesday 11th March
Print News
L/O: To explore the regulation of printed news
Regulation
Thursday 12th March
Case Studies
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail, published in London, was one of the first British newspapers to to popularise its coverage to appeal to a mass audience. It is the flagship publication of the Daily Mail and General Trust PLC, a London media company incorporated in 1922 with holdings in radio, television and weekly and daily newspapers.
It was founded in 1896 by Alfred Harmsworth. In 1902, its circulation exceeded 1 million. Although the Mail lost circulation in the 1970s, it became one of Britain's best selling newspapers at the close of the 20th century.
Funding
Main source: Circulation sales and advertising
25% of market share, although circulation figures have dropped
The paper is owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust (DMG Media). The Harmsworths and Lord Rothermere, who own the Daily Mail, are known to be Europhiles, yet the Daily Mail was strongly anti-EU under the editorship of Paul Dacre. Direct interference might destroy the credibility of the newspaper and will be resisted by editors and journalists.
Wednesday 11th March
Print News
L/O: To explore the regulation of printed news
Regulation
- Regulation of any industry may be directed through government legislation or an independent authority. It controls how an industry is run and how people behave
- There are two main arguments for and against the regulation of the printed press
- For: The news industry has too much political power and influence over the British public, which has reduced freedom of speech, compromises democracy and is not in the public interest
- Against: The printed press should not be regulated or controlled, especially by government legislation. It would affect freedom of speech, democracy and would not be in the public interest
- Regulation is concerned with maintaining the need for a free press and the function of the Fourth Estate. Political influence of owners and the need for plurality is also a regulatory concern
- Recent events have put regulation at the top of the political agenda. In light of recent debates, regulation in the UK focuses on:
- News content and information printed by the press
- Ownership and competition laws
- The British press is self-regulated
- Through an independent organisation of editors, it regulates itself within an accepted code of conduct
- Punitive rather than preventative
- Breach could lead to a fine or printed apology
- Problems with this: The information is already out there
The Leveson Inquiry
- 2011
- Public led inquiry into the relationship between the press and the public, police and politicians
- Recommendations:
- The press needed to continue to be-self regulating
- Create a new press standards body with a rigorous code of conduct
- Back up regulation with legislation
- Provide the public with confidence that complaints will be dealt with
- Protect the press from government interference
- As a result, two new regulatory bodies were established:
- Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO)
- Independent Monitor for the Press (IMPRESS)
- IPSO is not seen to fulfil Leveson's requirements, so does not have official regulatory status
- In its role, it is supposed to hold newspapers to account, protect the right of the individual, upholds standards of journalism and maintain freedom of expression for the press
- It is funded by its members (national daily papers like the Mail). The public can submit complaints without going through the courts and IPSO will investigate. Papers can opt-out and self regulate outside of IPSO, e.g. The Guardian
- IMPRESS became a Leveson complaint regulator in 2016
- Funded by the IPRT, meaning that it is commercially independent from the news industry and not compromised by its funding system, unlike IPSO
- First of its kind for the UK, but not received well by editors who see it as an attempt from the government to control the freedom of the press
Ownership and Competition Laws
- Regulated by the Communications Act 2003
- The Enterprise Act 2002 enables discretional intervention by the government is a cross-media merger raises plurality concerns
- This is to prevent any one media type or voice having too much influence
- The Leveson Inquiry identified that existing ownership laws didn't take changes in the media into account
- In 2012, OFCOM recommended reviews of mergers between cross-media companies and news owners in the UK every 4/5
- Currently, plurality and competition is regulated by the 20/20 rule: Prevents anyone who runs a newspaper group with a national market share of 20% or more from controlling licenses to provide ITV news or C5 TV news
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.
insert mark scheme here
Explain how the political context in which newspapers are produced influences their ownership and regulation. Refer to your two case studies to support your answer [10]
The political context in which newspapers are produced influences their ownership and regulation, especially due to the debates surrounding politics in news over the last ten years.
The British press is self-regulated, and in relation to the Leveson Inquiry in 2011, regulation of the British press is now at the top of the political agenda. Regulation in the UK focuses on news content and information printed by the press, and ownership and competition laws. In terms of ownership and competition laws, The Leveson Inquiry identified that existing ownership laws like the Communications Act ann Enterprise Act didn't take changes in the media into account, and after the Inquiry, two new regulatory bodies were established; IPSO and IMPRESS. IPSO however, does not fulfil Leveson's requirements, as it is funded by its members. Papers like the Daily Mail are involved in this, as the public can submit complaints without going through the courts, meaning that the owners of the paper are less likely to get in trouble for what they write. However, papers can also opt-out and self-regulate outside of IPSO, like The Guardian have. IMPRESS is a Leveson complaint regulator, created in 2016. It is commercially independent from the news industry and is not compromised by its funding system, unlike IPSO. IMPRESS was not received well by editors, who saw it as an attempt from the government to control the freedom of the press; (20 MINS) a reason that newspapers did not wish to be regulated for, as it would affect their freedom of speech, democracy and would not be in the public interest.
Thursday 12th March
Case Studies
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail, published in London, was one of the first British newspapers to to popularise its coverage to appeal to a mass audience. It is the flagship publication of the Daily Mail and General Trust PLC, a London media company incorporated in 1922 with holdings in radio, television and weekly and daily newspapers.
It was founded in 1896 by Alfred Harmsworth. In 1902, its circulation exceeded 1 million. Although the Mail lost circulation in the 1970s, it became one of Britain's best selling newspapers at the close of the 20th century.
Funding
Main source: Circulation sales and advertising
25% of market share, although circulation figures have dropped
The paper is owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust (DMG Media). The Harmsworths and Lord Rothermere, who own the Daily Mail, are known to be Europhiles, yet the Daily Mail was strongly anti-EU under the editorship of Paul Dacre. Direct interference might destroy the credibility of the newspaper and will be resisted by editors and journalists.
