exam question

"changing social contexts, caused by technological advances, have created a long term decline in the circulation of national newspapers. explain how newspapers have responded to these changes. refer to The Telegraph to support your answer" [10]


in your answer you must:

• consider relevant social contexts that influence newspaper circulation
• use your knowledge and understanding of relevant academic ideas and arguments.
• explain the relationship of recent technological change to the production, distribution and circulation of the newspapers.

the telegraph was originally a print sheet newspaper, as many others started out as, but due to the recent disinterest of print newspapers it has now bloomed into an online paper that is available to anyone with internet. not only the telegraph but all newspapers in general. add in figures.
due to the decreasing circulation numbers of the paper, something had to be done so that readership would increase and the paper would be able to afford to run and make profit. as almost every (add in statistic or other) person in the country owns some sort of smart device or electronic appliance, it is the easiest way for people to get any information that they need. people do not need to pay for certain things when they are accessing them online such as reading a blog or searching for a job; newspapers did not have this kind of accessibility and also cost people money that they did not want to spend. by transferring their main efforts to their online presence newspapers suddenly became available and up-to-date at the click of a button. this did not do anything to improve the readership of the print copies of the paper but highly improved the overall readership of the paper. people who read newspapers are often more adult as they are interested in knowing the daily news when it comes to print papers an online websites. however on applications such as snapchat, teens and tweens use the app to get information that is more relevant to them and is easy to access. newspapers, such as the telegraph, have created a way to reach even those who would never watch the news; which is another variation of online news. (add another statistic)
there are many perks of having mainly online newspapers that were not available to have included in print copies due to their own nature. websites allow things to be categorised so that things are easier for people to access and speeds up research time, it means that all the similar stories are in a set place, rather than having to go through and entire paper to not even find a story that interested you. online papers also have feature such as a live feed, which is presented on the front page of the telegraphs website, as well as being able to comment on different news posts so people can share their opinions. the telegraph has cleverly made certain features premium so that for only a small price per month people can have better features. add in an example of a story that follows suit.


the telegraph has managed to not only survive the decrease in print circulation but actually thrive on it with their online figures being dramatically higher than their print figures. as people can bookmark different things that they want to be notified about or go through the website easily it increases use on the webpage. the use of commenting on newspapers allows people to share their opinions on different stories and add their own insight to improve the general information. the ability to comment on different stories gives the public the power to change things or spread awareness. for example if a headline for a story was extremely demeaning to those involved people could share and complain in the comments which could cause a change in the story, and it be re-published, or lower the credibility of the newspaper in question. people like the fact that they have the freedom and capability to do this, which results in a higher usage of the online forum newspapers. this links to david gauntlets web 2.0 theory that the audience is getting more involved in the production and distribution of media and give readers more freedom to create the media in their own eyes. 
overall many different newspapers have adapted to the decline in print newspaper popularity in their own different ways, such as the telegraph creating an online webpage where people can read the different stories and leave their own comments on the matter. rather than trying to fight the change in social normatives they have embraced the change and used it to their advantages.

The Times web 2.0

the times
who owns it: Jim Mullen is the CEO and the paper is owned by Reach Reach plc company.






print circulation figures: 1,070,000 everyday
online circulation figures: 8,452,000 everyday






how does the print version have similar traits to the online version of the paper?

• both of the papers have got similar information relating to topics such as politics and economical issues etc.
• the both have a singular image to go along with the story and then a large amount of writing and information for each story.
• they both seem to use the same font but it is hard to tell without a physical copy of the print newspaper.

how do the print and online version of the paper differ?

• the online version is very inclusive with a lot of different topics and stories (whilst also sticking to the more favoured topics), whereas the print version mainly stays on the topics of politics and economics and it only has a limited space in each issue and those are the most important topics for them to include.
• the online version of the newspaper has different sections and is very structured so that it is easier for the reader to gain as much information as quickly and as easily as possible; the print version is unable to do this as they do not have a wide enough range of topics in each issue to compartmentalise.

who advertises in the print version of the paper?


the main advertising on the front page is usually more high class or things to do with the newspaper itself. for example there is an advert in one paper for war horse by Michael Morpurgo and Donatella Versace in a magazine. this magazine would have been targeted at a higher class and literary audience most likely.






who advertises on the online version of the newspaper?


on the online site the top advertisement is for a run that will be taking place next year and tells people the website to get more information, tickets and how much they cost. however many of the other adverts as you scroll down the page are for the newspaper itself. one of them was to do with the rugby world cup and how you can 'click of this image' on the webpage to get all of the latest news, scores and other important information to do with the world cup, only on the times. there are numerous adverts to get people to explore the webpage fully and try and entice people into subscribing. it may be true that after you have subscribed to the website that you have more targeted advertisements but it is unknown. they would be able to target audiences on the website as they can use their data to fins ads that will appeal to them.

