News

 13-9-22

What is News?

L/O: To explore the nature and ownership of the news industry 

What is the purpose of news:

• Spreads information
• Informs people on what is happening in the world - global news
• Can keep people updated on their local news - local news
• Entertains people whilst being educational on current affairs - Gossip and activity
• Social interaction - causes discussions
• Profit  - makes money
• Influence and persuade

Aims to persuade and influence people - is conservative 

Spreads information and influences, would cause social interaction 

Use BBC articles and news at 6/10 for news. Also use twitter and see events happening in the world due to them being trending as such. 

Don't trust any 100%, am more lenient towards trusting things like BBC.

Anyone can put news online whereas not everyone can be the journalist for print.

Makes more money newspapers being online.

1) 'News was not a spectator sport' - People would chat and gossip to each other about the news whether local or global. 

2)150 years ago the printing press allowed for people to make a business out of selling news papers, could produce numerous papers. 

3) Being able to contribute allows wider spread but also allows for fake news to be a more common thing. I agree it is good but people also now lack understanding of certain things and are misinformed.

•  1950s and 1960s TV's was introduced 
• By 1965 Sunday newspaper circulation had fallen to 25 million which is 1.4 per household
• More than 1 paper per house was still common
• By 2010 it had fallen to 10 million and is 0.4 papers per household
• Labour supporting working class readers bought the Mirror
• Conservative supporting working class readers bought Daily Express
• The conservative middle class read the Daily Telegraph
• The liberal middle class read the Guardian 
• Newspapers were defined by their physical size - the observer used a broadsheet which contains more writing and is a larger size than say a tabloid format like the sun
• 
  
  
  
  

Tabloid

Softer news - is about his marriage rather than way he ran the country 

Bonking - less formal language

Has a  minuscule amount of text and is mainly a picture of Boris 

Targets more non conservative  audiences 

News is shown in an informal manor with a emphasis on a semi stupid topic so is for entertainment 

Broadsheet

More text and more formal language

Less images and more text 

Offers information rather than entertainment

 

• The Times -Tabloid
• The Daily Mail - Hybrid
• The Daily Star - tabloid
• The telegraph - broadsheet
• The Daily Express - hybrid
• The guardian - broadsheet
• The mirror - tabloid
• The observer - broadsheet 
• The financial - broadsheet
• The sun - Tabloid
• The independent - broadsheet 

27-9-22                                                             What is News 

L/O: To explore the nature and ownership of the news industry

What is wrong with media ownership in the UK?

• 77.8% owned by billionaires 
• BBC balances the inequality
• Aim is often to make money rather than provide news
• Less diversity in who is able to get their opinions hear - harder to be heard with less money 
• Biased and fake news is possible 
• BBC has less commercial pressure to firm profit allowing them to focus less on money and more actual news 

In the UK there is 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 (GMG) The Guardian 
• Cross-Media - converged conglomerates - global institutions that own numerous media outlets. These may be owned by Media Barons. E.g DMG and Lord Rothermere 

Rupert Murdoch owns The Sun and The Times as well as American and Australian news companies - both tabloid and broadsheet

The Guardian owned by a Trust a broadsheet paper is local to UK not global, support people who are not usually listened to like the youth, makes it more diverse

DMG own over 50%of the printed press with Tabloids and Broadsheets 

Newspapers are aimed to bring in profit and make money as commercial publications. The content will be less focused on minorities and more biased towards the majority and the popular topics like major politics and celebrities. The audience only sees what makes money therefore their perceptive on world news and affairs is false to some extent. The news is biased towards the rich in this sense. 

Over 50% of the news is owned by 2 billionaires making the news articles be biased towards the owners views and things which negatively impact them will be hidden, this changes public views of events and ideas as well as they lean towards the lessons. Creates an unfair playing field for smaller news companies and less wealthy people.

Newspapers are not legally obliged to be unbiased. Information can sway peoples opinions and cause big change like with Brexit where people were  influenced by lies in the paper. E.g papers saying the Queen backed Brexit even though she had no opinion stated. 

There are ethical and moral codes of press conduct but the printed press is self regulatory in the industry. 

This means that those who break the codes are usually not punished to any severe level. 