Circulation Figures
For January 2020 - 1,169,241
Advertising Costs
Colour display advert costs £181 per single column cm
Despite falling circulation figures, company is still thriving. Have offset losses by:
Sales figures for last 5 years
For January 2020 - 1,169,241
Advertising Costs
Colour display advert costs £181 per single column cm
Despite falling circulation figures, company is still thriving. Have offset losses by:
- increased profit from the MailOnline brand
- increased cover price from 60p to 70p
- closure of Didcot printing facilities to reduce production costs
Sales figures for last 5 years
2016 - 1,589,471
2017 - 1,511,357
2018 - 1,343,142
2019 - 1,246,568
Alternative Revenue Options
'DailyMailTV' is a talk show style format on their website
Changes in the last 10 years
Tehcnological Developments
- Known to recognise and adopt new technologies
- MailOnline has grown, both with online and mobile readers
- They state they reach 70% of the UK population
News Values & Bias
- Likely to prioritise:
- negativity, threshold, personalisation, reference to elite nations and people, meaningfulness, consonance
- Paul Dacre favoured sensationalised, personalised news that combined hard and soft news stories
- Geordie Greig, the current editor, will need to appeal to TA
- Historically right wing
Regulation
- A paying member of IPSO
- Use of hyperbole can lead to complaints
- Between 2016-2018, IPSO investigated 17 cases brought against the Mail (most breaches of accuracy, privacy and intrusion). Two were upheld by IPSO
- Most apologies are printed on page 2
- Exception: 27th July 2018 edition, Khan vs. Daily Mail, apology had to be made clear on the front page
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly The Manchester Guardian (1821-1959) is an influential daily newspaper published in London, and is one of Britain's leading newspapers.
The paper was founded in Manchester in 1821as the weekly Manchester Guardian but became daily after the British government lifted its Stamp Tax on newspapers in 1855. Manchester was dropped from the name in 1959 to reflect the newspapers standing as a national daily with a positive international reputation, and its editor and editorial staff moved to London in 1964.
The paper is owned by the Scott Trust, which also owns the Guardian Media Group. Income from the group supports the newspaper and allows it to remain financially secure. The trust ownership structure has prevented a buyout of the newspaper by larger media owners.
- Published by GMG, owned by The Scott Trust which was set up to protect the paper from one single owner
- State that their journalism has no commercial or political interference
- State their news values are of honest, fair, liberal, investigative journalism
Funding
The Guardian enshrines the independence of the newspaper in its ownership model. The Scott Trust was set up in the 1930s to protect the editorial independence of The Guardian and to safeguard journalistic freedom and the newspapers liberal values. Staff on the paper are given a voice in its editorial stance - for example, on which party it will support at elections - and the newspaper carries a range of political opinions. The editor of The Guardian is appointed by the Scott Trust explicitly to carry out liberal journalism.
2.8% market share, circulation figures have dropped
Circulation Figures
For January 2020 - 132,341
Advertising Costs
Full page - £18,000 per day
Half Page - £11,000 per day
Billboard - £46,000 per day
Colour display advert costs £90 per single column cm
Sales figures for last 5 years
2015 - 185,429
2016 - 164,163
2017 - 156,756
2018 - 152,714
2019 - 141,160
Alternative Revenue Options
Subscription service, and bonus 'The Guardian Weekly' magazine, different payment options exist and there is the option to have digital, print or both editions.
Can become a 'Guardian Patron' in which you can donate between £1200 and £5000 a year to support The Guardian, and have the opportunity to attend events in their relevant countries and meet with the Editor-In-Chief and Guardian journalists
The Scott Trust set up a non-profit organisation (theguardian.org)
Reducing production costs (compact format and reduced cover price)
Digital version of the brand to off-set losses
Changes in the last 10 years
Technological Developments:
- Recent technological developments have hit them the hardest: lowest print circulation figures of all UK dailies - Guardian readers are more tech savvy, more likely to switch to online
- Have responded with online issues, app and tablet edition
- Holds 3rd largest share of combined online and print circulation
News values & bias
- Likely to prioritise:
- composition over negativity, threshold, personalisation to reflect liberal, progressive and balanced approach
- Katherine Viner (editor) described values as agenda setting. Stories are prioritised if they are in the public interest and reflect equality and freedom
- She states need to report on different cultures, perspectives and community services
- Historically left of centre (liberal)
Regulation
- Has opted out of both IPSO and IMPRESS as claims both impact the freedom of the press and investigative journalism
- Self-regulates through a Reader's Editor (appointed by The Scott Trust) who handles complaints alongside two independent figures to work with an ombudsman to ensure impartiality
- Have faced government prosecution in the past, e.g. Snowden (whistle blower) and CIA and NSA
Applying Theory
Curran and Seaton
- Power & Media Industries
- Patterns in ownership and control are important in how the media functions
- Media industries are capitalist and aim to increase concentration of ownership; leads to narrowing of opinions represented in the press, affecting plurality
- Owners pursue profit at the expense of quality or creativity
- Daily Mail
- Historical ownership of paper by Rothermere family since 1896 repeats 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
- The Guardian
- Historical ownership of paper by Scott Trust ensures ownership and control do not affect journalistic values
- Aims to provide a voice for different perspectives; alternative to narrowed opinions presented by controlling outlets
- Aim to guard against this. Changes in their format and move online shows need to adapt to survive
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
- Daily Mail
- DMGT is a parent company to DMG Media, allows Rothermere family to integrate a number of outlets and services, reducing competition
- Increasing digital outlets and reducing printing plants helps reduce risk
- The Guardian
- 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 and identifying other revenue streams to help reduce risk
Livingstone and Lunt
- Regulation
- Consumers are individuals who seek private 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
- Daily Mail
- Member of IPSO. 17 cases brought against them in respect of claims of inaccuracy, invasion of privacy and intrusion
- The Guardian
- Self-regulates as perceives both regulatory bodies as unethical and ineffective. They will, for example, protect whistle blowers and run the stories if in the public interest
Target Audience Research
Daily Mail
Key Demographics:
- 59% of readers are women, with an average age of 59
- 62% of readers are category ABC1, with the largest group being C1
- Majority of readers are educated, mostly degree level
- Majority of readers live in the South-East
- ‘Mainstreamers (follows the crowd), resigned (believes in the things they trust), succeeders (high social status)'
- Average savings of £39,000
Hobbies/Interests: Royal family, travel, health and dieting, celebrities, competitions and quizzes
Issues they would be aware of:
What they do with their disposable income:
How they access media:
Films/Docs/Magazines/Music/Sites they like:
What type of stories would appeal to them:
The Guardian
Key Demographics:
- Educated
- Left wing
- 44% of readers are 55+
- 50% male and female audience
- 75% of readers are ABC demographic
- ‘Attracts a unique group of people who are curious about the world, who travel and aren’t afraid of change’
- ‘Progressives, who are interested in culture, travel and embrace technology and change'
- Interested in culture, lifestyle and sport
- ‘Explorers (likes discovering new things), reformers (socially aware, unbothered about status), succeeders (high social status)
Hobbies/Interests: Arts and culture, sports, fashion and lifestyle, political affairs, current news
Issues they would be aware of:
What they do with their disposable income:
How they access media:
Films/Docs/Magazines/Music/Sites they like:
What type of stories would appeal to them:
Wednesday 18th March
Target Audience
L/O: To investigate audiences of printed news and audience appeal
- 29.1 million people a month still read UK newspapers = mass audience
Demographics
- 51% male
- 55+ most likely
- 57% millennials
- Middle (28%) and working (27%) class
Psychometrics (VALs)
- Aspirers
- Mainstreamers
- Reformers
- The Resigned
- Succeeders
Content and Appeal
- Whilst the stories featured in a paper reflect the views of the owner and editor, they must also reinforce the values and interests of the target audience
- Harcup and O'Neil's news values (2001)
- Technical Codes
- Key codes and formatting conventions used to make the paper visually appealing
- How are layouts, cover lines and headlines used?
