Newspaper Exam question

To what extent do the elements of media language used in Source A and B convey different values, attitudes and beliefs about the world?
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In your answer you must:

• analyse the ways in which media language has been used in combination in sources A and B to convey values, attitudes and beliefs about the world
• refer to relevant contexts and academic ideas and arguments in your analysis and draw judgements and conclusions in relation to the question.

[15 marks]
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3 Steps:
1. Deconstruct media language of the text
2. Representations within the main story
3. How does all of this link to the papers ideology (attitudes and beliefs)?
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Both sources convey attitudes and beliefs about Brexit. Britain joined the EU in 1973 in order to boost the countries economic and trade status. By 2016 there was a referendum in order to decide whether Britain was to stay in the EU, which concluded in a vote of 52% leave, and 48% stay. This shows that it was only a 4% difference which has divided Britain in different views which can be reflected through the media. Source A, Daily Mail, is a newspaper which displays right-wing views for leaving the EU. Whereas Source B, is a newspaper that is displaying left-wing views on remaining in the EU.
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In Source A, The attitude towards Brexit and Theresa May on the whole is more right-winged views which is more of a positive look on Brexit and is furthermore supporting it. This can be seen through the headline 'hands off our election'. The way this has been worded is much more calmer and not violent. This puts Theresa May in a good light and the use of the word 'our' shows that she is speaking with and for the people, not being selfish. The fact that it is in large, bold, capitalised letters proves that it is a strong view and it is an important topic to Britain as a whole which strengthens the fact that they want independence and Theresa May is the person doing that for us. The headline is also in the form of a quote in which she has said which makes it more personal and can appeal to the demographic and target audience and make them feel more included and they know what they are reading is from a trusted source. In the speech the text refers to her as 'Mrs May' which comes across as more formal showing that she has more respect.
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Whereas in Source B, The attitude towards Brexit and Theresa May on the whole is more left-winged views and portrays Theresa May in a much harsher and mean way, showing that the guardian newspaper is not supporting Brexit and has a majority remaining view. This can be seen through the headline of 'May declares war on Brussels'. This is a heavy contrast between source A because it shows her as a violent leader and more in a selfish way. The word 'war' has very heavy violent connotations and further suggests that Theresa May is not doing the right thing by supporting Brexit because wars are very negative things that should definitely not be happening, initiating that this is the same with Brexit and it is unnecessary as is war. The headline also refers to Theresa May as just 'May' which could further suggest that they are not taking her seriously as calling someone only by there surname is a very informal way to refer to, especially as a Prime Minister. This further supports that as a newspaper they are not taking Brexit serious and believe it is not important and shouldn't be happening. This is very unlikely and surprising coming from the guardian newspaper as usually they are very formal. The verb 'declares' also shows that Theresa May is not being a very good leader as she is declaring it for herself and not doing what is best for the country, as declaring it for herself can be seen as quite selfish.
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Another way to prove that the attitude in source A towards Brexit and Theresa May is positive is when you look at the main image in the story. The picture shows Theresa May in softer light as she is stance with a dark background which could suggest that she is trying to make Brexit happen and leave the bad behind her making it seem as though Brexit will be the light of the time and the best option for us as a country. Her facial positioning is facing away and is not giving direct eye contact which suggests that she is looking at Brussels and saying it to them rather than us as an audience. This is showing that she is a strong leader that will get things done directly herself rather than leaving it. The fact that her mouth is slightly open again suggests that she has a strong opinion and will speak for the country herself and looks as though she can be seen as a reliable leader. Her eyes are also shown as though they are not very wide which can connote that she is fierce and ready to argue about what she thinks is best as a country, supporting the right-winged views about Brexit.
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In source B the main image then contrasts this again as Theresa May still is portrayed in a bad light. This can be seen through the way she is making direct eye contact as us as an audience. This can show that she is not addressing the situation with Brussels in a very strong way and shows she is lacking good leadership skills. This is because instead of sorting it in a calm way between two leaders as the right way it should be, she is getting everyone involved in the strong violence of the 'war' she has declared, which may be for the worst of the country. The way in which the photo is also a close up photo enhances the anger and sternness of her face showing that it isn't going too smoothly as it should have, this is again proving that the guardians views on Brexit are negative, as if Brexit was the right decision it would have gone a lot smoother and turned out better for Theresa May as a whole meaning she does not have to be so angry. The photo is not a very flattering photo and shows that she has been caught off guard suggesting that it is a true representation of her as a whole, which is in quite an evil way making it seem as though she is the antagonist of the whole situation.
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In conclusion, Source A and B have very different attitudes and beliefs about the ideology of Brexit. In source A it shows that the Daily Mail have a very much right-wing view and are extremely set on Brexit. Whereas it is evident from Source B that they have a much more left-wing view and are leaning away from the idea of Brexit. This can be shown through the use of language used in both headlines and the pictures that both newspapers have chosen as the main image, showing the positive and negative views they both hold.

