The Times Flashcards
Covers both representation, industries and audience
What is meant by digital convergence?
Media convergence is the process by which multiple media technologies are brought together into one computerized device. For example, smartphones can do the jobs which newspapers, GPS’s, and telephones used to accomplish separately.
What are some key differences between The Times physical newspapers and online?
- Excludes tradition activities such as crosswords or Sudoku usually found in printed editions.
- Contains a paywall.
- Immediate pop up for data mining for personalized viewing eg ads.
- Contains more expensive adverts for more materialistic objects eg coffee machine.
What are some key similarities between The Times physical newspapers and online?
- Same symbolic logo - makes page recognisable.
- Similar layout - looks like a print cover.
- Same font style.
What does the masthead + logo suggest? (The Times)
- Suggests paper will show what is happening at the ‘time’
- Logo signifies history and tradition
- Serif font - traditional, sophisticated, classy
- Masthead being partially covered represents paper as iconic and memorable
What does the title “How to be fit?” suggest?
- “Do bare minimum” and woman sat down yawning, suggests relatability, soft news
Annotations of the main image media language of The Times?
- Large bold image is eye catching
- Large amount of small print copy, represents paper being aimed at more educated people with higher literacy levels
- Formal mode of address reflects broadsheet status and severity/seriousness of content
Main image contents annotations of The Times
- BJ expression is ashamed, unsure
- Lacks confidence and shown uncertainty of his future
- Gives a slight biased or left wing view as may be pushing the idea that this i show he’s running the country - with uncertainty.
- BJ wearing suit and tie signifies wealth and power
What are the quotes on the main image called and what do they communicate?
Pull quotes.
- Helps anchor the meaning
- Quote by Sue Gray stating BJ has failed, she is making a judgement which also suggests the newspaper is making a judgement too.
- Sue Gray’s use of ellipses suggest the issue isn’t over and there’s more to come.
The Times says they remain politically neutral, what says otherwise?
- In reality, he Times leans slightly more right wing (pro conservative).
- Negative rep of BJ is unusual due to The Times usually bring more supportive of conservatives
- May have been done to reflect the public opinion of readers as they were all disgusted by their actions
Annotations of other aspects of the front cover? eg other stories featured in the paper and text.
- Mention of police in the headline makes it seem more serious
- Use of number four emphasizes how many time the law was broken along with quote “detectives examining HUNDREDS of photos”
- Use of facts and statistic shows how much evidence there is against them
- References to dirnking culture + excessive drinking suggests conservatives are out of control, lazy, unprofessional etc.
What does “The Times verdict” connote?
- Makes paper seem important and judgmental
- Includes opinions from multiple parties not just labour shows BJ lost support from everyone
What are the stories at the bottom of the page called?
Jump lines.
- They help the audience engage readers to buy and read more.
- The other stories are more neutral and factual.
What is vertical integration?
When a company owns and controls every stage of the production, distribution and exhibition process.
What is horizontal integration?
When a media company acquires companies of the same media type. (Rivals before acquisition)
What is Curran &Seatons key ideas?
Media is controlled by a small number of companies driven by profit.
- Media concentration limits variety creativity +quality.
- Profit driven works overtake creativity.
3 advantages of horizontal integration?
Production costs minimized
- Resources can be shared
- Markets can be controlled
What is a conglomerate?
A company that owns other companies across a range of media platforms.
What is meant by circulation?
Circulation is a count of how many copies of a particular publication are distributed.
What is The Times’s target audience?
The Times targets a more affluent high-brow audience (ABC1) and typically has a higher readership among men however women are beginning to have a more positive opinion on The Times than men (YouGov). This sense is created by the issues they cover, how they frame them in a less sensationalized light and the fact The Times is the most expensive newspaper.
How does The Times appeal to it’s target audience?
- Higher literacy levels/education so less images with more copy
- Paywall/subscriptions
- Competitions for personalized etc wine tasting, political based
Who is The Times owned by?
News Corp, a global conglomerate, the CEO is Rupert Murdoch
The Times is published by a vertically and horizontally integrated conglomerate, what benefits are there?
- Gives power and resources
- Able to take risks due to having the funds
- A global conglomerate can help a paper to be distributed using subsidiary companies to promote
Information about of Rupert Murdoch?
- Conservative
- Friends with Donald Trump, supports Republican party, might suggests his papers reflect his own political views
The Times and The Daily Mirror are owned by stockholders, what does this mean?
- They have to protect their reputation share price
e.g News Corp was discovered to be involved in phone hacking scandal, especially the paper News Of The World - Caused a huge amount of bad publicity, to protect their image they discontinued NOTW.
- Ties in with Curran & Seatons profit and power theory and Hesmondhalgh’s minimizing risk and maximizing profit.
The Times and Daily Mirror are regulated by IPSO, what is IPSO and what do they do?
IPSO is the Independent Press Standards Organisation, they regulate the newspaper and magazine industry.
- IPSO have regulations about what newspapers can and can’t do it terms of language, ethics etc.
- People argue IPSO is biased due to being run by the newspaper industry.
Why is it hard to regulate newspapers?
Because of technology.
- Comments, public sharing videos of their own
- Using algorithms/bots to regulate is hard due to not being able to detect context, cultural references etc, but good for regulating a lot of content in a short time period.
- Commenters find ways to avoid being moderated
What are the impacts of technology on The Times?
- Circulation either increasing or staying the same
- Reflects their slightly older more educated target audience who prefer more traditional access to news
- The Times has a paywall on their online newspaper
- May give illusion their content is quality/worth paying for.
How can Clay Shirky’s idea be applied to newspaper industries?
The rise of digital uses reflects his ideas of active audiences wanting to speak back, create content, etc.
Who regulates newspapers?
IPSO
Who does News UK own?
The Times, The Sun, The Sunday Times
Who does Reach plc own?
Daily Mirror, Express, Daily Star
How can Hesmondhalgh be applied to The Times?
Owned by News UK
This vertical integration means News UK controls production (journalists), distribution (website, app), and marketing.
Uses a paywall instead of relying on free content, ensuring revenue from loyal readers.
They invest in an app, website, and podcasts to attract subscribers and stay relevant.
As a well-known and trusted news source, The Times can charge a premium for subscriptions and advertising.
How can Curran & Seaton be applied to The Times?
The Times is part of a highly concentrated market where a few companies (News Corp, Reach PLC, Daily Mail Group) dominate UK newspapers.
Large-scale ownership means that media content is often driven by profit rather than public interest.
The Times has historically supported the Conservative Party, aligning with Rupert Murdoch’s right-wing business interests.
This suggests that media owners influence editorial content, limiting diversity of perspectives.