- Size of headlines, size of images, ratio of image to text
- How are colours and fonts used?
- Language
- Lexis and mode of address depend on the genre, ideology and TA
- How is the mode of address used?
- How is the lexis used?
Daily Mail 18th June 2018 Cover
- Celebrity - 'Agony of Ant's wife as he finds love with her friend'
- Bad news - 'Lets go to war on NHS waste'
- Entertainment - 'Come on England!', Recipes
- The power elite - Theresa May
- Large main headline - highlights importance, in the centre, main focal point, splits stories
- Variation of stories caters for different audiences - entertainment, current affairs, sport, celebrity
- Image to text ratio - More text than images - appeals to educated audience
- Medium sized images
- Colours and fonts - text is predominantly black and white, images are in colour, 'weight watchers summer recipes' is in colour - attracts the reader, who is interested in food and dieting, red and white colour strip at the top makes it stand out, serif font used in the main headline, links to the masthead - suggests traditional attitudes, appealing to the resigned part of the audience
- Sans serif fonts used for the entertainment sections of the cover, suggesting its more lighthearted
- Mode of address - Main headline is direct, it's inclusive, conversational address, quite informal, appeals to mainstreamers
- Lexis - Emotive, conversational in entertainment stories, formal, sophisticated when talking about politics
The Guardian July 2018 Cover
- The power elite - Theresa May and Boris Johnson
- Celebrity - 'How the nation fell in love with Gareth Southgate'
- Bad news - 'May loses Johnson but faces down Brexit rebels - for now'
- Follow-up - Brexit
- Entertainment - football, celebrity, lighthearted stories 'how the nation fell in love with Gareth Southgate'
- Relevance - current affairs
- Image to text ratio - more text than images - appeals to educated target audience, more balanced - TA want balanced news
- Masthead - on the right hand side, unconventional, different perspective - audience want a different perspective on news
- Main headline - serif font, directly below masthead, attracts the reader
- Limited cover lines - football and politics
- Size of images - main image takes up 1/3 of the page, surrounded by text from the story
- Use of colour - pops of red in the main body of text highlights significance, probably something the reader will look at first
- Serif fonts throughout - traditional for broadsheet newspapers, font used is their own 'Guardian' font
- Mode of address - formal, indirect, serious
How do newspapers target and reach their audiences with the following:
Daily Mail The Guardian
- Price
- 70p
- £2.20
- Cross-platform advertising
- Advertise heavily on their websites
- Promotional offers
- Range of companies, e.g. Weight Watchers
- Subscriptions
- Range of subscription packages
- Sponsorship
- Partnership marketing
Media Language
L/O: To explore the use of media language and codes and conventions in print news
Codes
- A complex system of signs that create meaning
- Technical: Camerawork, editing and mise en scene choices that require technical equipment/skills to produce. E.g. shot type, layout etc.
- Symbolic: The meaning communicated through the technical elements
Conventions
- The generally accepted way of doing something
Newspaper Genres
General differences between tabloid and broadsheet:
- Size
- Tabloid newspapers are typically smaller than broadsheet
- Lexis
- Broadsheet newspapers will use more formal, complex language
- Mode of Address
- Tabloids often use a more direct mode of address in order to attract the reader
- Headline size
- Tabloid headlines typically take up a lot of the front page, making it the first thing you look at, whereas broadsheets are smaller
- Image to text ratio
- Tabloids use a lot more images and a lot less text, whereas broadsheets will use more text than images
Another difference is the use of 'soft' and 'hard' news
Tabloid journalism: A style of journalism that emphasises sensational stories, gossip columns about celebrities and sports stars and political views and opinions from limited perspectives. Tabloid journalism often concerns itself with rumours about the private lives of celebrities.
Quality journalism: Serious news of widespread import, concerning politics and current affairs.
Tabloidisation
Why have many traditional broadsheets reverted to the tabloid size?
The distinctions between the two genres are getting increasingly blurred. Dual convergence is when genres borrow conventions from another in the use of media language and so increasingly resemble one another. Hybrid papers, such as The Mail, use this technique.
Media language conventions
Editing
- Typography
- Masthead, headline, sub-heading, skyline, byline, sell-line, cover line, jump line, caption, stand first, copy, bar quote, pull quote, date line
- Layout
- Columns, cropping, re-sizing, plugs, anchors, lead story/splash, ratio text to image, page furniture, gutter, page numbers
- Mode of address
- Lexis, hyperbole, rhetoric
Mise-En-Scene
- Locations
- Interior vs. exterior, national vs. global
- Lighting
- Natural, high key, low key
Camera
- Choice of camera shot
- Mid shot, long shot, medium close up, main image
- Camera angle
- Eye level, low angle, high angle
Media language and ideologies
As all newspapers are constructed, they all use media language and journalistic values to incorporate viewpoints and ideologies. Therefore, they can be seen to have a fundamental impact on democratic societies, their values and attitudes.
The use of connotations reinforce ideology and maintain hegemony, depending on the paper's political bias.
Lesson 8
Media Language and Case Studies
L/O: To analyse the use of media language and codes and conventions in set products
The Daily Mail
- It is considered to be the first UK tabloid in terms of its journalism
- It is considered to be a mid-market tabloid
- A newspaper that offers a mix of both soft and hard news content in its coverage of news to appeal to its target audience
Using your knowledge of the conventions of both tabloid and broadsheet papers, explain how the Mail has hybridised these two genres
The Mail has hybridised by using tabloid conventions such as the physical size of the newspaper (it's the typical size of a tabloid newspaper), large images on the cover, soft news such as celebrity gossip columns, sensationalising news, and using some informal language in headlines etc. However, The Mail has also adopted some broadsheet conventions, such as larger amounts of text on the front page, meaning their image to text ratio is somewhat more evenly distributed, a lot more hard news such as politics and current events, they have also used serif font on the hard news stories, and sans serif on their soft news, and some elements of traditionalism, such as their classic logo and masthead. Using both tabloid and broadsheet conventions, The Mail has hybridised itself as a newspaper.