* - includes Sunday versions 

• DMG Media Ltd - Mail* - Daily market Share 2021 39%
• News Corp - Sun, Times* - Daily market Share 2021 28%
• Reach - Star, Express*, Mirror, People, Daily Record* - Daily market Share 2021 16%
• Telegraph Group - Telegraph* - Daily market Share 2021 5%
• Guardian Media Group - Guardian, Observer* - Daily market Share 2021 2%
• Nikkei - Financial Times - Daily market Share 2021 2%

 11-10-22                                     Newspaper Funding and Regulation

L/O: To explore the impact of newspaper funding and regulation on the printed press

How does  Media ownership contribute to news bias:

• If the owners are of a particular political party the news will more likely lean to be in that political parties favour 
• Will make articles to make money rather than spread actual news
• If the owner/s are in favour of certain ideas the newspaper will promote things representing those ideas and be hostile towards things which don't 
• owners views and opinions can be shared as fact
• Lack variety in views 
• The news won't relate to every age and class
• Commercial advertising ties
• Business interests of the owners/friends 

Newspapers usually aren't profitable, rather seen as a way to promote social and political views which allows influence over the public.

The Guardian and Observer are owned by a trust in an effort to be protected and share any views. These liberal values have meant support from the Guardian for both the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats. 

The Guardian Media Group bought the observer in 1933 

The Observer's history 

   

Bias in the UK 

• The Guardian - Left wing
• The Mirror -  Left wing
• The Independent - Left wing
• The Times - Right wing
• The Sun - Right wing 
• The Daily Express - Right wing
• The DailY Mail - Right wing

Left Wing

Right Wing

 

Newspaper editors invariably insist in public that the owner never interferes with the content of the newspaper. 

The owner has indirect power as they appoint the editor.

British politicians have met with Rupert Murdoch before elections, presumably to seek his support 

Former Prime Minister Tony Blair met with Murdoch and received much greater coverage than tJohn Major who did not meet with him

Leveson Inquiry into that press found that politicians of all parties had developed a too close relationship to the press 

How do Newspapers make money

• Have ties to commercial advertising
• Publish articles deemed to sell more
• Be less harsh on certain brands so they are more likely to work with them
• Paid subscription  
• Through a trust 
• Advertising, sponsored content 

Q1)  The right of newspapers, magazines, etc., to report news without being controlled by the government. This is the freedom for people to say what they desire.

Q2) The press began focusing on appealing to a loyal audience with opinions rather than facts. This lead to an organisation formed which as supposed to protect privacy and enforce  code of practice. This was ineffective and after The News of The World was exposed to of  hacked into a murder victims phone to listen to unopened voicemails. This meant the parents of the victim thought their daughter was alive which is not a good representation of the press. The Leveson Enquiry showed that in news industry there is a small need for regulation. News companies hacking phones and giving emotional harm to people involved shouldn't be allowed. If regulation was in act the articles made form this wouldn't be published protecting the public and drawing  aline between what is right and wrong. This could also make the news be 'more reliable' but with regulation the people doing the regulating would gain a concerning amount of power removing then freedom of speech for companies and leaving some cases in the dark due to their influence. The law of Free Press is also in act in which people can publish articles they desire as it is in the interest of the public. The regulators would also be swayed with personal bias or a third party with something to offer so in reality an even balance between regulation and not regulating news needs to be found.

Q3) The government began the Leveson Enquiry this is because it was not classed as criminal. This led to a new regulator IPSO being joined by most of the press which refused to join the government as it impressed 'free speech' and IMPRESS works with the government for enforcement, focuses more on local news. 

Q4) IPSO 

 

Q5) IMPRESS 

1-11-22                                            Newspaper Case Study

L/O: To investigate the Observer/Guardian publications 

Question 6 - 1 Mark 

• Knowledge based 

Guardian/Observer is owned by The Scotts Trust

Guardian/Observer is left wing politically

Self regulated Guardian/Observer

They make money through the trust

Don't use  a paywall and instead subscription as they are funded by a trust and aim to spread news to everyone which is easily done when it is free so more people read it

Question 7 - 4 Mark Question 

Asks for knowledge of print and online newspapers as media forms

E.g. explain ways that newspapers are funded

Online newspapers like the Guardian use subscriptions to make money with by removing advertisements from the website and make a better browsing experience whilst a free option is available. Other methods used online in news are pay walls, blocking the article and only allowing it to be read if it is paid for on a usual subscription based service which  gives funding to the news company. 

Audience

The Sun - Mostly 16-45 year olds; more males; working-class (C2DE); mainly white; right ring; mainstream

 

The Guardian -Mostly 35+ year olds; equal gender; upper middle class (ABC1; educated and cultured; left-wing;progressives

Daily Mail - Mostly 45-65 years old; more females than males; middle class (C1 and C2); mainly white; right wing traditionalists 

The Observer readers have a 50-50 split in print for the gender. The majority of readers  are in London and down south being people who want to see and are keen for new things.Upmarket readers, enjoy arts and cultures and food+ drink aficionados. 

