The times set text

Question 1

What is ‘the times’?

Answer 1

a British National quality newspaper first published in 1785

Question 2

what can ‘The Times’ be reffered to?

Answer 2

The times can be referred to as a ‘broadsheet’ newspaper, derived from their original larger size

Question 3

what is the political stance of ‘The Times’?

Answer 3

Politically, the times adopts a more neutral positioning compared to explicit political allegiance of the tabloid press- however, it does have right wing ideologies and supports the conservative party at key times, such as when there is a general election.

Question 4

what does ‘The Times’ describe itself as?

Answer 4

The newspaper describes itself as ‘a faithful recorder of the times for more than 200 years. It is authoritative, credible, responsible, trusted and part of the nation’s cultural heritage’

Question 5

what is the context behind the set text?

Answer 5

The set text was published on the 1st February, and focuses on the report into the investigation into parties held at Downing Street whilst the country was under lockdown restrictions. This edition of the newspaper deals with the scandal surrounding allegations regarding parties and social gatherings held by the conservative party during lockdown restrictions- which the conservative government themselves put into place which prohibited gatherings. The story was first reported in November 2021 and alleged that during the lockdown Christmas of 2020, parties had been held at Downing Street, some of which had been attended by the Prime Minister Boris Johnson. This led to an inquiry being undertaken by senior civil servant Sue Gray, the results of which were published in January 2022.

Question 6

what was happening on the date of this edition?

Answer 6

On the date this edition was published, Boris Johnson was due to give a statement to the Commons about what had happened. It was reported in the newspaper that Sue Gray had revealed that the Metropolitan Police were investigating several possible breaches of lockdown by No 10 and Boris Johnson had refused calls for his resignation.

Question 7

who does ‘The Times’ primarily target?

Answer 7

The Times largely targets an ABC1 demographic with cultural capital and an interest in news and analysis in detail. This demographic is targeted through the news values of the newspaper, the selection of stories and how particular social groups and issues are presented

Question 8

whilst the cover…

Answer 8

is not explicitly critical of the government on the front page, the story cut across political divides with many members of the conservative party as well as the labour shocked by the revelations

Question 9

what must we consider with representations in the newspaper industry?

Answer 9

Newspapers will choose how to represent events and issues in a way that reflects the values, attitudes and ideologies of the newspaper and their readers. The way in which the event/issue/social group is represented will affect the audience response. Newspapers are opinion leaders and will influence how audiences may respond to an issue/event.

Question 10

what does the mast head connote?

Answer 10

The masthead which is bold and recognisable of the time connotes the ideology of the newspaper-suggesting that it reports and reflects the issues of the time. The lion and unicorn symbols appearing on heraldic crests between the two words ‘The Times’ have connotations of history and traditional values, as well as being innately British. The masthead also appears in a serif font which represents the paper as being traditionally sophisticated and classy

Question 11

what does the headline symbolise?

Answer 11

The headline ‘Police investigate Pm’s four lockdown parties’ is informative rather than critical (The caption is long and gives information based on facts, placing the photograph in a context rather than taking an active stance. This is a typical convention of this style of newspaper.) however in the quote “Gray criticises leadership and drinking culture” there is a subtle, implicit criticism.

Question 12

the pull quotes…

Answer 12

that accompany the central images are direct quotations from Sue Gray’s report, denoted by the large quotation mark to emphasise their importance. Positioning the pull quotes in a white font with a contrasting black background gives them prominence and means that they function as an anchor for the image of the prime minister

Question 13

What is the effect of the plug?

Answer 13

The advertisement in the plug is relatable to the audience as it represents people as being lazy and wanting quick fixes which will be relatable to a lot of readers- there is also a personal story article featuring a puppy- ‘I was bitten by a pandemic puppy’- both the advertisement and the article adds a soft story to the cover for balance and act to differentiate between the serious and lighter elements of the newspaper’s content.

Question 14

large bold image…

Answer 14

Large bold image is eye catching but the newspaper still features large amounts of small print copy which represents the paper as being quite complex and aimed at educated readers with high literacy levels- in direct opposition to tabloid newspapers which have audiences which might not be as educated or have the same literacy levels

Question 15

What are Boris Jhonson’s facial expressions in the newspaper?

Answer 15

Boris Jhonson’s close up image is not the most flattering- his facial expressions lacks confidence and suggests his future is unclear

Question 16

his dress code…

Answer 16

His dress code- the suit and tie signify he is wealthy and powerful and in a professional job

Question 17

what is the effect of the pull quotes?

Answer 17

The pull quotes on top of the image help to anchor the meaning of the image- “there was too little thought given to what was happening across the country” “there were failures of leadership and judgement by different parts of No 10”- this quote by Sue Gray, ( who was investigating the breaking of the rules of the conservative party) suggests that she has made a judgement and the overall conclusion is that Boris has failed in some way- from the choice of pull quote there may be a judgement from the times

Question 18

why might the political stance of ‘The Times’ change for this headline?

Answer 18

The Times is a newspaper that says they remain fairly politically neutral (e.g centrist)- in reality, the times often seems to be slightly more ‘right’ leaning politically (conservative) so this negative representation of Boris and the Conservative is quite unusual. This may have been done to reflect public opinion at the time of many of their readers who were angry at the fact that the conservative party had broken the lockdown rules.

Question 19

the construction of the representation…

Answer 19

The construction of the representation of the event does not reflect the newspaper’s usual political allegiance, which would be to support the government. The times may have represented Boris Jhonson in a slightly more negative fashion in order to appeal and engage the readers with differing political views to the transgresses of the government as they are an opinion leader.

Question 20

what is the effect of ellipses?

Answer 20

In the pull quote there is also use of Ellipses which suggests that the issue is not over and more verdict and judgement as well as more evidence

Question 21

what is the effect of mentioning the police?

Answer 21

The mention of the police in the subheading makes it feel as this is a very serious issue, as well as the use of the number ‘4’ which emphasises how many times the lockdown rules were broken by Boris Jhonson and the conservative party.

Question 22

what is the effect of the use of facts and figures?

Answer 22

The use of facts, figures and statistics were used to emphasise how much evidence there is against Boris Jhonson

Question 23

what does the article include?

Answer 23

The article includes quotes and opinions from a range of different people from different parties including the labour and conservative members condemning Jhonson which represents the idea that he has lost support from everyone

Question 24

Written code ‘Gray Criticises leadership and drinking culture’

Answer 24

the reference to drinking culture and excessive drinking suggests that the conservatives are out of control, not professional and self indulgent.

Question 25

‘in the news’ section:

Answer 25

The other stories on the front cover in the ‘in the news’ section at the bottom of the newspaper are reasonably factual and have formal mode of address- for example where they mention migrants, which seems to be more neutral and factual rather than the story featured on the main image.

Question 26

subheading ‘the times verdict’:

Answer 26

There is a subheading ‘The time’s verdict’ with jump lines to the analysis of the main story, establishing the newspaper as an opinion leader and has the ability to form their own judgement.

Question 27

mode of address:

Answer 27

The paper has a serious and formal mode of address throughout the newspaper- there is no colloquial language or slang which reflects the broadsheet status and suggests serious content.

Question 28

main image:

Answer 28

The choice of the image of Boris Jhonson focuses on his code of expression of trepidation on his way to the commons, anchored by the caption and pull quote from Sue Gray’s report. Unlike a tabloid newspaper, the representation of the event and Boris Jhonson’s role in it is more implicit.