- The technical conventions in the Mail enables the editor to signify meaning and communicate the paper's conservative viewpoints and ideologies.
- For example, the serif font is used for the majority of the front cover, connoting traditional values and a sense of authority - that the readers can trust their reporting.
Cover Analysis
- Traditional masthead and logo connotes that they are a 'trustworthy' newspaper, and suggests loyalty to their readers
- Their choice of images for the front page demonstrates their political alliance, using an unflattering image of Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn, connoting that they do not support the Labour party or Jeremy Corbyn
- They have used serif font in their main headline, demonstrating their professionalism towards the hard news stories, and this is a convention used in broadsheet newspapers, which again makes the Mail look more professional
- In their softer news stories at the top of the front page, they have used sans serif font, showing that they are also covering more lighthearted topics such as holidays and discounts, something their target audience are interested in.
- There is a clear split between their soft news and hard news on the front page, mainly demonstrated by the use of colour. At the top of the page, they have used red, blue and yellow to advertise discounts on holidays and food shopping, which attract the readers to the paper, and they have then used dark, monotonous colours on the rest of the page, making it clear to the reader that this is the hard news, and tells them that they are serious about the topics. The Mail's logo and masthead are also in black and white, connoting traditional values.
- In terms of image to text ratio, the main images take up roughly half of the front page, however the main headline also takes up a lot of space on the cover, leaving little room for the text of the article, something more suited to a tabloid newspaper.
- The Mail also use informal language in their headlines and subheadings, targeted at their readers who are labelled as 'uneducated'.
The Guardian
- Historically, it was a broadsheet associated with serious journalism and hard news coverage requiring a well-educated reader.
- It adopted the compact (tabloid) size in January 2018
- In doing so, it made changes to its masthead, colour palette, font and layout.
Look at examples from pre 2018 and now. Explain the changes it made to the areas mentioned above.
In comparison to now, The Guardian pre 2018 was different to how it is today. Firstly, the image to text ratio was very much text heavy, whereas now it is a fairly even split between the two. They also changed their logo to having the T and G capitalised, which overall makes the newspaper look more professional. The layout of the front page pre 2018 was also similar throughout every issue, especially with the placing of the main image. However, now, the main image placement varies every issue, and now, there is more soft news advertised on the front page than there used to be, for example, the soft news used to be in fairly small text at the very top of the front page, and now it takes the same placement, however the text is a lot bigger, and typically the images are bigger too. In making the paper smaller, it also means that there will be less content on the front page than there was previously, so for example, the article at the bottom of the pre 2018 editions is no longer there.
- The technical conventions in The Guardian enables the editor to communicate the paper's liberal viewpoints and values.
- For example, the serif font connotes traditional broadsheet journalism and indicates that, despite the tabloid size, the paper still provides the same quality journalism.
Cover Analysis
- Serif font used throughout the front cover, connotes traditionalism and broadsheet status of The Guardian
- Image to text ration is evenly split, with main image taking up roughly half of the front page
- Front cover is easily split into three sections, top section is dedicated to the masthead and sports news, middle section is the main article surrounding politics and current events, and the smallest section is dedicated to a food magazine inside the issue, which appeals to their main audience of middle aged people.
- More sophisticated, formal language used throughout the front cover, which appeals to the target audience who are 'well-educated'.
- They have also used a lot of colour on the front page, in particular in the soft news sections, showing a more lighthearted approach and attracting the reader towards it.
DIRT Question
- Both of these newspapers are tabloid newspapers, and this is shown in the codes and conventions they use
- Daily Mirror:
- Obvious political alliance - Labour party; 'For the many, not the few', unflattering image of Conservative party leader Theresa May used, paired with headline of 'Lies, damned lies and Theresa May' makes it clear that they do not support her
- Standard Daily Mirror masthead, the red signifies its tabloid status, 'We stand together' symbolises patriotism
- Sans serif font also connotes their tabloid status, along with minimal text and the fact that the main image takes up the whole page.
- Mostly informal language, along with a negative lexis - 'broken promises, lies'
- Daily Mail
- Obvious political alliance - Conservative party; 'Your tactical voting guide to boost the Tories and Brexit', using an image of Theresa May looking happy with a crowd of supporters behind her
- 'Lets reignite British spirit' shows the papers traditional patriarchal values, something the readers are also passionate about
- Masthead is traditional, demonstrating the papers loyalty and that it is trustworthy as it was one of the first tabloid newspapers in the UK
- Image to text ratio is fairly even, with the main image taking up 1/3 of the page, and headlines and text taking up the remainder
- Significant lack of colour used, connotes a level of professionalism and that this is hard news
- Slightly more sophisticated language than the Mirror, however they are still a tabloid newspaper, so there is still a lack of text in the article
- Lexis is positive - 'Reignite, British spirit, boost'
L/O: To explore the constructions of representations in papers and the impact of contexts on these representations
- Within our society, there is a 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 and economic power.) 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 educated
- It could be argued that, because the dominant group have access to power and a means of communication, they have control and influence over the way in which other social groups are seen and understood.
- Individuals who do not fit the characteristics of the dominant group would be classed as being from a subordinate group. However, for example, a white British, working class woman would fall into the dominant ethnic group but the subordinate class and gender group.
- 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.
Contexts - The choices made by editors when considering how they represent events, issues, individuals and social groups are influenced by ownership, economic factors, news values, political bias and regulation.
Use the following bullet points to make notes on how/why the following areas will influence representation in the printed press: (I got really stuck on this!!)
Ownership
- Media barons - Typically in the dominant group, in charge of the paper and what goes in it, significant amount of political bias
- Journalists - Could be biased towards the articles they're writing
Economic factors
- Capitalism -
- Newspaper genre - Tabloid and Broadsheet newspapers have very different target audiences, broadsheet readers fit more into the dominant group
News values and political bias
- Genre
- Target audience
- Political agenda - Political bias affects the target audience, as a newspaper that is heavily conservative will attract readers who support the same party
Regulation
- Free press
- Self-regulation - Self regulation gives the newspaper a bit more freedom as to what they put into the paper and what their journalists write
Selection
Representation occurs as a result of selection (through Gatekeeping) and combination (the way different features are selected and combined).
