NEWSPAPERS C1

      

29/04/25

L/O: To explore the key terminology and conventions of newspapers

Newspapers

DO NOW:

• The three types of newspaper in the UK are broadsheet, middle-market & tabloid
• Tabloid: red masthead, slang, high image to text ratio, sensationalism
• Broadsheet: formal style, complex language, high news content, serious news stories
• A standfirst is the first paragraph of an article which summarises the story
• A pull quote is a quote taken from the article made large and used to pull in the audience

Bias & Political Stance

• Newspapers do NOT have to be neutral or unbiased when reporting political topics
• There is an editorial process where articles are carefully checked before publication to ensure they conform to standards and are accurate. However, their political stance can affect how they report events and how issues are represented

Case Study: The Sun

• The Sun is a British tabloid daily newspaper owned by News UK, a subsidiary of right-wing, Australian-born American media baron Rupert Murdoch's News Corp.
• The Sun has an average daily print circulation of roughly 1.3 million copies in the UK and a daily readership of about 2.3 million
• News corp describe The Sun as "an instigator, an entertainer, a cultural reference point, a finger on the pulse, a daily relationship"
• The format is tabloid and is colloquially known for its 'red top'
• The majority of its print audience is male, C2DE and aged between 35-64 years old
• In a recent YouGov survey, 97% of people had heard of The Sun, but only 29% liked it

Published January 1st, 2021

Media Language

What are the connotations of the masthead & strapline?

• The noun 'sun' has connotations of enlightenment, importance and a daily occurrence, which is how the newspaper is represented. The bright red colour connotes a sense of passion, potentially matching the 'sun'. The strapline 'The people's paper' creates the impression of a role model or community, as if the newspaper brings people together. Alternatively, the 'people's' could suggest that the newspaper is presented as above human.
• The masthead is in block text and uses the colours red and white. Other 'red top' tabloids in the UK, such as The Mirror, all use this design. Tabloids are renowned for simplifying complex political issues. The strapline suggests a socialist agenda despite the oppositional political messaging.

How does the headline use language techniques to create meanings?

• The collective pronoun 'our' furthers the sense of community as the global event brings society together as a force. The army is a well respected organisation, which is enticing to readers as they too may wish to be respected and become a 'soldier', framing covid as a common, tangible enemy. The imperative 'join' calls readers to action.
• Intertextual reference to 'Dad's Army'

Why have they included the heart puff?

• The heart shape connotes a sense of compassion and love for the audience and Britain itself, as the heart contains the UK flag.
• Makes it appear like a badge or a logo they may wear to connect them to the scheme. The heart juxtaposes the term army, but it connotes that the groups actions will be caring and generous. The flag also implies that helping to fight covid is a matter of national pride and patriotism

What are the connotations of the dominant image?

• The illustration of a clock face on Big Ben with a syringe as the hand connotes the idea that time is ticking as the pandemic takes over Britain, creating a sense of urgency for the audience to 'join the jabs army' and get vaccinated. Big Ben is an iconic symbol of British culture recognised by most of the audience, especially on the 1st of January at new years. The syringe highlights the vaccination story, the needle pointing to twelve indicates the new year and how time is of great importance when distributing the jabs. The sense of urgency is reinforced in the body copy of the article, 'help getting millions vaccinated rapidly'

Why have they chosen those pull quotes?

• 'This is a terrific campaign, vaccine is the only way out' and 'I see Covid up close with my Derek.. lets all club together' are carefully chosen to appeal to the mainstream audience from trusted celebrities with personal experience to covid. Each quote serves a different purpose: Lineker is promoting the campaign and endorsing it, whereas the other is more emotive and personal, using collective pronouns creating a sense of positivity.

How do they make the reader feel like part of a wider community?

• The standfirst uses flattery 'our fantastic readers', to encourage the audience to get involved in the campaign. Later in the article, they build a sense of community with the use of collective pronouns, whilst the continued use of direct address 'YOU" reinforces the jingoistic tone of the headline

02/05/25

L/O: To explore the key terminology and conventions of newspapers

Case Study: The Sun

DO NOW:

• Three news values are familiarity, elite nations / people & negativity
• The Sun is right wing politically
• The Sun's target audience is 35-64 year olds, male, C2DE
• The Sun's strapline is 'The Peoples Paper'
• 'JOIN OUR JABS ARMY' uses imperatives, intertextual reference & inclusive pronoun

Representation

Covid

• Covid is represented as a common, tangible enemy with framing the pandemic as a war. In line with their previous representations of the pandemic, Covid id a disease to 'conquer'. Such language is used in this context to motivate and inspire action in the audience, encouraging them to join the 'Jabs army'. The idea that Covid is an invader is reinforced with The Sun's use of nationalistic imagery, such as Big Ben and the UK flag. It is also represented this way for British people through the use of military language: 'sign up', 'force', 'army'. This is intentionally done to make the audience want to defeat the enemy and eradicate Covid. 