Political Positions of Newspapers

Political Positions of Newspapers
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Timeline
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Socialist/Left-Wing Rights for workers and minorities are key. Believe the rich benefit from exploiting the poor and that this system should end. Pro revolution. Eg: Morning Star, Socialist Worker
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Liberal/Left-of-centre Pretty middle of the road. Tend to offer the most unbiased, objective perspective. Believe it is important to represent people from all minority groups and countries. Eg: Independent, Guardian, The Mirror
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Centre
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Conservative/Right-Of-Centre Uphold traditional values about Britishness, class, gender etc. Anti Labour and Lib Dems. Do not like Britain being apart of the EU. Wary of immigration. Pro-Capitalist.  Eg: Daily Telegraph, Financial Times, Evening Standard, The Times
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Nationalist/Right-Wing Incredibly patriotic. Dislike change - highly supportive of traditional values: anti-abortion, anti-same sex marriage. heavily opposed to immigration. Believe Britain should be Britain for (White) British people. Eg: Daily Express, Daily Mail, The Sun, Daily Star,
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Glossary

Glossary

Technical Codes: layout, design, positioning, house style, font, size/quality of photographs, cropping choices, anchorage.
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Visual Codes: Images, mise-en-scene, costume, colour palette, masthead
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Genre: What type of newspaper it is, narrative, mode of address, headlines
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House Style: A company's preferred manner of presentation and layout of written material.
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Masthead: Title of the newspaper displayed on the front page.
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Caption: Brief text underneath an image describing the photograph or graphic.
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Headline: A phrase that summarises the main point of the article. Usually in a large print and a different style to catch the attention of the reader.
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Stand First: Block of text that introduces the story, normally in a different style to the body text and headline.
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Byline: Where the name of the reporter is included at the beginning of the article.
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Standalone: Picture story that can exist on its own or on a front page leading to a story inside.
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Splash: The main story.
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Cross-head: Subheadings that appear in the text of the article.
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Plug: Usually at the top left and right hand corners of the page displaying promotions, special offers or price of newspapers.
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Voyeurism: something you would not expect to be shown.
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Ideology: A system of ideas and ideals, especially one which forms the basis of economic or political theory and policy.
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Discourse: written or spoken communication or debate.
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Ideological Discourse: communication that upholds a particular ideology/set of ideologies or beliefs that we live by in our day-to-day lives and often do not question - they have become 'natural, common sense' things to do. This effectively dissuades people from rebelling against these beliefs, and keeps a sense of stability in society.
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Hgemony (Gramsci): leadership or dominance, especially by one state or social group over others. In media this can often be seen through the reinforcement of capitalist systems and Eurocentric values and perspectives.
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Representation

What is representation?


Representation is the way the media represent and constructs individuals, groups, events and issues.
Representation may look realistic but in reality it is constructed by the media.


Representation and reception theory:












Dominant - The hegemonic response, people share the code and preferred reading.
Negotiated - they accept what the text is saying and adapt it according to their social background.
Oppositional - They understand, but reject the message.




Representation in Newspapers:


Selection             -----            Omission             -----         Construction




News Values                          Bias                                     Bias
Target Audience                     Agenda                               Ideology
                                               Audience                             Audience




Bias
- Newspapers are supposed to provide their readers with:


- Objective information: This means it should be free from prejudice caused by personal feelings.
- Unbiased: Represent people, events and ideas fairly.
- Reliable Information: from trusted sources.




However...


Fiske (1987) called this 'The Transparency Fallacy' as the news is not objective or transparent - the news cannot cover every event that happens in the world, therefore individual newspapers select those that are newsworthy and mediate them according to the producers ideology.

News Values

News Values

Making Headlines from the news values.


Negativity: 'Elderly peoples home burnt to crisp'
Familiarity: 'Windsor castle break in'
Immediacy: 'Supreme September Sun'
Continuity: 'Mcann scandal revealed'
Amplification: 'Train Derailed Killing Over 50'
Unambiguity: 'Boris is Back'
Uniqueness: 'Cheese string injures 70 year old'
Simplicity: 'Tree finally gets cut down'
Personalisation: 'Twins reunite after 18 years of seperation'
Predictability: 'December light starts christmas'
Unexpectedness: 'Tree as tall as the Eifel Tower'
Elite Nations / People: 'Justin cheats on Hailey with Selena'


The Daily Mirror tally on the news values:

Newspaper Articles Structure

Headline:
Newspapers like tabloids often use puns or other techniques such as alliteration, to captivate their   audience. However broadsheets tend to use a more informative and formal headline.




Introduction:
As the first paragraph in an article, the introduction is very important. Gives detail to what the article is going to be about and it needs to be interesting for the reader to carry on reading. The first paragraph is often known as the stand-first, printed in bold font.




Elaboration:
The next few paragraphs tell the reader more about the story that is outlined. They inform the readers about the What, When, Where, Who and Why of the story.