- Gatekeeping will depend on the appeal to the target audience and how the stories can be shaped to reflect a particular political agenda or viewpoints.
- This process of selection also includes the act of de-selection: which social groups are not represented and why.
Combination
Different genre conventions means that tabloids and broadsheets might combine representations differently.
Tabloid covers:
- May focus on a range of stories represented in a similar way
- Usually reinforces common representations of the dominant group through celebrity or popular culture
- Tend to repeat representations from edition to edition so that the combination becomes naturalised, expected and accepted
Broadsheet covers:
- May focus on a range of stories represented in different ways
- May question common representations of the dominant group to encourage the reader to do the same
- Combination of content may aim to provide a range of perspectives in the chosen representations
Selection and Combination
The Times:
Number of stories: 3
Issues covered: Current affairs: Coronavirus and health workers, Science and medicine - Coronavirus vaccine, 'gossip-style' column - childcare and working
Different issues are represented in a serious and straightforward way, with lots of information and a large amount of text in the article for the reader
The Mirror:
Number of stories: 3
Issues covered: Current affairs: Coronavirus and medical equipment worries, TV and entertainment, food and recipes
A variety of different issues, mainly celebrity news and entertainment, the main article is represented as the biggest and therefore most important section of the cover
Between both papers, they cover a lot of issues and social groups, The Times is targeted to more upper-class readers, in particular the dominant group, whereas the Mirror is targeted to more working-class readers, looking at the amount of text and level of information in both main articles. Overall, the Mirror targets a wider range of people, with wider representation of different issues and topics.
Stereotypes
Stereotypes, as we know, can be positive or negative and are used widely by the media as they are quickly understood by audiences. In using them, editors can represent social groups or events in a way that reinforces prejudice and generalised ideas about people within our society. However, they can also be used to question these prejudices.
Print News: Representation and Case Studies
L/O: To analyse the constructions of representations in case studies and the impact of contexts on these representations
Industry Contexts
Daily Mail: Owner, former and current editors are all part of the dominant group. This will impact the choices in the way events, social issues and groups are represented.
How are events, issues, individuals and social groups represented on this cover through processes of selection and combination?
Firstly, this cover of the Daily Mail is dominated by white people, demonstrating a distinct lack of cultural diversity. Overall, there is even representation of men and women on the front cover, apart from a picture of a protest, which is mainly men and is not very culturally diverse. This cover also represents how the Daily Mail hold negative attitudes towards the Labour party and some favouritism towards the Conservative party, with an unflattering image of Jeremy Corbyn, labelling him as 'the pygmy'. Absence of minority groups reflects their lack of social power.
How does the Mail construct stereotypes to communicate ideology and position audiences?
The dominant class represented on this front cover is middle classes, through their use of images and lexis. In particular, the image of Jeremy Corbyn at a protest stereotypes the working class, especially with the Mail's use of the word 'mob' to describe them, stereotyping them as unruly and out of control, and a threat to the middle class values. Again, people who do not support Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour party are represented as a dominant party here, as the Mail uses negative terms to describe Corbyn and an unflattering image of the protest, which readers would disagree with.
Industry Contexts
The Guardian: Despite being owned by a trust which aims to support diversity, the members are largely white, British and middle class. Therefore, representations from a perspective of white middle class. The editor invites columnists from a range of social groups to provide diversity. So they provide opportunities for minority groups but reflect values from a liberal middle class viewpoint.
Number of stories: 3
Issues covered: Current affairs: Coronavirus and health workers, Science and medicine - Coronavirus vaccine, 'gossip-style' column - childcare and working
Different issues are represented in a serious and straightforward way, with lots of information and a large amount of text in the article for the reader
The Mirror:
Number of stories: 3
Issues covered: Current affairs: Coronavirus and medical equipment worries, TV and entertainment, food and recipes
A variety of different issues, mainly celebrity news and entertainment, the main article is represented as the biggest and therefore most important section of the cover
Between both papers, they cover a lot of issues and social groups, The Times is targeted to more upper-class readers, in particular the dominant group, whereas the Mirror is targeted to more working-class readers, looking at the amount of text and level of information in both main articles. Overall, the Mirror targets a wider range of people, with wider representation of different issues and topics.
Stereotypes
Stereotypes, as we know, can be positive or negative and are used widely by the media as they are quickly understood by audiences. In using them, editors can represent social groups or events in a way that reinforces prejudice and generalised ideas about people within our society. However, they can also be used to question these prejudices.
- Many stereotypes are therefore used to reinforce the ideology of the dominant group and position the audience to see the same viewpoint
Realism - The presentation of something as if it were real and what we would expect to see in real life.
Although newspapers report on actual events, the process of gatekeeping means the selection and manipulation of the information presents the newspaper's version of the real event from a particular viewpoint.
- Constructed realism is the way in which a media product uses the technical elements of media language to create a product that looks real but is:
- A version of reality
- Constructed through a series of choices made by the editor/journalist
- Audiences tend to accept these versions as real. The constant repetition of similar representations help these to become natural.
- The ideology embedded in these representations is then also accepted.
Applying Theory: Using the two covers you analysed for Media Language, explain how you can apply the following theories to the representations constructed:
Hall: The Guardian - A typical Guardian reader would have a preferred reading of this front cover, and an oppositional reading to the Daily Mail cover and vice versa. For example, Guardian readers would disagree with the Mail's representation of Jeremy Corbyn.
Gauntlett: Both papers offer very different representations on their front covers, for example, the Mail show a negative representation of Jeremy Corbyn, and the Guardian are unbiased in their main article. Also, the Mail very often focus on the royal family, for example, the main image featuring the Queen, whereas the Guardian do not do this.
Van Zoonen: In the Guardian, the main photo makes it look as if Trump is talking negatively about Theresa May, and the main headline suggests that he was accused of criticising her in the past, belittling her as a female figure. The Mail doesn't particularly focus on the representation of women in this issue, apart from the use of Trump's wife in the main image.
Bell Hooks: Both covers are very heavily focused on white people, and there is little to no representation of other ethnicities on both covers. Both covers also feature figures of hierarchy and power, world leaders etc. Both covers mainly use figures who would fit into the dominant group.