Vaccination

• Getting vaccinated is represented as a heroic act due to the military language used, foregrounding the notion that if they get vaccinated they will have 'saved' Britain. The Sun describes getting vaccinated as 'crucial' for Brits, and uses direct address in a bold font, contrasting the rest of the pull quote, stating how defeating covid "needs YOU". By encouraging the public to join their campaign, they are supporting the vaccination programme, making it clear that when the reader's age group is allowed to get vaccinated, they should. The use of endorsements, along with 'The Sun says' implies the reader should trust its viewpoint. Getting vaccinated is represented as a matter of urgency through the use of the clock face.

Brexit

• Brexit is represented as a positive event for Britain, due to The Sun's right wing political ideology. the Sun suggests this political decision brings Britain 'new found freedom' to the UK, while terms such as 'heralded' and 'dawn' imply Britain has a great future away from the EU. This is in line with The Sun's pro-leave, isolationist ideology.

Case Study: The Guardian

Product Info

• The Guardian is a British national daily, broadsheet newspaper
• It has an average daily print circulation of approximately 105,000 in the UK, comprising 53,902 newsstand sales and 51,232 subscriptions
• The Guardian newspaper targets a well-educated, affluent, digitally-savvy, liberal audience
• The demographic is 86% ABC1, 54% of The Guardian readers are male, and the average age of the print reader is 54
• Originally, The Guardian's format was broadsheet, but for the cost reasons and changing consumer needs it is now printed in tabloid format - still broadsheet content
• The Guardian is not owned by a group of shareholders like most other newspapers, for whom making a profit is imperative. The Guardian is owned by a trust, and is non-profit. Therefore, they believe they can hold true to their core journalistic principles

• The strapline 'news provider of the year' implies that they are a trustworthy source. 'The Guardian' connotes a authoritative, angelic role, as if they are protecting readers from misrepresentation of news. The blue masthead could connote the broadsheet format of the paper, making it clear to readers. The block, capitalised text typically used in broadsheet format is defied where The Guardian uses a lowercase, curved serif font, creating a unique masthead. This suggests sophistication, linking to The Guardian's brand identity.
• The headline uses language techniques such as the deliberate verb choice 'accuses', foregrounding the notion of a crime, aligning with The Guardian's far left political alignment contrasting Boris Johnson's conservative alignment. The headline is short, sharp and to the point, with negative connotations in 'accuses' and 'lying'. The fact that the PM is accused of this significant, leading the narrative that Johnson is not to be trusted.
• The dominant image could have connotations of Boris Johnson running away from his 'crimes' how The Guardian implies, and being deceitful to his supporters, almost as if we are seeing a mugshot of him. His attire is not statesmanlike image of the PM. The fact he looks so unsportsmanlike implies Johnson's ineptitude, possibly connoting it is not just jogging he is not good at, creating an almost clownish appearance with his fish shorts, beanie and black leather effect trainers. The paparazzi image is specifically chosen by The Guardian, rather than a more professional image.
• The page suggests that the reader. The paper creates a collective identity for the audience with the pronoun 'we' and suggests that The Guardian sees the majority of their readership as office workers. The reference to wine indicates a sophisticated audience, aligning with their target audience of ABC1, affluent and digitally-savvy people.
• The conventions of a broadsheet newspaper are: lots of articles rather than image, more complex lexis and analysis, high news content and focusing on global news content. The use of the skyline is also common within broadsheet papers.

Homework

Masthead

• The masthead is in block text and uses the colours red and white. Other 'red top' tabloids in the UK, such as The Sun, all use this design. Tabloids are renowned for simplifying complex political issues. The noun 'mirror' suggests that the newspaper is reflecting news from the source to you, implying a trustworthy, non-bias reporting juxtaposing their left wing political beliefs. The use of the poppy on the masthead is symbolic of remembrance day.

Headline

• The headline 'What have they done... again?' conveys a condescending tone; the use of a rhetorical question creates the sense of disbelief due to the 'staggering US election result'. More to this, the use of the ellipsis creates a pause within reading, emphasising the 'again' aspect. This aligns with The Mirror's left wing political stance.

Splash

• The prominence of the major global news indicates the weight of the event and the effect the election will have on the rest of the world.

Image

• The image consists of a photo of Donald Trump pointing at the camera with a smirk on his face, connoting strength and victory over the election. The positioning of trump in front of the American flags places the news story geographically and anchors the setting.

Standfirst

• The stand first uses adjectives such as 'divisive' and 'brutal' to convey the sense of fear into the audience, as the left wing political stance of the paper leads the narrative that the American people have made a mistake by voting a tyrant into power, leading to 'brutal' consequences and a divide within America.

Plug

• The plug could potentially diminish the importance of Trump, due to the left wing stance of The Mirror.