Quotes:
 Almost all news stories have comments from those involved or from voyeurs. This is to make the newspaper more interesting and balanced viewpoint. They could alternatively make the article more subjective by sensationalising the reaction of the public, making it biased.




Projection:

Many stories tell the reader what might happen in relation to the event or people in the report. This might include a quote from a police officer, an MP, a family member or a general prediction of outcomes.



Semitotics

'Semiotics' - how meaning is constructed through language and codes

AKA the study of signs

Roland Barthes argued that:

- All elements of a media text are codes (signs) that need to be read.

All can be seen on a connotative and denotative level.

 

Semiotics Analysis Starter: 'Fight Cancer'


1. The text 'Fight Cancer' is very powerful and violent which should encourage the reader to get involved seeing as cancer is a very serious and negative disease. It is also a sensitive and emotional topic to many people who may have experienced either it themselves or through a family member.


2. The fact that the main focus character in the advert is a woman shows that anyone can help with the battle because stereotypically strength and power is associated with men whereas this is subverted through the woman lead. Highlighting her face which enhances her innocence.


3. The woman looking to the left and up suggests that she could be looking into the future of the people by doing this strong movement. Also people read left to right so it shows going against the norm.


4. Strong black and white contrast suggests that cancer, the negative aspect to the advert, is behind them because the white bright light is emphasised on her face suggesting that we as people can solve this if we put 'knowledge' together and try to sort this.


5. The fact that the picture style is in a totalitarian style suggests that in this instance we need to be in a dictatorship way because it is such a big issue




Semiotic analysis of newspaper:

The fact that the man is portrayed as a turkey suggests that he is not liked or seen as a person or as inhumane. Turkeys are seen as quite stupid and inept animals so being compared to them may mean that he is seen in these ways.

Daily Mirror and The Daily Telegraph

Daily Mirror Brief  History:

- Founded in 1903 by Alfred Hamsworth.

- Sold to Lord Rothermere (his brother) in 1914

- In 1917 one copy cost 1p

- Originally pitched to the middle-class reader. It was transformed into a working class newspaper after 1934. In order to reach a large lowbrow audience.

- Was the best selling tabloid in 1960.

- In 1978 the Sun overtook The Mirror in circulation

- In 2002, The Mirror masthead changed from black to red in order to move mid market

- Gave financial support to the 2003 anti-war protest

The Daily Telegraph Brief History:

- Founded by Arthur B. Sleigh in 1855 as the Daily Telegraph and Courier

- A controversial interview with the German Kaiser in 1908 damaged Anglo-German relations which added to tensions in the build-up to WW1.

During the Second World War. The Daily Telegraph convertly helped in the recruitment of code-breakers with their crossword as a test.

- Sunday Telegraph launched in 1960

- 1.4 million readers in 1980

- Electronic Telegraph (online news site) launched in 2004

- Purchased by the Barclay brothers for £665mil in 2004

- 460,000 readers in December 2016.

                                                   

1) The Daily Mirror have created a red masthead which enhances the fact that they have labour party views. This is seen throughout each newspaper cover that they have produced. This is supported through the topics that they speak about as labour is more modern and so is the general idea of the newspaper.

2) The language that the Daily Mirror use is very informal and colloquial language which can be shown throughout the newspaper. The use of the verb 'stuff' in the context on the front page is not very professional due to them using it in aggressive way towards workers which are ordinary people.

Fonts

Fonts

Sacramento is a very elegant and calming font. It can connote a higher class of demographics A, B, C1 and C2 due to the fact it seems fancy. This font may appear on a higher class newspaper such as 'Tatler'. The sacramento font seems as though it may be featured in a expensive and high end restaurant menu in headings. It also could be seen in leaflets based on products aimed at higher class people. The psychographic for this font may be aspirers as this group tend to aspire to be the best
they can and in fashion, and this font does that by making it look like what they want.

Black Casper is more of an informal font which

Newspapers

Newspapers

Three different tabloid newspapers:                               

• The Sun
• The Times
• Morning Star

Three different broadsheet newspapers:

• Daily Express
• The Daily Mirror
• The Irish Times

 

 

Broadsheet newspapers tend to have a lot of information written in columns around one large primary image which is intended to catch the viewers eye and make them want to read it. Broadsheet newspapers are very informative on the front cover and have a lot of information about a certain story which suggests that it is packed with information inside and there are lots of stories. It is quite plain with not a lot of colour. The masthead is large and bold with a logo in the middle.

Tabloid newspapers are much more formal and look like they are targeted at a lower class audience due to it being less formal and maybe for younger people. It has quite a lot of colour on the front cover which immediately draws the eye to the newspaper. It consists of a main story but has far less writing and just gives a brief view of the story meaning that you have to read to find out more. It also has more images including a secondary one. It is a very busy newspaper cover. The masthead is also bold and includes colour.

Similarities:

• Cover stories
• Contain an image
• Large, bold masthead
• Logo

Differences

• Broadsheet - more formal language and more text
• Tabloid - more images and informal