Print News: Representation and Case Studies
L/O: To analyse the constructions of representations in case studies and the impact of contexts on these representations
Industry Contexts
Daily Mail: Owner, former and current editors are all part of the dominant group. This will impact the choices in the way events, social issues and groups are represented.
- Economic and social contexts are all represented from a traditional perspective to reinforce the conservative values.
- As a mid-market tabloid, it has a focus on reporting national current affairs alongside celebrity or entertainment news.
- These representations rely on:
- Sensationalised, personal and emotive journalism
- Prioritising positive representations of:
- Individuals in the dominant group
- Traditional family values
- British culture/nationalism
- Right-wing political ideology
- The Conservative party
- Potential negative representations of minority groups, not just through the reporting of these groups, but also by their absence.
Analysis
How are events, issues, individuals and social groups represented on this cover through processes of selection and combination?
Firstly, this cover of the Daily Mail is dominated by white people, demonstrating a distinct lack of cultural diversity. Overall, there is even representation of men and women on the front cover, apart from a picture of a protest, which is mainly men and is not very culturally diverse. This cover also represents how the Daily Mail hold negative attitudes towards the Labour party and some favouritism towards the Conservative party, with an unflattering image of Jeremy Corbyn, labelling him as 'the pygmy'. Absence of minority groups reflects their lack of social power.
How does the Mail construct stereotypes to communicate ideology and position audiences?
The dominant class represented on this front cover is middle classes, through their use of images and lexis. In particular, the image of Jeremy Corbyn at a protest stereotypes the working class, especially with the Mail's use of the word 'mob' to describe them, stereotyping them as unruly and out of control, and a threat to the middle class values. Again, people who do not support Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour party are represented as a dominant party here, as the Mail uses negative terms to describe Corbyn and an unflattering image of the protest, which readers would disagree with.
Industry Contexts
The Guardian: Despite being owned by a trust which aims to support diversity, the members are largely white, British and middle class. Therefore, representations from a perspective of white middle class. The editor invites columnists from a range of social groups to provide diversity. So they provide opportunities for minority groups but reflect values from a liberal middle class viewpoint.
- As a broadsheet, it has a focus on reporting national and global current affairs and civic issues that are of public interest. Suggests objective representations, however, news values will still be applied by the editor.
- As they have a centre-left political bias, they will look to choose positive representations that support this and be critical to the dominant political group.
- Guardian staff and target audience are largely white, middle class, British and university educated. So, although it aims to construct positive representations of a range of events, issues and individuals, the perspective will always be with some bias from the dominant group.
Analysis
How are events, issues, individuals and social groups represented on this cover through processes of selection and combination?
The Guardian have prioritised the story focusing on current affairs and politics, and have represented the story of Trump's visit to the UK as ridiculous, reflecting on their political bias, being centre-left. This cover is dominated by men, with only one woman on the cover altogether. There is also not much diversity in ethnicity on the cover, and the cover is overruled by middle aged and older people, who the paper is targeted at.
How does the Guardian construct stereotypes to communicate ideology and position audiences?
There is a lot of stereotyping on this particular cover of the Guardian, firstly with the stereotyping of the able-bodied as the dominant group with the image selection of footballers. There is also stereotyping in terms of gender, with a distinct lack of female figures on the front cover, and only showing male football players in the image. This demonstrates that women and those with visible disabilities are seen to be stereotypically represented as inferior to those who are able bodied, and those who are male.
Realism: The presentation of something as if it were real and what we would expect to see in real life.
Although newspapers report on actual events, the process of gatekeeping means the selection and manipulation of the information presents the newspapers version of the real event from a particular viewpoint.
What 'real' and truthful values and messages are communicated to the readers in these two front pages through their representations?
Online News
L/O: To explore the industry, regulation and ownership of print and online, social and participatory news
Industry
Which factors have led to the increase in online news?
- Developments in technology over time
- How readily available online news is
- Most online news is accessible for free
- There is more news available online than there would be in a newspaper
- Online news is constantly updated
How do owners monetise online news content?
- Subscriptions - The consumer pays in advance for regular access to news content
- Donations - From consumers or media barons in order to keep the online news running
- Paywalls - The consumer pays to access specific articles
How has the development of technology and digital convergence impacted the production, distribution and circulation of online news?
Digital Convergence - A number of digital technologies converging into one device or technology
- Production - News is produced online and uploaded to the website, which reduces production costs
- Distribution - Online news can be shared through social media and on the internet, which costs less than physical distribution and reaches more people
- Circulation - News circulates a lot quicker online and is more easily accessible to people
How is online news regulated and why is this an ongoing issue?
Online news is not regulated, unless online newspapers choose to sign up to a regulator such as IPSO, meaning that issues of fake news are more of a problem for news that gets shared online.
The Mail Online
The MailOnline, or dailymail.co.uk, was launched in 2003 and rebranded as a separate site in 2006. Combined with its print paper, DMGT has a 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 four different platforms:
- Desktop
- Mobile
- Tablet formats
- Social media
These 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.
This shows the success of the online brand. Because of this, they can remain competitive and have not had to introduce a paywall for its online readers.
The move to a separately managed site in 2006 had a number of advantages for the owners in relation to production, distribution and circulation of the Mail's content and values, helping them to cut costs, increase revenue and reach a wider audience.
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 1500 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 digitally converged platforms (website, apps and social media).
- Also has Snapchat content
- This reduces distribution costs and enhances profit from advertising.
- Enables a global reach for the brand through their online content in the UK, USA, Australia and 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 15 million users accessing its content daily.
- It has 10 million 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/or 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.
What impact has digital convergence had on the production, distribution and circulation of DMGT online content?
It has enabled DMGT to address the threat of digital convergence in relation to the Daily Mail by creating an additional online brand that can take advantage of digitally converged devices and platforms to reach a wider, younger audience while still reflecting their conservative values and attracting advertising revenue.
Go to the IPSO website and find examples of complaints against MailOnline content. What features do these complaints have in common? Were they upheld?
Select two articles from the MailOnline. Look at the types of comments left by users and explain the problems they could create for regulation.
It has enabled DMGT to address the threat of digital convergence in relation to the Daily Mail by creating an additional online brand that can take advantage of digitally converged devices and platforms to reach a wider, younger audience while still reflecting their conservative values and attracting advertising revenue.
Go to the IPSO website and find examples of complaints against MailOnline content. What features do these complaints have in common? Were they upheld?
Select two articles from the MailOnline. Look at the types of comments left by users and explain the problems they could create for regulation.
