representation - the times Flashcards
what is the times, when was it published and what is its target audience/ideology?
the times is a british national ‘quality’ broadsheet daily newspaper first publish in 1785, and aimed predominantly at upper middle to middle class readership. it follows a fairly right wing political stance, but has sometimes supported labour.
what is a subsidiary?
a company controlled by a holding company.
who are news uk?
the times has been published by times newspapers since 1981, a subsidiary of news uk which is wholly owned by news corp, rupert murdoch’s company. the company also publishes the sunday times, the sun, the sun on sunday and until recently, news of the world.
how does the times’ online counterpart differ from the traditional newspaper?
the times online is a subscription-service based live website offering a more detailed and diverse examination of the days news stories and current events.
is the times online free for everyone?
no - subscribers to the print version of the newspaper can use all areas of the website for free; others have to pay £2 per week to access all areas.
what is significant about the date the text was published?
boris johnson was due to give a statement to the commons about what had happened regarding partygate. sue gray revealed the metropolitan police were investigating several parties during lockdown in no.10 and that johnson and refused to resign.
what is significant about the front page?
-representation of partygate is dominated by the central imagine of johnson, anchored by a headline, sub-headings and pull quotes.
-pull quote provides a critical approach to the lack of care and responsibility of the conservative gov.
-the times although critical, avoids the use of sensationalism, such as hyperbolic, colloquial or superlative language.
how is the representation of boris johnson different from that of a tabloid?
-unlike a tabloid, the representation of the event and johnson’s role in it is more implicit and doesn’t mock his crimes committed.
-the choice of the image of johnson focuses on his expression of trepidation on his way to the commons.
how does the representation of the even and johnson remain negative?
-the choice of pull quotes from the report next to the image of the PM implicitly directs blame at his behaviour; “there were failures of leadership and judgement by different parts of number 10…”.
-inclusion of ellipsis creates enigma, suggesting there is more in the report.
-‘PM’s four lockdown parties’ implies his involvement
-use of ‘drinking culture’
why is the representation of this political event unusual?
-this construction of the way the event is represented doesn’t reflect the newspaper’s usual political allegiance.
-it may be that the newspaper feels responsible as an opinion leader to reflect the reactions of many people with differing political views to the sins of the government.
how might the audience respond to the text?
-the audience are positioned to consider the facts about the event, which are presented in an informative way, and to make their decision about it.
-there will be those who are shocked by the breaking of lockdown rules and also those still supportive of the government.
how is representation by stuart hall applied to the text?
-the front page produces meaning through the language used, by using recognisable signs that will be interpreted by the audience, for example, headlines, images choices, language, and mode of address.
-these choices contribute to the construction of the event and encode meanings that are to be decoded by the audience.
what is stuart hall’s theory of representation?
the process by which meaning is produced and exchanged between members of a culture through the use of language, signs and images which stand for or represent things.
