contexts and representations

Question 1

social and political contexts: from 2019-2020 who served as PM boris Johnson’s chief political advisor?

Answer 1

Dominic Cummings

Question 1

why was the chief political advisor forced out of Downing Street?

Answer 1

at the end of 2020 after an internal power struggle

Question 2

why did the chief political advisor publish a blog?

Answer 2

which he reveals events and activities that took place during his time at No.10 Downing Street

Question 3

what is the COVID-19 pandemic?

Answer 3

it is a global pandemic

Question 4

when wad the disease first identified?

Answer 4

The disease was first identified in December 2019

Question 5

when was the pandemic declared?

Answer 5

March 2020

Question 6

how many deaths has it caused globally as of April 2022?

Answer 6

approx. 6 million deaths

Question 7

what did the uk do to help prevent the spread of the disease?

Answer 7

UK went into ‘lockdown’, where legal measures were put into place to prevent social mixing

Question 8

what did the “bring your own booze” party included?

Answer 8

included the banning of indoor gatherings of more than two people from different households, and those found breaking this law could be fined

Question 9

what were closed down at the start of the lockdown?

Answer 9

many offices and institutions closed and workers were advised to work from home

Question 10

what happened as of January 2022?

Answer 10

although some have returned to offices and workplaces, this is often with reduced numbers and working from home continues for many

Question 11

what did the preventative measures in hospitals and healthcare settings include?

Answer 11

use of PPE
personal protective equipment - masks, visors, gloves and gowns

Question 12

who does Ukraine border?

Answer 12

russia

Question 13

what is the Ukraine and Russia?

Answer 13

post-soviet democratic republic

Question 14

in ukraine, who came into power in the 2019 presidential elections?

Answer 14

pro-western leader Volodymyr Zelensky

Question 15

what has Ukrainian always been historically?

Answer 15

pro-Russia

Question 16

what had long existed in the region?

Answer 16

tensions

Question 17

what happened in December 2021?

Answer 17

Russia increased its troop numbers at
the Ukrainian Russian border

Question 18

what did the Russia’s president, Putin generated?

Answer 18

generated fears of an invasion and Ukraine requested international support.

Question 19

what is the guardian described as having?
why?

Answer 19

described as having mainstream left political values because it does not have an affiliation with any political party but does lean towards the left and has a very liberal tradition

Question 20

what is therefore not surprising of the main photo?

Answer 20

therefore not surprising that the main photo is unflattering of the right-wing prime minister

Question 21

what is different from the guardian like most other newspaper?
why?

Answer 21

not owned by a group of shareholders for whom making a profit is imperative
therefore, they believe that they can hold true to their core journalistic principles

Question 22

how is the front cover carefully constructed?

Answer 22

to grab the attention of a typical Guardian readership

Question 23

what do they do with the political stories?

Answer 23

have been chosen and laid out in such a way as to appeal to the typical readership

Question 24

what does the guardian not explicitly state?

Answer 24

an opinion in the style of tabloids (e.g. ‘The Sun Says…’)

Question 25

what does the choice of these main cover stores portray?

Answer 25

portrays the Conservatives as amoral and untrustworthy

Question 26

what are portrayed as dishonest?

Answer 26

In both the main photograph and two articles, the Conservatives in question (Johnson and Mone)

Question 27

what does the main image in particular show and speaks to?

Answer 27

shows a politician with none of the typical trappings of a prime minister (formal clothing, statesmanlike environment, composure, and confidence)

speaks to a lack of authority and questionable capabilities to hold the office of prime minister

Question 28

what does the decision to use more inclusive language in the Ukraine story, for example “uk” is suggestive of?

Answer 28

suggestive of an article and an issue that the editorial team at The Guardian supports and expects its readers to support

Question 29

what is indicative of the newspaper’s political leanings?

Answer 29

Omitting any mention of the Conservative government or defence secretary, who will have had to make that decision

Question 30

omitting

Answer 30

leave out or exclude (someone or something),

Question 31

what does the images of office workers in the skyline display and why?

Answer 31

display a range of workplace stereotypes for both individuals and events, e.g. the office romance, the geek, the joker
this is to communicate the feature quickly

Question 32

what are the differences between tabloids and broadsheets?

Answer 32

tabloids use stereotypes frequently in their lead stories, broadsheets tend to reserve their use for entertainment features

Question 33

how can the Stuart Hall’s theoretical perspective on representation be applied from the article “What really happened at Prince Andrew’s birthday party?

1. what does this present him as?
2. what does the emphasise?
3. how does this representation fits into stereotypes?
4. what does the article include?
5. what does it show?

Answer 33

1. presents him as a controversial figure with a questionable past
2. this emphasises his privilege and associations with Jeffrey Epstein
3. this representation fits into the stereotype of rich and entitled men who abuse their power
4. the article includes comments from supporters
5. who believes he is innocent which presents a counter-stereotype of wealthy men being unfairly targeted by the media

Question 34

what does the climate change in the article “Global climate action: Is it too late?” omits?
1. what does it omits?
2. what does it focus solely on?
3. what does it select and emphasises?

Answer 34

1. the perspectives of climate change deniers and skeptics
2. focusing solely on the urgent need for action to prevent catastrophic consequences.
3. selects and emphasizes the voices of scientists and activists who support this conclusion, which presents a particular representation of the issue