Online the Observer has 55% male and 45%, a 1/3 of the audience are 15-34 years old with 2/3 35+, this is a younger audience than the print which is only 17% 15-34. 75% of the online audience are social class ABC1 which is downmarket from the print audience but upmarket == compared to the population of the whole UK. 1/3 on PCs 2/3 on mobiles.

1) Media convergence refers to the merging of previously distinct media technologies and platforms through digitisation and computer networking. This is also known as technological convergence.

2) The Observer uses convergence online to advocate more towards the lifestyle elements of food and sport sections which are kept out of print. They still follow a more traditional print formula rather than using things like clickbait. 

3)The Observer uses convergence to appeal to a wider audience with its lifestyle elements existing in an online space for more people to see rather than just leaving them out of the print and not having those sections at all. Makes it easier for younger audiences to be attracted as well as more emphasis is put on the photos and headlines and that appeals too them. 

 

4) Both the print and online use a similar format with different organisation and layout. The lifestyle parts are in the print which are targeted towards women more and are both online and print, same with the serious news and culture aspects. You can comment 

on sections of the news online which you cannot do for the print which allows others to share their views n a topic or how an article was read.   

5) The online newspapers make the relationship between audience and writer more personal and closer as they can share their own opinions, it also allows 2 ways rather than 1 to consume news.

Explain 2 ways the Observer is funded:

The Observer uses different sources of funding to keep the paper running. In the Observer online a  subscription is offered to readers, not like a paywall but rather the ability to remove advertisements from the site, another form of funding. This provides for a better and more enjoyable reading experience whilst still providing readers who do not wish to pay with news. The Observer further makes money from advertisements on their online sites and in print which is paid for by other companies wishing to advertise.

Active and Passive Audience                                                                                             15-11-22

Traditionally the audience for a newspaper was primarily passive. Paid print buyers accepted wha they were told and rarely wrote a letter to the editor which is tedious and usually too much work for most people. 

With online newspapers the audiences have become more active but retains the editorial supremacy like before. It is easier for the audience to criticise an article as they can comment, reply, email or interact on social media and talk about their agreement/disagreement with an article. 

Active Audience - An active audience engages, interprets and responds to a media text in different ways and is capable of challenging the ideas encoded in it. 

Passive Audience - A passive audience is more likely to accept the messages encoded in a media text without challenge and are therefore more likely to be directly affected my the messages.

Media Language

L/O: To investigate how print newspapers use media language to create meaning 

Advantages of online newspapers

• Wider audience
• More accessible to younger people
• an have more variety
• Fits more niches
• provides advertisements for additional funding 
• Sponsorships, paywalls and subscriptions make money 

Disadvantages

• Reduces the amount of print sold
• Harder for an older audience who aren't tech smart to access
• Adverts make less money online than in physical print

The Observer using a colourful sky box is reinforcing their left wing views which traditionally can be seen as more colourful in terms of people who support it. The image helps represent people and the bright colour pallet of pink in the back helps make it differentiate from the other newspapers. The layout feels mature and calm appealing to the casual who wants to be informed about the current state of the world. The typography is representative of their more mature and older southern audience being plain to allocate to their 50/50 gender split audience.  

Media Language                                                                                                                        29-11-22

L/O: To investigate how online newspapers use media language to create meaning 

Online newspapers have both advantages and differences for the audience and industry. Online newspaper is advantageous in how it is more accessible to a wider audience with the majority having no price tag, meaning news can be seen from anywhere by anyone who has a device like a phone or computer to read the article. This is advantageous to the audience as it allows them to read news when they need to and when they need to. Online news is also disadvantageous to the industry though, although more people read news online it still has less profit than a physical news paper would. This is because unless sites enforce a subscription they run off of adverts and donations which provides less money than the act of just buying a newspaper to read na article. This makes the industry less profit which proves to be disadvantageous. 

