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The Times - Coggle Diagram
The Times
Product Context
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The Times has been published by Times Newspapers since 1981, a subsidiary of News UK, wholly owned by News Corp, Rupert Murdoch’s company
This edition was published on March 13th, 2019, after Theresa May had encountered another Commons defeat over her Brexit proposals
The Times is famous for having a range of journalists with varied political viewpoints which allows the newspaper to offer a more neutral political stance on Brexit negotiations
Political Context
On 23rd June 2016, citizens of the UK voted to leave the European Union (EU)
This was nicknamed ‘Brexit’. The vote was very close with 51.9% voting leave and 48.1% voting remain
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Remainers accused leave voters of xenophobia and racism; leavers accused remainers of being unpatriotic and un-democratic
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Following the resignation of David Cameron shortly after the vote, Theresa May has faced regular leadership challenges from within her own party, and a snap general election in 2017 in which her party suffered heavy losses
Meanwhile, she had been regularly visiting Brussels and other EU countries in an effort to create a Brexit deal that will satisfy both the EU and the UK parliament On the date this edition of the Mirror was published, MPs had voted against the deal she had negotiated with the EU
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Withdrawing from the EU with ‘no deal’ could have catastrophic consequences on trade, immigration, healthcare etc., affecting all UK citizens
Cultural Context
Horse racing meets like Ascot and Cheltenham are an iconic part of British culture, often associated with the upper classes
The contemporary audience can be assumed to be familiar with the codes and conventions of newspaper front pages and the mode of address that these newspapers present to their readers
The layout of the broadsheet newspaper usually has one main story, with lots of details, then smaller headlines at the bottom
Front Page
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She has a pained facial expression and dark rings under her eyes which denote high emotions and possible lack of sleep
The headline anchors this by making the defeat of her Brexit proposals into something more personal and emotional than political and factual
This is an attempt to narrate what is a quite ‘dry’ story. It fulfils the news value of ‘personalisation’ where politicians become characters we may empathise with (even if we don’t agree with their politics)
Though the smaller headlines above the main offer a bigger picture, the last still focuses on May as an individual
The ‘In the news’ stories at the bottom of the page also supply some global context for the main story: financial, environmental and travel news are topics The Times’ audience is interested in
Most of the print is black on white, which connotes the seriousness of the content. The fashion feature ‘puff box’ at the top of the page is in a paler, pastel colour that is more feminine and also less serious
The strapline ‘Britain’s Most Trusted Newspaper’ draws on the Times’ long history and reputation as a quality brand that will give readers a range of viewpoints on serious issues
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Semiotics
The photograph appears to be taken through a car window (there is a shadow of a rearview mirror in the foreground and the ‘Driven To Despair’ is a pun)
The connotation of this kind of shot is that they are un-posed and often private situations that the photographer has managed to capture
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Narrative
This style takes a complex political debate (described in factual detail in the body of the text) and turns into a dramatic incident, an emotional incident for a ‘character’ (May)
Candidates could look at Vladmir Propp’s 32 ‘narratemes’ and select those which this story seem to be playing out