- Comments that are going against Boris Johnson and Matt Hancock - damaging for the Mail's Conservative values
- Majority of comments are against McDonald's using poor language and offending others
- Negative comments against Northerners, as the majority of Mail readers are from the South this is expected, however there is no way for the Mail to regulate these comments
The Guardian
theguardian.com, formerly TheGuardian.co.uk, was launched in 2008, developing the earlier news website GuardianUnlimited, which began in 1999.
Combined with their print paper and The Observer, GMG have risen to become the third largest newspaper in the world.
This indicates that, despite dramatically falling print sales, theguardian.com is highly successful.
theguardian.com has roughly 34.7 million monthly global users and country specific online versions in Australia and the USA.
GMG offer theguardian.com content on four different 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 million
- An increase of 15% in 2017
- 50% of GMG revenue
To further supplement the income from digital advertising, readers can subscribe to digital editions from £11.99 a month with additional options to access further content.
The Guardian has a long history of developing its digital content since 1994. However, GMG obviously sees the benefit of adapting to digital convergence.
Production:
- The online version of the paper retains the same liberal, progressive values as the print version.
- The website offers additional features, such as the Opinion section and Soulmates, which enable a greater range of content than the print version.
- theguardian.com is a core news site made up of niche sections covering subjects such as 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 (website, apps, social media)
- This reduces distribution costs and enhances profit from advertising
- theguardian.com has a global reach and has country specific versions in the USA and Australia.
- theguardian.com content is also distributed through a partnership deal with Yahoo with users from the UK, USA, Australia, India and Singapore accessing content.
Circulation:
- Since 2015, theguardian.com has increased circulation by 25%
- It has 34.7 million monthly global users
- 1.15 million 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 140 million 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
What impact has digital convergence had on the production, distribution and circulation of GMG online content?
Digital convergence has enabled The Guardian's online platform to become even bigger than it was before, and has turned The Guardian into a global brand.
Select two articles from theguardian.com. Look at the types of comments left by users and explain the problems they could create for regulation.
Explain how the global cultural context in which online news is produced influences the content offered to audiences. Refer to the MailOnline and theguardian.com to support your answer.
Online News
L/O: To explore audience appeal and use of print and online, social and participatory news.
Terminology:
Explain how the global cultural context in which online news is produced influences the content offered to audiences. Refer to the MailOnline and theguardian.com to support your answer.
Online News
L/O: To explore audience appeal and use of print and online, social and participatory news.
Terminology:
- Ad-like - I couldn't find a definition for this one!!
- Click-stream - A users activities on the internet as represented by the sequence of links they click on
- Echo chambers - Metaphorical description of a situation in which beliefs are amplified or reinforced by communication and repetition inside a closed system
- Front door traffic - I also couldn't find a clear definition for this one either
Audience Reach
New technologies and 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 brands, cumulatively, have the following reach:
- 84% of men and women
- 88% of 18-34 year 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 News
- 20% read news brand content weekly
- 4 million access news content daily
- Men aged 35-54 consume most on this platform
Mobile and tablet news
- 27 million 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 social media weekly
- Social media brand content is mostly consumed between 5pm and 10pm
- Social media news outlets have accumulated over 920 million interactions
- Facebook is the most popular social network with online news brand readers
As we know, owners reach audiences by identifying and providing content that appeals to them. Online news clearly has an advantage with this using click streaming.
This can often be seen with the 'most shared' or 'most popular' sections.
This creates echo chambers: audiences only receive more of the same to reinforce their current likes and preferences. So, does online news provide content that is in the public interest or simply content that the public are interested in?
News brands reach different audiences using online platforms particularly through social media. Articles can be shared across different sites, reaching more and more people, very often reaching people who aren't their typical target audience.
MailOnline
The MailOnline content is accessed by almost 13 million daily browsers across its platforms.
Their readers can be identified by the following demographics:
- 73.3% aged 35+
- 26.7% aged 15-25 (print is 9.5%)
- Most visits from ABC1 group
DMGT argue their success is due to 'a consistent application of core principles', defined as:
- Creating addictive and timely content
- Using data and analytics effectively
- Making front door traffic and engagement a priority
- Reinforcing the Daily Mail brand
They also use:
- Cheap, scalable video that tells stories originally
- Content to drive direct traffic to desktop and mobile homepages
- Discount codes
They use click streaming to analyse audience preferences. This can be seen through Editor's Six of the Best and Most Shared Right Now. These show a range of stories that appeal to their audience.
Desktop:
- 843,000 daily browsers
- 6.5 million monthly browsers
Mobile and Tablet
- 3.6 million mobile phone daily reach
- 2.3 million 35+
- 1.3 million 18-24
- Smartphone reach is 2.9 million daily
- Tablet reach is 775,000
Social Media
- Facebook page has over 14 million likes
- Most successful news brand on Facebook
- Approximately 1 billion video views per month on Facebook
- Twitter profile has 2.2 million followers
- 2nd most popular news brand on Twitter
- 10 million Snapchat followers daily
Appeal through use of news values and selection:
Celebrity:
Entertainment:
Surprise:
Bad News:
Good News:
Relevance:
Follow-Up:
Appeal through use of technical codes and language:
Layout: Lots of articles on the home page, very crowded, a lot of variety in what articles they show, which appeals to all sides of the target audience.
Colours: Classic Daily Mail blue is used across the homepage, red is used to exaggerate main headlines and attract readers
Font: Sans serif fonts used throughout, typical of a tabloid newspaper
Mode of address: Very direct, 'you' is used a lot in main headlines, making the reader seem interested and want to read the articles
Lexis: Simple, basic vocabulary used
The Guardian
theguardian.com content is accessed by over 4 million daily browsers across its platforms.
Their readers can be identified by the following demographics:
Layout: Lots of articles on the home page, very crowded, a lot of variety in what articles they show, which appeals to all sides of the target audience.
Colours: Classic Daily Mail blue is used across the homepage, red is used to exaggerate main headlines and attract readers
Font: Sans serif fonts used throughout, typical of a tabloid newspaper
Mode of address: Very direct, 'you' is used a lot in main headlines, making the reader seem interested and want to read the articles
Lexis: Simple, basic vocabulary used
The Guardian
theguardian.com content is accessed by over 4 million daily browsers across its platforms.
Their 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:
- 34.7 million monthly global unique users
- 24.2 million 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 and economics.
