C1- Newspapers Flashcards
who regulates Newspapers?
IPSO
What is the Leveson inquiry?
The Leveson inquiry was an industry-wide investigation into how the press ascertains it’s information and how it protects, or in this instance, invades people’s privacy. The inquiry mainly focuses on technology, and the process of phone-hacking, breaking into someone’s personal mobile to access information. The inquiry concluded with the closure of the ‘News of the World’ newspaper, owned by News corp., Owned by Rupert Murdoch.
What is the context of the stories covered in these editions-
-Both newspapers deal with the scandal surrounding allegations regarding parties and social gatherings held by the the Conservative party, who were in power at the time, at a time when it’s leaders had enforced strict restrictions on the people of England that prohibited such gatherings.
-The story was first reported in November 2021 and alleged that during the lockdown of Christmas 2020, parties had been held at Downing Street, some of which had been attended by the then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson. This led to an inquiry being undertaken by senior civil servant Sue Gray, the results of which published in January 2022.
-The scandal surrounding these allegations came to be commonly known in the media as ‘Partygate’. The suffix ‘gate’ was first used in the ‘Watergate’ scandal in the US in the early 1970s which resulted in the resignation of President Nixon. It has since been used to suggest a far-reaching scandal, usually related to politics or government.
-On the date this edition of the newspaper was published, it was reported that Sue Gray had revealed that the Metropolitan Police were investigating several possible breaches of lockdown by No 10 and Boris Johnson had refused calls for his resignation.
What is the format of The Daily Mirror? and is it atypical or not?
The format is that the main story takes up the whole front page, which is atypical for newspapers, which highlights that the Daily Mirror thinks this story is quite important.
Information about the Daily Mirror
-British daily national tabloid newspaper, established in 1903.
-targeted at a predominantly working-class readership and adopts a traditional left-wing political stance.
-One of the Mirror’s main competitors is The Sun newspaper which targets a similar socio-economic demographic but usually adopts a more traditional right-wing stance. The Daily Mirror is one of the only newspapers that consistently supports the Labour Party and their policies.
-the newspaper was initally established as a newspaper for women ‘to act as a mirror on feminine life’.
Information about the Daily Mirror: the newspapers slogan
-The newspapers slogan ‘The Heart of Britain’ suggests that the newspaper stands up for the ordinary person and is a key part of the social and cultural life of the UK.
Information about the Daily Mirror: the set edition
-The set edition for Section A was published on February 1st 2022. As a mostly left-wing newspaper, the Daily Mirror has been critical of the way the Conservative government has been handling the Coronavirus pandemic.
Information about The Times
First published in 1785, is a British national ‘quality’ newspaper, and can be referred to as a broadsheet. Owned by Times Newspapers, a subsidiary of News UK, which is wholly owned by News Corp, owned by the Australian-American billionaire Rupert Murdoch.
What codes and conventions (Media Language) does the Daily Mirror front page feature?
-explosive language “Gray report fallout”
-highligted numbers
-images
-punchy headline
-direct, informal language
-strapline infers he is below the standard of general public appreciation and support
What codes and conventions (Media Language) does the Daily Mirror double page spread?
-the main image constructs binary opposites
-typograhy
-negative and deogratory language
-focus on topical issues (Vaccines)
-focus on public and their suffering
-pushes preferred political preference (Starmer’s letter)
-drawing comparions between the public and Johnson
Links from The Times front page to the context
-Boris Johnson was keen to get the country “Back to normality” ahead of many more cautious countries, business elite, The Times readers, would appreciate this.
-The quote from Sue Gray anchors the idea of him as a rule-breaker and the positioning almost make it look as if he is laughing at her, but there is an element of nervousness in his expression
-Times readers may regard civil servants as just pen pushers- existing to check up on them (that they are following the rules.)
-The world of business stereotypically tend to look down upon civil servants.
Analysis of The Times front page-
-As a whole, The Times aren’t out for Johnson as much as the Mirror is, as theirf ront page features other stories.
-The lifestyle content under the masthead is light-hearted in tone. The paper has not treated the parties as seriously as some of their competitors. Not all readers would feel outraged at Johnson’s actions (some may actually admire his ‘maverick’ spirirt.)
The Times Newspaper style-
-It is typical of broadhseets to use straighforward language, but the number 4 and the word “failure” do cast Johnson in a negative light.
-The healdine and capiton are mater-of-fact; there is no advert bias or attempt to manipulate readers (The Times readers will already know what they think of Johnson- a headline isn’t going to sway them).
The Times’ political context-
-centre-right, depending on the issue
-Murdoch and Johnson do have ties- Johnson took Murdoch to the 2012 Games as his guest and opened News Corp’s news HQ.
-Times readers may appreciate that he “got Brexit done”, as this ended some uncertianty which is bad for business.
-The business elite may also have seen their share of abuse of pwoer and corruption may see this as inevitable.
Analysis of The Times front page copy-
-The copy reinforces the idea of Johnson as a ‘maverick’ with the reference to him refusing to follow Sue Gray’s orders to publish the report in full and him “rejecitng calls to quit”. Some readers may regard this as stubborn or bullish, but others may see it as strong leaderhsip.
-The viewpoint used in the first 2 columns is Sue Gray’s; she is accusing him, she claims there were “failures of leadership”, she claims that the Government’s standards do not meet the public expectations, This allows the educated and knowing audience to decide for themselves who to believe. The Times have selected quotes such as “drinking culture” and “hundreds of photos” which may be a shock to readers, but the language used is not dramatised.
-We also get Jacob Rees-Mogg agreeing that the report should be made public- this may encourage readers to think that the situation has been exaggerated. “Staff at No. 10” implies more collective guilt, and perehaps could deflect from Johnson’s individual “crimes”.
-Andrew Mitchell’s call for Johnson to quite could be read as a sign of guilt, but could also position readers to see this as disloyalty/betrayal (depending on their view of Johnson).