online newapapers

online newspapers


pros:

• can be updated quickly and easily without having to publish any new copies- online notifications.
• doesn't waste a large amount of paper.
• more accessible for all different types of people.
• help to reduce company costs as they don't need as many staff.

cons:

• can be easily hacked to change the news to things that are obviously incorrect without anyone knowing. 
• people believe anything that they read online (links to above)

David Gauntlett's theory:

• web 2.0 is "harnessing collective intelligence"
• In Web 2.0 the idea of media gods is somewhat lessened with advent of YouTube and social media as we know it. Internet users are given the ability to share and comment on other users content and property via the multitude of social media sites available, this effectively gives everyone the ability to become a producer of media, or a critic of it. 
• gone from a passive to an active audience

audience advantages and disadvantages:
convenience, access, technology, ephemeral, interactivity, participation, content, context, presentation, Gauntlett, cost, cost, niche access.


institution advantages and disadvantages:
synergies, revenue streams, advertising, audience sizes, additional context, cost, cost of production and distribution, audience data, audience feedback, brand extensions, Gauntlett


daily mirror: net readership- 17,484,000   print- 6,847,000    online- 14,001,000
daily telegraph: net readership- 16,357,000   print- 3,293,000   online- 13,064,000

• recession means that people don't have as much spare money to buy newspapers when it happens to be free online.
• people want to be able to access their news at any time and it to be the most recent thing, by using online newspapers it means that people can get the most recent news at any time.
• print editions are already old news by the time they are out and do not have the essence of time on their hands.
• advertisers can advertise online for free and also reach a much larger audience so it is more worthwhile for them. 
• advertising revenue has decreased and is what pays for around 70% of the newspaper costs.

the circulation of print newspapers has decreased largely over the last few years for numerous reasons. online news is much more easily accessible for people and gives them the most current and important news anytime, and anywhere. it is much easier and cost effective for advertisers to put their adverts into online newspapers so the print papers are losing a large mass of their funding.it is also a lot better for the environment to have online newspapers as being the primary source on news as it means that there is less waste from physical print papers, which is very important in todays society.

exam practice

introduction- start with "both sources convey" discuss the issues of Brexit and election. signpost what each of the texts are (Daily Mail is a right wing tabloid.
analysis of source a- deconstruct, representation, how has media language been used to convey ideas and beliefs.
analysis of source b- deconstruct, representation, how has media language been used to convey ideas and beliefs.
analysis of source a- deconstruct, representation, how has media language been used to convey ideas and beliefs.
analysis of source b- deconstruct, representation, how has media language been used to convey ideas and beliefs.
conclusion- summarise argument and make a final judgement. which is most effective about conveying their attitudes and beliefs about the world. to what extent?









Both sources convey their beliefs about Theresa May and her response to the voting and the overall Brexit situation. the Daily mail is a right winged tabloid and the Guardian is a left winged broadsheet. by being different types of newspapers it will affect how they present their stories as a tabloid is a lot more casual than a broadsheet and will use informal language as well as puns and other devices. also, the newspapers are both very different in consideration to their own political beliefs and so will present their stories on very different sides. another thing to consider is that even if the Guardian may support May in their article but there is a box just above the article mentioning about how Theresa May can be defeated.




Source a has very bold and accusatory language in its headline to help entice the reader into continuing in reading the story with more details on the matter. The main headline is split into two sections, there is the informative small sentence followed by a quick, snappy phrase that is extremely eye catching. The bold, main headline reads "hands off our election" which is referring to Theresa Mays belief that Brussels sabotaged the elections. By using the imperative verb phrase "hands off" there is a strong show of force from May and represents her belief that she is strong and will not tolerate the sabotage. By presenting May as a strong and independent woman, it highlights the Daily Mails right wing beliefs as they would be in support of her for the elections; thus leading them to present her in a positive light to gain support for their beliefs.


Source B is a lot more to-the-point and simple in its use of language for the headline. Similarly to the Daily Mail paper (source a) there is the more bold main headline, accompanied with a small bit of information to entice the reader into viewing the entirety of the story. By saying that May is declaring war on Brussels could show that she is problematic and extreme in her methods of resolving conflict, and that she does not truly want to resolve, but to cause. This would relate to the beliefs of The Guardian as they are a left winged paper and do not support Brexit or Theresa May. Some may view her taking action as a good thing, however, as the paper is more likely to be read by left wing supporters they will view the title as a dig at May which would please the left wing paper.