Political Bias -  left wing bias as there is a critique of the Conservative party in the 1st 2 articles anyone would see when clicking on the site 

Gender - front page has 2 women and 1 man which shows equality between importance of news but as you scroll down it becomes heavily male dominated especially in sport which reinforces the ideas of men being the main people involved in sport or the ones who care

Ethnicity - Range of people from different ethnic backgrounds, represents people and shows there is an unbiased view on ethnicity from the Observer

Culture - World news further down shows importance of different places and different cultures to the Observer and how they represent other cultures outside of the main residence of the Observer which is the UK 

Colour palette - Blue, yellow and white at the top to represent the Guardian, colour palette varies as well differentiating from print using a black, white and red primarily for displaying news in a mature way and using red to highlight what is most important. The other sets of articles each have a slightly different colour for the typography e.g blue/orange which helps connote the observer is fun and interesting, doing more than just serious news 

Links to The Guardian - Has a blue, yellow and white banner with the largest front on the page being used for 'The Guardian' linking to it with iconic colours and the iconic logo, as it has the largest font and is positioned  at the top it is clear to the audience there is a ink to The Guardian  

The Observer front cover would be expected to have a blue banner for their link to the Guardian, with 1 main image and multiple minor images under each section of news like world and main. Would expect a black font for headlines at the top with red used on select phrases to convey the most important information. Would expect to see social media links and a masthead reflecting the one on the print. 

Homework 13-12-22

13-12-22

Historical Case Studies

L/O: To evaluate the impact of social, cultural, political and historic contexts on 1960s newspapers

In the 1960s the Observer used a popular layout consisting of large amounts of text with a smaller masthead. The masthead is small, taking up only a small fraction of the newspaper's front cover, the covers are laid out in a formulaic way having product advertisement for products present on the lower right which take up a large rectangle. The cover uses a main image, usually near the top left of the article, for the main appeal of that paper, then there is a few minor images which are used for smaller, less important articles. The cover mostly however is dominated by text, showing in the 1960s the main appeal was the article and it was good to get straight to the point. The colour pallet is printed in black and white due to costs at the time but also it shows it as a more formal paper with more seriousness involved. The layout uses columns to separate text which goes around the Headline of the paper which sits isolated from the rest of the article. The subheadings are bold, same with the rest of the font but both the subheadings and headline are in a substantially larger font than the rest of the text, shwoing their importance. 

10-1-23

Online and physical 
Logo - Masthead - takes from the 'o' to create a further brand

Replication of font and colour- black 

Social media - e.g twitter/instagram, does not include the bright colours found in the skybox of the print version. Format doesn't need the bright colours.  Audience is already engaged when clicking and following the Observer socials 

Historical Case Studies

L/O: To evaluate the impact of social, cultural, political and historic contexts on 1960s newspapers

Address the question

An example from the Observer on how they reflect context

Explain 

Link back to question

Newspapers are a reflection of their historical context. The Observer is a broadsheet newspaper which represents how broadsheet newspapers reflect the historic contexts in which they were made. The Observer cover from the 1960s reflects Britain's class divide between the upper class and working class.  The headline 'Unions postpone strike,' is a prime example of how in society of the 1960s there was a greater strive for equality among workers. This indicates that there was some serious issues among society in how the class divide was still very relevant and after the wars people began realising how it was too large a gap as well us unfair and unneeded. This reinforces the fact that the people writing the papers for The Observer were more than likely left wing and in need of this change for equality among workers. This striving for equality reflects the class tension of the 1960s and represents the contextual influence history has over the topics in broadsheet newspapers. 

It is common for broadsheet newspapers to be a reflection of their historical context. In the 1960s the Observer used the headline 'Jackie: We're very happy,' a reflection of the view on women in these times. Although in the 1960s women were more and more equal their portrayal in the media was still that of mens desires, this follows Van Zoonen and his theory that women are always objectified in order to satisfy the male gaze, a prime example being the advertisement on the Observer covers being tights and lingerie. This paired with 'Jackie We're very happy' a headline representing the gender gap and how the males who were the people who wrote the paper primarily wrote articles on women when it was them becoming married. This portrays them as objects and things only for male desire as well as to be wived, these views were common in the patriarchal society of the 1960s when presenting women in media and just in general. This is a reflection of the way on newspapers there is a objectification of women which is a historical factor from the 1960s. 

A Newspapers cover is a representation of the historical events which were present in that time. During the 1960s there was a heavy emphasis on war tensions an the UK was very anti war, this is reflected through the Observer and their covers. The Observer headline 'Americans accused of spy frame up' is an example of how the themes of espionage and the fear of being spied on and listened to was common. This reinforces the fact that war tensions were high and people were fearful of the cold war being taken a step further, alongside the war in Vietnam people did not want spies or war. The idea of someone always listening or trying to secretly invade was common and with shows like the Avengers which were full espionage people truly believed we had spies around. This makes it clear that the newspaper is a reflection of its time as now it would be less fear of spies and more terrorists and such, proving The Observer is an example of how newspapers reflect their historical context such as the 1960s.   