06/05/25

L/O: To explore the key terminology and conventions of newspapers

Case Study: The Guardian

DO NOW:

• Misrepresentation is where a topic is represented biasedly
• The Guardian is left wing
• The Guardian's target audience is ABC1, both genders, middle-high class
• News provider of the year
• The Guardian is owned by a group a non-profit trust

Representation of Politicians

• Politicians are often portrayed as inept and useless in both left / right wing press, and in both tabloids and broadsheets
• By exposing their weaknesses and mocking their decisions, the portrayal of the most powerful people in the country could offer audiences a sense of superiority or relatability
• Politicians pretend to be intelligent and well-meaning but by satirising them, newspapers bring them down to the level of the general public

How are politicians represented?

• Politicians are represented in a clownish manner; the fact BJ looks so unsportsmanlike implies Johnson's ineptitude, possibly connoting it is not just jogging he is not good at, but also his job as a politician and the PM, conveying the Guardian's left wing stance.
• The political stories have been chosen and laid out in such a way that they will appeal to typical readership. Though it doesn't explicitly state an opinion unlike 'the sun says', the choice of these main cover stories portrays the Conservatives as immoral and untrustworthy.
• The main image shows a politician with none of the typical trappings of a PM, and s a result, it speaks to a lack of authority and questionable capabilities to hold the office.

What stereotypes are used to create easy recognition?

• To communicate the feature quickly, the images of office workers in the skyline display a range of workplace stereotypes for both individuals and events, e.g. the office romance, the geek, the joker. Whilst tabloids use stereotypes frequently in their lead stories, broadsheets tend to reserve their use for entertainment features.

How is The Guardian's left wing stance represented?

• The choice of a paparazzi image rather than a more professional look of Johnson creates a less sophisticated image and contributes to the clownish appearance
• The theme of conservative dishonesty continues in the headline 'inquiry launched into Mone over 'VIP Lane deal', which highlights an investigation into a Conservative peer, constructing a dishonourable representation.
• The decision to use more inclusive language in the Ukraine story, for example 'UK' is suggestive of an article and an issue that the editorial team at The Guardian supports and expects its readers to support. Omitting any mention of the conservative government or defence secretary, who will have had to make that decision is indicative of the newspapers political leanings.

Industry

Section B

Institutions

• Large global corporations - an established and regulated organisation that owns and produces many different media products, systems and texts

Elements in Institutions

• Audience
• The significance of media ownership tot he way audiences receive texts
• Public Service
• Cultural and financial differences between public service institutions
• add slide

Conglomerates

• A large company that consists of divisions of seemingly unrelated business
• A media conglomerate describes companies that own large numbers of companies in various mass media such as TV, radio publishing, movies and the Internet
• Microsoft & Amazon are two of the world's largest media conglomerates today

Newspaper Ownership

• The newspaper industry is massively powerful
• Newspapers are read by large numbers of people in the UK - a huge influence
• In Britain, a small number of newspaper publishers control the majority of the industry
• News UK (owns the Sun & the Times) is the biggest publisher
• Two of the most popular newspapers are right wing

Gatekeepers

• The people who decide which stories to include in the newspapers. editors have to filter the large number of stories written and select those to feature. The type of paper and its audience will also influence the decisions

News Values

• A set of factors that help determine whether or not an event is considering newsworthy

13/05/25

L/O: To explore the key terminology and conventions of newspapers

Newspapers: Industry 

What are the benefits of horizontal / vertical integration? [4]

How do newspapers make money?

• Newspaper earn revenue from their advertisements
• Journalism is being seen more and more as a commodity whose purpose is predominantly for profit
• The popularity of prints news continues to drop and advertisers will choose to leave if figures drop too low
• Newspapers are under increased pressure to capture audiences - the purpose of the dominant image and the splash is to sell papers
• In the first quarter of 2016, the sun recorded losses of more than £250 million including £50 million to cover legal costs and pay-offs for the ongoing phone-hacking calls
• The scandal has previously cost news corp £366 million

Technological convergence

• The sun would need a website as well as a newspaper as not everyone will buy printed newspapers
• A newspaper would need multiple different ways of getting news to its readers for their advertisements
• Originally, the sun had introduced a paywall, however people did not want to pay for tabloid newspapers specifically, and so they removed this - now The Sun website is free for users to access
• The Sun will also use social media for this

Advantages VS Disadvantages of print newspapers

• Older generations may be more comfortable with buying print newspapers rather than navigating technology
• Print newspapers do not require internet
• Websites are constantly updated, so can only be read once whereas print newspapers can be read whenever
• Immediacy - websites can be updated immediately but print papers have to wait until the next edition

Explain why newspapers have websites, refer to the Sun to support your points                  [10]

Newspapers: Audience

Psychographics

• Audience may share paper's values & attitudes: might support conservatives / reform UK, believe it was right to leave the EU etc.
• The paper includes many different sections . topics and so has a wide appeal to audiences with a range of interests

Uses & Gratifications

• News = information about the world
• Celebrity = entertainment & gossip / escapism
• Human interest stories = identification with people / situations involved
• Money saving = resonates with lower earners
• Website interactivity = allows comments on stories & offers opportunities to interact socially

• An active audience would read the online version as there is the ability to comment and social interact, whereas a print audience would be far more passive.