The use of an image in source a is showing May as being very regal and seemingly talking to her peers or "subjects". The background is dark and plain so that it draws more attention to her face, which has been flattered in the photograph. May is speaking to the right of the paper where the text for the headline is cleverly placed so that it can take the appearance of coming straight from her mouth. by doing this the Daily mirror is showing that they get facts that are certain and come straight from the source itself and it asserts their validity. By including an image it also makes the paper eye catching as some people may not know the person who is in the headline but can recognise their photo from the TV. due the daily mail using a flattering image of May it means that she will be viewed in a better light by those reading the article as they will look at the image and see a woman that they trust to run the country. not addressing the reader but addressing Brussels as her head is sideways.


in source b a less flattering photo is used on the front page to support the headline. The image of May is almost exactly in the middle of the page with the article surrounding it to automatically link the basis of the article to her. the image is a front facing shot with May looking directly at the camera, and a light and slightly distracting background. By using an angry looking image that does not overly flatter the political leader, it does not show the person that you would want to be leading the country. by making May seem unapproachable, and combined with the headline, she doesn't seem fit to run the country. trying to make her seem tired etc going against all of the people, she looks aggressive.


in conclusion both of the sources convey different views and opinions about the state of the country and the conflict between Theresa May and Brussels.

political position of newspapers

metro- conservative party because the masthead is a dark blue colour which could be said to represent the conservative party./nationalist

the sun- liberal because of the red masthead and the mention of nick clegg on the headline.

daily mirror- liberal because of the red masthead

daily telegraph- in one of their titles they seemed bias towards Boris Johnson and in favour of him- conservative

morning star- socialist as the title reads that the rich should be taxed not the poor and that the poor are being robbed by their taxes.

the independent- liberal

daily mail- nationalist

daily express- nationalist

the guardian- liberal

I- liberal

the times- conservative


a newspaper being called the mirror could show their ideology as being that they want to have you look at things that reflect yourself they want to be able to have things that everyone would like to see. they want to reflect on society.
a newspaper called the telegraph could be about old beliefs and very old fashioned. they are sending the message to the people of what is happening in the news.


rubric- how the question is worded.       academic ideas = theories

reception theory and representation

representation- refers to the 'construction' of media texts; what we see is a re-presentation of events, people, or ideas. this is also known as mediation- the act of going between (in this case, between the real world and the audiences).
it is not possible for the media to present the world as it really is because the media constructs meanings about the world.
media makers (in this case newspaper owners/editors and sometimes journalists) change or mediate what is really there.




halls reception theory:
dominant- the hegemonic response people share the code and preferred meaning.
negotiated- they accept what the text is saying and adapt it according to their social backgrounds.
oppositional- they understand, but reject the message.


factors that could affect which pathway the audience takes could be things such as:

• age
• beliefs
• culture
• gender
• life experience
• mood at the time of viewing

meaning is established by what is present, what is absent, and what is different.
thus meaning can be contested.
a representation implicates the audience is creating its meaning.
power- through ideology and stereotypes- tries to fix the meaning of a representation in a preferred meaning.

there are three steps in the journey between the real world and the reality presented by the newspapers: their representation.


selection     ➔    omission    ➔    construction


selection- news values, target audiences
omission- bias, agenda, audience
construction- bias, ideology, audience


newspapers and reporters are supposed to provide their readers with:

• objective information- this means it should be free from prejudice caused by personal feelings.
• unbiased- represent people, events and ideas fairly.
• reliable information- from trusted sources.

although the news presents itself as an objective (non-biased) form of media, like any other media text it has its own agenda.


ideology-a system of ideas and ideals, especially one which forms the basis of economic or political theory and policy.
discourse-written or spoken communication or debate.
ideological discourse-communication that upholds a particular ideology/set of ideologies. discourse that serves to sustain or challenge social positions.
dominant ideology- are ideologies or beliefs that we live by in our day-to-day lives and often do not question – they have become 'natural, common sense' things to do. This effectively dissuades people from rebelling against these beliefs, and keeps a sense of stability in society.
Dominant ideologies include beliefs about gender roles, about the economy, about social institutions.
hegemony (Gramsci)-

leadership or dominance, especially by one state or social group over others.

newspaper article structure

5 Ws: who what where when why
most articles follow the simple structure of beginning with 5Ws; further details, quotes; background, opinion, future.

headline: all stories have a headline, which gives the reader an idea of what the article is about. tabloid headlines often use puns or other techniques, such as alliteration, to captivate their audience.
introduction; as the first paragraph in an article, the introduction is very important. research suggests that people read thew headline first, followed by the first paragraph of the story. if intro isn't thrilling enough then they will not continue reading the article. first paragraph is known as the stand-first, printed in a bold font.
elaboration: the next few paragraphs tell the reader more about the story that is outlines in the intro. 5ws
quotes: almost all stories have comments from those involved or from a voyeurs (onlookers). their function is to make the article more objective by keeping a balanced view point.
projection

news values:

