The Daily Mirror Section B

Question 1

Industry context

Answer 1

• First published in 1903 as a newspaper for women to ‘act as a mirror on feminine life’
• Redesigned to appeal to a broader audience
• Launched ‘Mirror Online’ and established presence on social media sites
• Part of IPSO

Question 2

Power and media industries, Curran and Seaton

Answer 2

• Reach PLC has maintained their position in the UK market despite falling sales of the Daily Mirror and other mainstream titles
• Diversifying into regional news
• Diverse pattern of ownership has allowed them to create the conditions for more varied and adventurous media products

Question 3

Regulation, Sonia Livingstone and Peter Lunt

Answer 3

• Reach plc is facing increasing pressure alongside the rest of the UK press industry to adhere to strict rules and regulations on industry practice
• This pressure arose after the phone hacking scandal and subsequent Leveson enquiry into the industry

Question 4

Cultural Industries, David Hesmondhalgh

Answer 4

• Reach PLC is one of the UK’s largest newspaper publishers and has become a horizontally integrated company
• Embraced its Digital expansion
• Introduced a subscription for £6.99 for a tablet edition of the newspaper with an introductory offer

Question 5

How audiences are grouped and categorised

Answer 5

• Predominantly C2DE
• Over 35 and are working class labour supporters

Question 6

How do newspaper producers target audiences

Answer 6

• Front page is important in attracting audiences
• Other pages will reinforce the ideology of the newspaper
• Make readers feel part of the newspaper’s community and that the stories and articles reflect their views
• Had to adapt and the Daily Mirror did this using new technologies
• Became UK’s no.1 website with 32 million monthly viewers
• Enabled audiences to interact

Question 7

Cultivation theory, George Gerbner

Answer 7

• Audience exposure of repeated patterns of representation, such as that of Brexit
• Newspapers function as opinion leaders and mediate for the readers with their political allegiance
• These will be cultivated and reinforced by the newspaper and its content

Question 8

Reception theory, Stuart Hall

Answer 8

• Producers of newspapers encode ideas in their publications that are to be decoded by their readers
• Active audience who agree with the ideology of the newspaper will accept its viewpoint
• Those readers who have different political allegiance will have an oppositional response

Question 9

End of audience, Clay Shirky

Answer 9

• Daily Mirror website offers opportunities for readers to comment on stories and features
• Giving them a voice as part of newspaper’s community

Question 10

Social and cultural contexts

Answer 10

• The Daily Mirror is a left-wing publication in a largely right-wing press
• Known for its support of the ordinary working-class person and regularly runs stories and campaigns related to social issues and inequalities

Question 11

Economic contexts

Answer 11

• The newspaper industry has faced economic pressure in recent years as the sale of print copies has steadily fallen
• Newspapers, like the Daily Mirror, which are part of larger conglomerates, are more protected from economic risks
• Some newspaper titles have introduced subscriptions for some or all of their digital products

Question 12

Political contexts

Answer 12

• Reflected in the way in which stories are selected and how issues, events, and social groups are represented
• As a left-wing tabloid, it will be openly critical of the conservative policies and raise awareness of the government’s effect on their readers

Question 13

Examples

Answer 13

• Evidence ‘destoryed’
• Energy meters to costly
• Promotion of Tesco and Morrisons

Question 14

Online examples

Answer 14

• Categories ‘celebs’, ‘tv’, ‘football’ etc
• ‘Parking firm tries to charge homeowners’

Question 15

Social Media

Answer 15

Posts multiple times per hour