The Daily Mirror: The Mirror Online

Question 1

How have technological changes impacted print sales and how have newspapers like The Daily Mirror attempted to combat this?

Answer 1

• Recent technological change, in particular online media, has largely been responsible for the downturn in print sales; the Daily Mirror responded to this by launching ‘The Mirror Online’ and establishing a presence on social media sites.
• However, this technology has given the newspaper the ability to produce up-to-the-minute national and global news and to update this content regularly.

Question 2

Is Mirror Online free? How does the paper use this website to support themselves financially?

Answer 2

• The Mirror Online is a free website - users can read all stories and access all features as there is no pay-wall to access these.
• There is however a large sponsorship and promotional presence throughout the home page and menu system (Discounts, Offers, etc.) to possibly subsidise costs.

Question 3

What are some interactive features of the Mirror Online?

Answer 3

• The website offers interactive opportunities for its readers with competitions, polls and a ‘Sell your Story’ feature which invites readers to submit their own stories.
• This method of news-gathering involves the reader - further encouraging readers to become prosumers contributing via citizen journalism

Question 4

What content of Mirror Online reflects it’s status as an ‘Intelligent Tabloid’?

Answer 4

• The website produces accessible content whereby it breaks down the key stories into ‘bitesize’ chunks’
• For Example: ‘Local election 2024 results times…
• This reinforces the Daily Mirror’s brand claim to being the ‘Intelligent Tabloid’.
• There are also opinion pieces by journalists and free-lance commentators which reinforce the left-wing agenda of the newspaper.
• For Example: ‘New Rwanda Embarrassment…’

Question 5

How does The Mirror Online use social media?

Answer 5

• Online readers are exposed to multiple #hashtags links to breaking or trending stories (including #madeyouthink - the newspapers new ‘mantra’)
• This further adds another dimension to breaking live news, giving the reader another avenue to follow the events.
• These links also facilitate the online newspapers presence on social media through their accounts as created on multiple apps and platforms.