Appeal through use of news values and selection:
The Power Elite:
Celebrity:
Entertainment:
Bad news:
Good news:
Magnitude:
Relevance:
Follow-up:
Appeal through use of technical codes and language:
Layout: Very similar to the physical copy of the newspaper, main stories larger than others, with images and text considerably even
Colours: Also similar to the print edition, The Guardian's traditional blue and yellow colour scheme with hints of red for important words in the headlines to attract readers
Font: Serif font, the same as The Guardian use in their print edition
Mode of Address: Neutral, not direct
Lexis: More advanced than the MailOnline, more appropriate for their 'educated' readers
Applying Theory:
Bandura: Media Effects
Supports the argument that the internet should be regulated to avoid public harm, e.g. to remove fake news and terrorist propaganda
Messages can be challenged by audiences in comments, tweets or other posts, reducing the effect of the original messages.
Gerbner: Cultivation Theory
Would most apply to audiences within a 'digital bubble' who consume messages from only a narrow range of sources that target their demographic and psychographic (e.g. news feeds on Facebook).
Gerbner's theory may be outdated for online news, for example, online newspaper messages will be challenged by audiences in comments, tweets or other posts, reducing the effect of the original messages.
Hall: Reception Theory
Draws attention to the range of possible audience readings while acknowledging the role of ideological power in creating dominance within newspaper messages and values.
However, it assumes that there is one dominant meaning to which the audience responds - does not fit messages with a multitude of different possible readings.
Jenkins: Fandom
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.
Highlights how online newspapers increasingly rely on participatory media such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to disseminate news.
Fandom and participatory culture are less likely to occur in relation to online newspapers than in other areas of the internet due to their content and the ethos of professional journalism.
Its optimistic view of the power of online audiences may underestimate the power of media conglomerates to shape and control online content and the importance of journalistic professional practice.
Shirky: End of Audience
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.
Highlights how online newspapers increasingly rely on participatory media such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to disseminate news.
Applies less to online newspapers than to fully user-generated online content as online newspaper brands have not embraced the 'publish then filter' model of the new media.
Online News
L/O: To explore use of media language in online, social and participatory news
Conventions
Online News
Online News
L/O: To explore use of media language in online, social and participatory news
Conventions
Online News
- Online news obviously shares many conventions with print news. However, it has to develop some of these to suit the different media form.
- For example, more headlines on the homepage compared to a front page; rolling or breaking news can be easily included and updated.
- They will also merge different communication elements from print, audio and video into one webpage.
- Key differences between a print and an online article will be a greater use of subheadings and audience interaction elements, such as social media links, comment and share options.
Social Media
- While Twitter and Facebook borrow media language elements from online news, their news content looks very different to print media.
- These platforms use conventions to engage the audience and amplify the concept of belonging to an online community and participating through the media form.
Multiple Meanings
- As we know, print news is a one-to-many media form constructed by the producer. Online and social media news, however, provides a many-to-many approach.
- The linking of news sites and social media enables audiences to share their own interpretation of meaning and put forward their own views.
- Technological developments mean that journalists can simultaneously upload the same story onto different platforms with layout and images adjusted to suit the media form.
- Viewpoints and ideologies are constructed and encoded in the same way as with print news.
Main headline: All caps 'REVEALED:' adds a dramatic effect and shock factor, main headline also summarises the article briefly for the reader.
Main image: Stock photo of children at desks in school, makes it clear to the reader what the article is about
Subheading: Interests the reader in the article and makes them want to read on in order to discover what changes will be made
Social media links below the subheading make it easy for the reader to look at comments and easily share the article on social media
MailOnline
Main image: Stock photo of children at desks in school, makes it clear to the reader what the article is about
Subheading: Interests the reader in the article and makes them want to read on in order to discover what changes will be made
Social media links below the subheading make it easy for the reader to look at comments and easily share the article on social media
MailOnline
- The MailOnline uses media language conventions that are both shared and separate from the print version. The values are continued and media language will be used to incorporate their viewpoints and ideologies.
- These different platforms and conventions help to identify the different platforms and provide a different reading experience for their audience.
Which media language print front page conventions are also used on the online and social media pages?
The traditional Daily Mail logo and colour scheme is used throughout all online platforms, and the article headlines are very similar to that of the print headlines. They also use similar main images to the print version
Which media language conventions used on the online platforms are not used in the print version?
Some headlines in the online versions are more sensationalised than print versions. There is also the ability to update news stories online. Also, there are significantly more celebrity/gossip stories in online versions than print.
Which media language conventions are most successfully used to connect the platforms as the same news brand?
There are lots of links on the MailOnline website to their social media pages, making it clear for the reader that the two are linked. On their Twitter homepage, they link to the MailOnline website, along with the hashtag 'seriously popular', telling readers that they are the most popular online newspaper, and adding an element of trust with their readership.
Which media language conventions are used to tell audiences they can participate in the content provided?
On the MailOnline website, there are clear options to share the articles to Twitter and Facebook, and there is also the option to comment, showing the number of comments on that article so far. These are towards the top of the article, making it easy for the reader to participate in the content provided.
How media language incorporates viewpoints and ideologies:
The Guardian
How media language incorporates viewpoints and ideologies:
The Guardian
- theguardian.com must show its online platforms are intrinsically linked to the print newspaper in order to retain, and grow its audience. The values are continued and media language will be used to incorporate their viewpoints and ideologies.
- These different platforms and conventions help to identify the different platforms and provide a different reading experience for their audience.
Thank you for making this visible!
ReplyDeleteExcellent notes, as usual.
MEDIA LANGUAGE ANALYSIS: detailed and accurate. Well done. You can be more specific and comment on the use of particular content. E.g. The actual headline and what it connotes, language choice etc.
Go to my blog and comment on the Padlet please.
MEDIA LANGUAGE ANALYSIS (CASE STUDIES): Fab Chloe! Well done - you clearly understand the link between ML, ideologies & the audiences.
ReplyDeleteREPRESENTATION: great notes Chloe. The bit you got stuck on ;-) - don't over think it. Capitalism - the papers are there to make a profit and so therefore have to create stories that will sell! For example. The next lesson will see if you've understood it and can apply it.
ReplyDeleteREP & CS: again, fab notes Chloe. Great analysis of the representation on the two covers, particularly the Mail.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of the Realism analysis. The Mail, for example, represents the following key messages: importance of British culture & values; upholding of Conservative, capitalist values and the threat from left-wing groups. The Guardian cover could be said to construct the following realism: threat, negative influence and reinforced gender stereotypes from the Trump administrations and American politics to British culture and values.
ONLINE NEWS: great notes. Not completed for the Guardian though?
ReplyDelete