 

24-1-23 

In modern broadsheet newspaper the context of the time is reflected less as previous years, focusing more on individual stories with relevance but not on a sole topic. The Headline from the Observer 'Putin dealt a bitter blow as blast cripples bridge to Crimea,' is representative of the global leadership and the power they hold alongside the fear of war from Ukraine. The headline is of a wider network for other places in the world not involved necessarily in war or being the uS/Uk. The headlines though also represent the other news in the world focusing on prisons, 'Shock figures reveal the dire state of Britain's failing prisons.' The news represents the context of the time it was wrote with pressing issues but due to the internet and a larger variety of news being present it is less focused on one theme. The Observer is a representation of the change in how historical context is reflected in modern newspapers.

Exam Format

L/O: To explore the exam format and content the News unit

Theoretical framework:

-Audience

-Industry - press ownership 

-Representation 

-Media language 

Question 6

Could be on specific terminology or specific industry based questions. 

E.g

How the Observer is funded? The definition of diversification.

6) Globalisation 

6) Broadsheet 

Question 7

Hard vs Soft news - Hard is hard hitting and serious, soft is softer being sensationalised, like gossip 

7-1) Print newspaper still survives even with online. This survival is in part due to the older audience of customers, who are more traditional in purchasing a physical copy of the newspaper from a set company. This means the older audience prefer to rad physical newspaper, so print makes money allowing survival. The print also survives from the money sustained by the companies online news, as people may read an article based on the print they saw in a shop. 

7-2) If a newspaper publishes in print it is advantageous towards monetising towards an older audience. The monetary aspect allows people who go into shops to purchase the paper, although less common now it is still a practice done by certain people and moving online would lose these customers. If published only online the news is more widely accessible meaning there is a wider target audience than print, it isn't just mainline or local it is anywhere. This allows for greater advertisement, subscriptions or donations to occur as there is more people to monetise towards. 

Question 8

8 -1) The representation of social groups in the cover of the Observer is vast, representing the push for racism to end towards black people. The main image is of a protest with the phrase 'silence is violence,' representing the distaste in society among people for the racism which is prevalent towards social groups which aren't what people see as the majority. They are shown as strong and wanting change. The other underrepresented social group shown is gardeners, workers who do a less tradition job for the people. It shows them as relaxed, wise and well versed with nature, being pictured in front of a nature swarmed building. 

Question 9

9) The cover of the Observer is a reflection of the conventions used traditionally in broadsheet newspaper. The masthead is black, in a serif font, being bald to stand out. This connotes a sense of formality and seriousness, they want to provide news and focus on the serious subjects which matter to the world whilst being both entertaining and informative, this is a reflection of the broadsheet genre of newspapers. The serious presentation is something found commonly in broadsheets and is not found in a tabloid like the Sun which uses red for the masthead making it seem less mature. 

The Observer cover has a powerful main image, representing the black lives matter movement and the ethnicity. This representation and powerful presentation connotes formality and seriousness, having just one main image present beneath the masthead makes The Observer reflect the fact it is a broadsheet. This focus on a main, hard hitting image is traditionally found in broadsheets as they have a higher focus on serious world issues rather than minor news. 

A broadsheet is typically dominated by text, having over 50% of the front be represented by the news the paper wants to sell and tell. The Observer has this predominant theme of text domination, having only one image with the rest being text underneath the masthead. This helps the audience of the Observer understand they are a broadsheet, they want to educate on worldly issues and say as many stories in detail as they can, a broadsheet trait.

The observer is  a broadsheet newspaper, reflecting the traditional genre conventions seen in broadsheet newspaper rather than tabloid. The darker black colour palette used on the masthead and text, the hard hitting main image, the large blocks of text as well as the layout help The Observer present itself a s a broadsheet newspaper. The Observer is a reflection of tradition in broadsheet newspapers, making itself a broadsheet.   

7-2-23     Question 9 and 10 Guided responses 

L/O: To explore the exam response structure for 9 and 10 

Question 9

Must analyse the extract and make a clear judgement. 