1. negativity- bad news is good news!
2. familiarity- local news is most relevant!
3. immediacy- new news is news!
4. continuity- people want to find out about things in the public eye. they want updates on existing news stories.
5. amplification- is it a big event? involves a lot of people? plane crash kill ones or plane crash obliterates city- which is more exciting?
6. unambiguity- is it clear and definite?
7. uniqueness- 'man bites dog' is more exciting than 'dog bites man'
8. simplicity- a simple story is easier to read.
9. personalisation- human interest draws on heart strings.
10. predictability- did people think there would be a riot and there was? people love knowing they were right!
11. unexpectedness- surprise!
12. elite nations/people- celebs, royals, us and uk

my examples:

1. builder beheaded by disco ball
2. Bracknell town center is getting renovated
3. new virus is spreading fast
4. is brexit just a myth?
5. thousands killed in shock fire
6. 
   
7. londons death defying chicken
8. 
   
9. worlds oldest dog dies
10. expected hurricane becomes reality
11. 
    
12. is donald trump a woman?

story one - just dont call them bond girls!: 3, 4, 8, 11, 12

story two -  anger of sainsburys chief as £12bn asda merger is blocked: 1, 4?, 5, 6, 11

story three - shear genius: 6, 8, 9

story four - an epic marvel: 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 12

story five - built in seven days: 3, 4, 6, 8

poster analysis

1. the text of the main title "fight cancer" is very stone-like and follows the same theme as the rest of the poster, without blending in to it. the title is short and snappy to avoid loosing interest in people. 
2. black and white contrast could represent that there is no fun or laughter in what the poster is presenting, there is only strength and seriousness. the lack of colour makes the poster more elegant as there is no mess of all different random colours.
3. main picture being in totalitarian style shows that women are strong and can stand alone to fight a whole army if they chose to. also shows women gaining control and being strong.
4. woman looks very similar to a stone statue of a goddess possibly. links to the grey colouring of the poster and makes her seem very ethereal. she has a reasonably chiseled jaw line which also pushes the fact that she is carved out of stone and strong like a goddess.
5.  
6. her holding the sword so forcefully in the air shows a large amount of strength as swords are known to be extremely heavy to even keep at waist level. she looks as though she could be charging into battle as her hair is flowing back and the sword is raised in a show of strength and power.
7. snakes attached to the sword could show that she is able to control even deadly creatures. could represent poison(cancer) that she is going to fight. medical staff symbol (staff of Hermes) has two serpents surrounding it and represents her healing cancer.

glossary

key terms:

• technical codes- layout, design, positioning, house style, font, size, quality of photographs, cropping choices, anchorage.
• visual codes- images, mise-en-scene, costume, colour palette, masthead
• genre- what type of newspaper it is, narrative, made of address, headlines
• house style- a companies preferred manner of presentation and layout of written material.
• masthead-title of the newspaper displayed on the front page
• caption-brief text underneath an image describing the photograph or graphic.
• headline-a phrase that summaries the main point of the article. usually in large print and a s different style to catch the attention of the reader.
• byline-where the name of the reporter is included at the beginning of the article
• standalone-a picture story that can exist on its own or on a front page leading to a story.
• splash- the main story
• crosshead- subheadings that appear in the text of an article.
• plug- usually at the top left and right hand corners of the page displaying promotions. special offers or price of the newspaper.
• conglomerate- a media group or media institution that owns numerous companies involved in mass-media enterprises, such as television, radio, publishing, motion pictures, theme parks or the internet. conglomerates are usually global in size and reach.

Daily Mirror and Daily Telegraph

a brief history...

daily mirror:

• founded in 1903 by Alfred Harmsworth and sold to Rothermere (his brother) in 1914.
• originally pitched to the middle class reader, it was transformed into a working class newspaper after 1934 in order to reach a larger, lowbrow audience.
• during and since the second world war ended in 1945, it has consistently supported the labour party.
• Piers Morgan was the editor between 1995 and 2004
• gave financial support to the 2003 war-protest.

daily telegraph:

• founded by Arthur B Sleigh in 1855 as the daily telegraph and courier
• a controversial interview with the German Kaiser in 1908 damaged the Anglo-German relations which added to tension in WW1 build up.
• 1.4 million readers in 1980
• electronic telegraph launched in 2004
• purchased by Barclay brothers for £665m in 2004

• masthead is bold and red on Daily Mirror to show they support labour also links to modern.
• the house style is all almost identical for every newspaper that they publish.
• seems crowded due to all of the colour and photos
• solid bold text without being too ornate

• plain background and not much colour so there is not really any confusion.
• masthead has elegant and sophisticated font to show the paper is for a higher class.
• mainly focused on political issues or hard news as it is key for their audience.