newspapers

Question 1

what is a tabloid? give an example

Answer 1

• physically smaller paper with lots of images
• the content is focused more on celebrities and sensational news = ‘gossipy’
• e.g. the daily mirror

Question 2

what is a broadsheet? give an example

Answer 2

full size quality papers providing longer stories with greater analysis and background = formal
- e.g. the times (in the past - now just referred to as a ‘quality’ newspaper)

Question 3

what is a gatekeeper?

Answer 3

personnel in the news organisation who decide what stories are released to the public and when (let some stories pass through the system but keep others out)

Question 4

what is meant by ‘dominant ideology’

Answer 4

attitudes, beliefs, values, and morals suggested and influenced onto audiences by newspaper (e.g. the daily mirrors dominant ideology has to do with left wing beliefs)

Question 5

what things need to be considered when reading a newspaper?

Answer 5

• the values and beliefs of the newspaper (their ethos)
• how they report the topic/event
• how the representation is constructed (semiotics, codes etc)
• audience interpretation
• selective process (gatekeepers)
• media can create bias, and portray things that arent entirely true

Question 6

generally how have newspaper adapted to technological change?

Answer 6

created websites/ online versions of their newspapers

Question 7

what are the advantages of newspaper websites?

Answer 7

• people always have access due to mobile phone
• immediate and up-to-date
• free
• can include wider content
• archive functions (people can easily look at past stories)
• changing stories (rolling page)
• wider audience.
• can be seen around the world.
• adaptable adverts to readers

Question 8

what are the disadvantages of newspaper websites?

Answer 8

• require data/wifi to access
• companies not making as much profit due to free reading for audiences
• news spreads quicker online (people find out news before they should)
• older audiences may not have access to digital platforms
• costly to maintain
• response time is quick but this could cause errors (fake news)

Question 9

what is the 3 clicks rule?

Answer 9

States that a user should always be able to find their desired information within three clicks or less to make it accessible and prevent frustration - however not really a rule, and many web designers think it is too simplistic and misleading

Question 10

what is ‘hard news’

Answer 10

events or incidents that are considered to be timely and consequential to people locally, regionally, nationally, or internationally
- e.g. topics such as politics, international affairs, economics, and science

Question 11

what is ‘soft news’

Answer 11

General topic areas that are typically considered soft news include entertainment, arts, celebrities, and other culture-related subjects.

Question 12

what is meant by citizen journalism?

Answer 12

Citizen journalism is when the public contributes to the collecting and reporting of news stories, usually shared across various social media platforms, due to the increase in digital convergence through the use of smartphones (clay shirky). It is seen as amateur and is usually subjective as it is immediate; people are reporting on things that they are experiencing in real time.

Question 13

what are the issues to do with citizen journalism?

Answer 13

lack of regulation
- means that people can report on anything, without any restrictions or filters to control what people see reported on social media.
- could lead to the publication of fake news which could potentially be damaging and have a long-lasting effect on society

potential for violation of human rights
- means that stories, photos, witness accounts may be leaked that were not meant to be available to the public
- citizen journalism is immediate so there is not time to get permission to release particular photos and witness accounts (e.g. if a witness wanted to remain anonymous).

Question 14

how does citizen journalism disrupt the power of newspapers?

Answer 14

It allows people to report on anything they see, and them sharing these events on social media allows others all around the world to see them too
This takes power away from the gatekeepers at newspapers who are meant to control what the public see, as there is no way to filter the stories reported by citizen journalists and therefore restrict what people learn about current events.

The use of social media decreases the need to buy newspapers as the can access the news stories for free, therefore decreasing the newspapers’ profits.
According to Curran and Seaton, less profit leads to less power so less people are being influenced by what newspapers report on.

Question 15

where do newspapers get their stories (3)?

Answer 15

• journalists
• reuters
• citizen journalists

Question 16

who are reuters? what is their function?

Answer 16

they are an international news agency, which provides broadcast news and print reports to media outlets worldwide (they get stories and take photos, which they sell to newspapers, who then investigate the stories further)

Question 17

give a brief explanation of watergate. How does this relate to the daily mirror and the times set products

Answer 17

Wanting to guarantee his win in the 1972 election, Nixon’s government sent burglars into the Watergate hotel to infiltrate the democratic offices and find out information on them. The burglars were caught, and though Nixon was already reelected, it was exposed that they were working for the white house. The scandal was based on whether Nixon was abusing his power as president to hide his part in the burglary. It became known that Nixon had recorded many things in the white house, and a subpoena was issued, but Nixon, claiming executive privilege, refused.
This became the trial Nixon vs US, where unanimous court forced him to give the tapes to authorities. Nixon then quit his presidency.

The name Partygate comes from the Watergate scandal - both involving those in power abusing the system.

Question 18

who investigated the partygate incident?

Answer 18

Sue Gray (she wrote the gray reports which exposed the events of partygate)

Question 19

who regulates the newspaper industry?

Answer 19

IPSO (independent press standards organisation)

Question 20

who did the IPSO replace and why?

Answer 20

the PCC
they received extensive criticism for their lack of action in the News of the World phone hacking affair, and it was decided by David Cameron they needed to be replaced

Question 21

explain the News of the World phone hacking scandal, mentioning the relevance of the Leveson inquiry

Answer 21

Nick davies, reporter for the guardian, revealed that the News of the World’s reporters had illegally accessed the voicemails of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler (who was still missing at the time)
News of the world owner, Rupert Murdoch, concluded his tabloid had became politically toxic and shut the paper down and sacked most of the 200 staff
The Leveson Inquiry was a public inquiry into the culture, practices, and ethics of the British press following the scandal - they made recommendations for a new, independent body to replace the PCC, which would have to be recognised by the state through new laws

Question 22

who is ian hislop and what did he say about newspaper regulation?

Answer 22

comedian, journalist
‘having state regulated press goes against the fundamental idea of freedom of speech’