L - language (media) 

I - industry 

A - audience 

R - representation 

Typography, layout, lexis, image, colour palette, 

Media contexts and theoretical framework, extract 3, genre conventions, examples from extract, media language to reflect a broadsheet, reflection of context 

Broadsheet 

• Text to image ratio
• Colour palette - vibrant skybox
• Masthead - typography 

Industry

• Serious news content
• Scotts Trust + GMG 
• Serious/liberal world news 

Audiences

• Culture - broadsheet expectation
• Skybox

Representations 

• BLM protest supporting minority groups
• Articles are from a range of backgrounds 

Context - Gender roles, multiculturalism lifestyles, democracy/liberal viewpoint,  consumerism, celebrity culture 

In extract 3 the cover page of the Observer is a heavy reflection of a broadsheet newspaper, following conventions through a wise use of media language in order to present itself clearly as a broadsheet. The cover uses a heavily dominated text to image ratio, with only one main image on the main part of the cover. The colour palette of the text being black on a white background outside of the vibrant skybox presents the Observer as being a Broadsheet. Broadsheet newspapers traditionally follow a plainer colour palette for the text, having that reflected in the Observer; as they are usually aimed at a more mature audience a broadsheet is text dominated. These conventions which are followed by The Observer reflect that the Observer is a broadsheet newspaper.

The Observer cover is a reflection of a generic broadsheet newspaper. The cover uses a black, bold, with a serif font masthead which follows correct capitalisation with its name, being "The Observer" rather than "THE OBSERVER" is a reflection of the more mature, older audience traditionally seen within the target audience of a broadsheet newspaper. The serif font is calm and simple, making the newspaper seem more formal, this showcases the broadsheet nature of newspapers which use a more serious style, reflecting the fact The Observer is a broadsheet. 

On the cover in extract 3 The Observer follows generic broadsheet conventions in order to present itself towards its audience, reflecting conventions well. The cover focuses on hard news, being serious cultural topics to do with race and the BLM movement. BLM being a push for greater race equality for black people. With the heavily text dominated cover in order to inform, the image used is of a serious scene, focusing on BLM whilst appealing to the celebrity culture, allowing them to appeal to their audience. This push for equality is prevalent within the Observer cover as they focus towards a liberal audience. This serious news subject alongside the main image with representation appealing to multiple cultures is a reflection of the generic conventions of a broadsheet newspaper, being used by The Observer in order to present itself as a broadsheet, reflecting the conventions with a use of media language. 

The Observer reflects the generic conventions usually seen within broadsheet newspapers but partly breaks them within the skybox. The broadsheets usually have a black colour palette, which The Observer follows up until the skybox. The skybox focuses more on culture like gardening and food, having a vibrant colour pallet of yellow and pink. This does not reflect the generic conventions of a broadsheet through the media language as it is vibrant, but does reflect other cultures. 

Overall The Observer cover is a heavy reflection of genre conventions commonly seen within the  typical broadsheet newspaper. The cover uses traditional font and text to image ratio but has a partial breakaway within the skybox. 

7/10 4/5 total = 11/15 

Modern Case Studies Question                                                                                                   28-2-23

L/O: To evaluate the contexts of modern newspapers 

Brexit

NHS pay 

cost of living is high

Royalty, royal tensions "spare" 

Covid, coming to an end

Teachers strikes for better conditions and pay

Social - more ethnic diversity, image of PM and vice president of America

Social/political - NHS needs more money and pay

Culture - NHS under pressure

Culturally/socially - private healthcare and NHS, class divide 

LIAR - Language, Industry, Audience, Representation 

Political situation - not agreeing. NHS pay is the disagreement, class divide

Class divide - People, lots of people are struggling for food. 2-23 food crisis 

media language, contrast, serious (hard hitting) and soft(gossip, skybox) news content 

Colour - Skybox is playful and soft with bright,  childish colours used to talk about food, over saturated turquoise and pink. Lighthearted and cartoonish, portray food as a luxury showing the audience has money and can afford to eat out 

Colour - Black text used in typography, font is dark and bold with blue accents and blue image, white background. Formal and serious, blue reflects the patriotism and conservative party 

Typography and layout - image has representation, serious and simple showing 2 big political figures

In the Cover of The Observer there is a variety of use in term soft media language in order to portray a contrast in hard and soft hitting news. A prime example of the soft news portrayal being contrasting is the saturated colour palette consisting of turquoise and pink which is used to present the topic of food. The bright colours are implicit of lighthearted playfulness and connote a more relaxed, softer tone when it comes to the subject matter, making it feel somewhat cartoonish in design. The elements used reinforce the ideas of food being fun and promote the fact that The Observer audiences is people who see food as a luxury, frequently going out to eat at restaurants or diners, representing the wealth and middle class/upper class audience. This contrasts heavily to the dim black text and white background seen on the lower half of the page under the headline 'Food banks at breaking Point' which relays the harder hitting story of a food crisis for the working class. The text is black, connoting maturity and seriousness as well as formality, with blue accents scattered inside the page  in order to reflect the conservative party. The main image used is a simple yet powerful image, contrasting with the cartoonish art style of the food segment, it presents a patriotic atmosphere with a dominant blue colouring and contains  the flags of both parties home nations. The headline being a juxtaposition to the to half in which food is portrayed as a luxury shows the values of The Observer, the fact they can report on a news story about a struggle for food whilst also promoting the idea of restaurants and takeouts heavily reflects the primary audience of the middle class leftist. This makes it clearly evident that the Observer goes far in using media language to contrast the serious news stories with the softer articles, using brighter colours for softer stories and darker, bold colours in order to present more serious articles. 

