newspapers key definitions Flashcards
what are newspapers?
newspapers are commercial businesses that reflect the ideology of the ownership as well as their readership
what do newspapers both act as?
Echo chambers and opinion leaders- newspapers influence public opinion and behaviour
what do newspapers influence?
Public opinion and behaviour
what is the overall theory for newspapers?
Gerbner’s cultivation theory- If newspapers constantly depict a certain ideology, and a group of individuals are continuously exposed to the ideology, they will soon believe it
what is Hesmondhalghs theory?
that cultural industries minimise risk and maximise audiences to increase profits and maximise chances of commercial success- therefore media texts are more generic and less creative and therefore sensationalising stories and celebrity stories are prioritised over more serious topics
what is a tabloid?
a newspaper which features light stories- sensationalising stories and celebrity news and prioritises this over ‘hard news’. Tabloid newspapers also typically have less copy and feature more images, and are in a smaller format
what are middle market tabloids?
Tabloid newspapers which feature more sophisticated language and topics but. middle market tabloids cater to their audiences preferences who like entertainment but also feature coverage of important news events
what are broadsheet newspapers?
Newspapers which are larger in format, include more copy and more sophisticated language compared to tabloid newspapers, and don’t neccessarily feature celebrity news or sensationalising stories, but offer more coverage on hard news.
what are some examples of tabloid newspapers?
-The sun
-The daily mirror
-metro
-daily star
-I
what are some examples of broadsheet newspapers?
-the times
-the guardian
-the daily telegraph
what is a conglomerate?
large companies which operate and own other companies across a range of industries and platforms- this increases their domination of the market
what is circulation?
the amount of newspapers sold
what is readership?
the amount of newspapers read
what is vertical intergration?
a business strategy in which a company controls multiple stages of it’s production process and supply chain (e.g apple)
what is horizontal intergration?
the merging of companies that are in the same industry- where a media conglomerate is made up of different companies that produce and sell similar products
what is news agenda?
A list of stories that may appear in a particular paper- the items on the news agenda will reflect the style and ethos of the paper
what is political bias?
Where a newspaper will show support for a political party through it’s choice of stories, style of coverage, cartoons etc
-it may be subtle and implicit or explicit
what is ‘splash’?
A story of high public interest which will dominate the front pages of news papers
who are gatekeepers?
the people who are responsible for deciding the most appropriate stories to appear in the newspaper. They will only let stories most appropriate for the ideology of the newspaper to be featured
what is gatekeeping?
the process by which news content is selected, filtered, edited and published
what are echo chambers?
audiences tend to want to consume news stories and media that matches their own ideologies- constantly being exposed to the same voice is known as echo chambers.
what is a threshold?
the size of a story- the bigger the story is the more likely it will be featured on the news agenda
what are the 7 different news value criteria?
- negativity
- unexpectedness
- simplicity
- personalisation
- proximity
- elite nations/ people
- continuity/ current news
what is meant by ethnocentric?
to judge other people by the values and norms of your own culture and often perceive them as inferior as a result
what is meant by negative news?
news which features negativity- bad news is often more interesting than good news
what is meant by simplicity?
events that are easier to report and are simple in nature are higher on the agenda for some newspapers- typically tabloid newspapers. War and conflict news are harder to explain.
what is meant by unexpectedness?
a sudden or shocking news event that is out of the ordinary and will likely be placed on the front cover of a newspaper
what is meant by personalisation?
human interest stories- stories which are relatable for certain groups of people
what is meant by proximity?
local stories and news- the more local the story is to the reader the greater interest you will get
what is meant by elite nations/ people?
important people such as celebrities and royals and elite nations which will end up higher on the agenda as more people know about them
what is meant by current/continuity news?
current, ongoing news which more people are aware of
what is curran and seaton’s theory?
Curran and seaton’s theory is that the media is controlled by conglomerates (large companies which own and operate other companies across a range of industries and platforms) and are driven by the want for greater domination in the media and for wealth
what is clay shirky’s audience theory?
that audience behaviour has progressed from passive consumption of media texts to a much more interactive experience. we all possess the tools to create and publish media
how has technology changed mediacy?
it has changed the production, distribution and circulation of media texts
what are some examples of how technology has changed mediacy?
-social media is usually the first to report a news event
-computers and the internet have made the process of journalism much more quicker and efficient
-technology has allowed for interactive news products (e.g social media accounts and websites)
-AI technology can be used to research, write copy and fact check but it isn’t always accurate.
-Mobile technology has changed the way that audiences access and consume the news. Decline in print circulation.
what is citizen journalism?
the democratisation of media- audiences have access to all the tools to publish their versions of reality
what is the issue with citizen journalism?
-it is unregulated and can spread misinformation
according to the 2021 report by the media reform coalition, what three companies own 90% of the media?
- Reach plc
- news Uk
- DMG media
how many local and regional newspapers does reach PLC own in the UK?
240
what does News UK (news corp) own?
the times and the sun
who is news corp owned by?
the murdoch family- who own a wide range of international media titles across newspapers, magazines, books, radio, television
what does the murdoch family also own?
Sky and fox
how do conglomerate media companies keep costs down?
by sharing resources such as journalists- this means that the news agenda across different news papers uses the same recycled stories
what is readers-per-copy?
The relationship between circulation and readership
what do governments have no control over?
what is published in newspapers
what was the leveson inquiry?
a public, judge-led inquiry that was set up by PM david cameron to investigate the press after journalists working for ‘the news of the world’ were accused of illegally accessing voicemail messages on other people’s phones, without their knowledge or consent. This included a young girl named milly, who was kidnapped and murdered and her voicemail cleared which made her parents believe that she was still alive.
who owned ‘The news of the world’?
The murdoch family
what did lord justice leveson recommend on how the press should be regulated?
-newspapers should continue to be self regulated and ensure that the government has no control over what newspapers publish
-there should be a new press standards organisation with a new code of conduct
-Legislation should be provided to ensure this new press standards organisation would be independent and effective in dealing with public complaints
who regulates the newspapers now?
Newspaper editors must follow the rules of the Editor’s Code of Practice.
IPSO (independent press standards organisation) now investigate complaints about the breaches of the Editor’s code of practise
what is The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)?
s a governmental organisation that prevents companies from creating monopolies and dominating a particular industry. The CMA has ruled against Rupert Murdoch on several occasions when he has tried to purchase majority shares and merge his interests
what is livingston and lunts theory?
-The needs of the consumer are often at odds with the needs of the citizen.
-that traditional regulation is at risk due to increasing globalised media industries, the rise of technology and digital media and the way that products are marketed and distributed and media convergence
-the theory also says that the primary role of regulation should be to protect citizens.
why is digital convergence used by media organisations?
-to develop a brand identity and to increase the commercial appeal of a product