The cover of The Observer uses a range of typography and image layout choices in order to contrast the hard and soft hitting news. The skybox has a magazine cover with a drawn font, making it connote the idea of The Observer being playful. The layout has the mage at an angle, making the presentation less serious and more informal, aiming at the reader who takes interest in food, someone who may enjoy a more lighthearted magazine. The Observer contrasts this evidently with the political image of Rishi Sunak, the P.M. and the vice president of America, 2 powerful political figures. The contents of the image are simple and present unity reflecting The Observer values of more left wing peace. The layout of the image has it as a main image, central to the page with a non angled level. This promotes the idea of formality of the story and removes any playful values due to the politics. This in comparison with  the skybox shows the different media language used, with one having more rough layout with playful fonts whilst the hard news is ordered and formal. 

Level 3

Question 10 Contextual analysis                                                                                         14-3-23

L/O: To explore the structure for Q10 and contextual issues in news

 Espionage - 'North sea spy game' - Fear, several headlines on it, importance, fear of invasion - fear, threatening, them vs us mentality, past ww2 fear 

Gender equality - 'lawyers urge divorce by consent' - gender inequality still prevalent, push for women to be equal, grew after the war - promoting equality, ideas after war that men and women were equal, changing patriarchy in society, more power to women in marriage 

The historical contexts of the time reflect the representation present on a news paper cover. The Observer in 1960s is a prime example, it depicts a headline promoting the divorce availability for women, representing the rise of gender equality. The headline 'Lawyers urge for divorce by consent' is reflecting the historical context of women being unable to divorce  their husbands, this was due to a patriarchal society which placed women on a lower pedestal than men, representing gender inequality. The headline is promoting the historical context of this issue and how in the 60s there was a push for gender equality and this Observer cover reflects that by representing women in this sense.

28-3-23                                                         Exam Dirt

L/O: To reflect on the exam and improve identify areas to improve 

Broadsheet - large amounts of text, darker colour palette 

Tabloid -pictures, less text 

Exam Marks:

6) 1/1

7) 4/4

8) 8+4/15

9) 9/10

total = 31/35

The print newspaper industry has survived despite the growth of print newspaper online. A major factor in this is the audience loyalty of print newspaper consumers. Someone who is the target audience of a print newspaper is likely to have been a loyal customer to print, disliking the idea of change to a different medium and having the print newspaper as part of their daily or weekly routine. This portion of the audience allows print newspaper to survive even though there is more easily accessible online news. 

In The Observer front page there is a main image presenting an under represented ethnicity in the form of Shamhir Sanni, who originates from Pakistan. The image is the main and only image outside of the sky box, it conveys him as powerful with with the quote 'it was me doing it my way.' Usually in western media, people from Pakistan are usually being overshadowed by for example a British white male. This ethnicity is rarely represented but The Observer cover represents this under represented ethnicity and conveys them as strong and powerful. 

T1 - Cover examples of media language in detail for both comparison parts 

The cover of The Observer uses varying different media language in order to promote the content of the skybox and the actual news. The free food magazine uses a bright colour palette, colours such as orange and yellow which connote play fullness are present, being used to set a happier, brighter tone for the content of a free food magazine. In a similar manner to the new review which uses a bright colour palette of pink and red alongside white in the typography. This appeals to the more feminine parts of the audience, the fact it is a free food magazine also represents The Observers audience of more wealthy people who can afford to cook lush meals. There is a contrast to this in the formality of the dark colour palette of black and white which makes up the news aspect of the newspaper. The bold, black text used as typography which is supported by a formal lexis which includes political terms connotes seriousness and hard news. The inclusion of blue to the colour palette further advocates to The Observer's audience, wealthy British people who swing further to the left politically but are still interested in the right, this is done through blue accents as that is a usual representation of conservatives. This in contrast to the play fullness of the skybox shows how the Observer separates and differs the media language used for the cover. 

In conclusion The Observer uses a different, more formal media language for the hard news, using different choices of media language in order to promote the content within the skybox.  

The Observer cover reflects the social/cultural context of the time, an example being the main image is someone of a British ethnicity. This represents the acceptance and diversity present in the modern era of Britain, especially when compared to a 1960s  paper which would be dominated usually by the British white male. The Observer using this main image of someone of Pakistan origins helps to reflect the social and cultural contexts in the fact it is not afraid to have the centre piece of its cove be someone who does not have British origins. This is a reflection of ow social and cultural contexts are represented.    

25-4-23                        Q10 Modern Analysis 

L/O: To explore the contextual issues of news

 

 

In Newspaper covers there is a clear influence from social and cultural context which effects the content of print.

 The modern day Observer covers represent this in their content. There is Observer covers which contain content in reference to both celebrity culture and the everlasting social problem of racism. The cover uses a main image of  BLM protest highlighting the celebrity Anthony Joshua who is attending, this presents even those on a pedestal as being equal to the rest of society but also mirrors the infatuation society has with celebrities, using him rather than a normal man at the forefront of the main image. This not only reflects the culture of celebrities held today but reflects the racism still prevalent in society, as there is need for such a protest it shows that the social opinion is still not correct in being equal. This prevalence on the Observer cover is indicative of how the social and cultural contexts influence the content of print. 

Newspapers of today are influenced by the contexts of society surrounding them. The skybox on an Observer cover represents the influence held by consumerism and the growing acceptance of LGBTQ+ in society. There is bright colours used to make the skybox seem playful in the scheme of the cover but the contents focus around selling products due to the context of society, and as The Observer has a more wealthy audience this consumerism is more welcomed. The content consisting of LGBTQ+ book classics being sold does however contain the importance of the growing social context of people who are not heterosexual being prevalent in modern day media as they have become accepted. In comparison if this was a 1960s paper there is no presence of the GBTQ+ community and if there was any it would be a form of slander or homophobia towards them due to the social attitudes at the time. The Observer therefore is a prime example of how social and cultural contexts reflect content of print, containing content which could only be accepted in recent years. 

Newspapers are heavily influence by the cultural and social events which take place around the time of production. During 2020 and 2021 there was a heavy emphasis on Covid and the political nature which came with it, as well a s still having the NHS be spotlighted to this day due to the concerns with management and issues with current UK hospitals. An example of this would be the Headline in an Observer cover which consisted of the 'NHS fury' over  broken pledge to help fight the 'virus.' This details the governments management in the NHS and how the virus was a threat as seen in society for a long time, effecting hospitals and the like. This is an important social context only existing in the time of crisis, slowly ceasing now, showing how the social contexts influence content of the news.  

Exam format Q9

L/O: To explore the exam format and content for the news unit 

Q6 - 1 mark industry and terminology

Q7 - 4 mark social media and online press

Q8 - 5 mark unseen extract short analysis, 

Q9 - 15 mark unseen extract long analysis 

Q10 - 10 mark analysis 

Has hard news content - shows seriousness in politics rather than things such as celebrity life - main image is of hospital beds and headlines are about the war between Ukraine and Russia 

Arts and culture - Chelsea flower show

Politics and hard news - Ukraine family 

Celebrity culture - Hollywoods hot new thing 

In the Cover of The Observer the values and beliefs of the left leaning liberal viewpoint are present. The cover uses a single main image portraying hard news, being from a hospital, when mixed with the dark colour palette of black and white which constitutes the rest the image comes off as serious. This helps to connote the newspaper' values like the idea of helping people and slandering the tory party for their failure at running the country. This allows the newspaper to reach its target audience of older liberals. The skybox used is brightly coloured, contrasting the main page in order to show the playful side of the Observer. 

Left wing 

Multiple cultures and arts

Inform and educate 

Diversity

Equality --> skybox image --> subverts as shows man with bunny ears and having an association with women --> Context of time shows gender equality ---> reinforces Observers values and beliefs 

The Observer covers represent people in manner which reinforces the values and beliefs of The Observer. This cover reinforces the value of equality upheld by The Observer. The skybox image is a bright image connoting playfulness which subverts masculine stereotypes. This is done through the man wearing a set of bunny ears and the content being an association with food and cooking. These traits demonstrate a subversion which then reflects the Observer and its values as it shows gender equality, as bunny ears and cooking are usually portrayed as feminine traits in former media. 

Overall The Observer covers reflect the values of the company in its left leaning political views and push for equality, multiculturalism and diversity. This is done through their layouts and images with the contrast between headlines and the skybox. The representations reflect the Observer's values, an example being the skybox reflecting gender equality.