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Newspapers: The Times - Coggle Diagram
Newspapers: The Times
Industry
The Times adopt a more neutral position but has a right wing allegiance and supports the Conservatives
Has a range of journalists with varied political viewpoints which allows the newspaper to offer a more neutral and balanced stance on some issues
It is a British national newspaper - broadsheet
It is a subsidiary of News UK, a British based American owned newspaper publisher
News UK is a subsidiary of the American mass media conglomerate News Corp - concentrates on newspapers and publishing
Set edition published Feb 1st 2022
Deals with the scandal surrounding allegations regarding parties and social gatherings held by the Conservative Party at a time when its leaders enforced strict restrictions on the people of England that prohibited such gatherings
The story was reported Nov 2021 which led to an inquiry being undertaken by civil servant Sue Gray published in January 2022
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Daily number of sales in 2020 was 407,500 daily average print sales
Press Complaints Commission (PCC) was before IPSO but Lord Leveson found it ineffective in examining and regulating the newspaper industry
IPSO was established in 2014 - an independent body which is not backed by the government and is fully funded by the industry itself - maintains press standards but is anti-leveson
The phone hacking scandal in 2010 led to the Leveson inquiry
They found journalist practices were widely immoral and not properly regulated - News of the World paper closed
In 2012 Leveson decided a new regulator was needed called IPSO
News Corp also publishes The Sunday Times, The Sun, The Sun on Sunday
Critics say IPSO is 'not fit for purpose'
IPSO has a board made up of people in the newspaper industry and those who are running the PCC- 'riddled with pro-industry biases'
Introduced an online newspaper but introduced paywalls requiring readers to pay a subscription (allows interactivity) to use the site (£30 for a month)- response to falling sales
In 2016 they launched a website and moved to an edition-based digital format updated three times a day
In 2020, News UK launched Times radio in an attempt to increase the take-up of digital subscriptions for the newspaper
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Livingstone and Lunt: The Times and News Corp are facing increased pressure to adhere to strict rules and regulations on industry practice
This has arisen after the phone hacking scandal and subsequent Leveson enquiry into the industry- underlying issue of protecting citizens from harmful 'fake' material while maintaining choice and the freedom of the press to expose wrongdoing and injustice through responsible journalism
The increasing power of companies like News Corp and their expansion into digital media has also placed traditional approaches to regulation at risk
Hesmondhalgh: The Times is part of a vertically and horizontally integrated company with a wide range of titles in order to maximise audiences and minimise risks
The reach of news Corp spans a range of different cultural industries enhancing their global power- The Times benefits from access to other cultural industries so is financially protected
Rather than seeing digital media as a threat, the company has embraced its digital expansion and introduced paywalls to allow for online content to be viewed while generating an income
The company is part of a wide organisation responsible for different cultural industries which can benefit the paper greatly in terms of production and promotion
Curran and Seaton: The newspaper industry is dominated by a small number of powerful companies- The Times is part of a horizontally and vertically integrated company and subsequently large conglomerate
Being part of a huge press organisation could limit or inhibit creativity and journalists' freedom- Rupert Murdoch is often accused of controlling his newspaper content and editorial teams
Could be suggested that by having more diverse patterns of ownership could create conditions for more varied and adventurous media productions
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Representation
Boris: Focuses on his code of expression of trepidation on his way to the Commons anchored by the caption and large quote from Sue Gray- implicit representation
Selection and combination of images and language constructs a subtly negative representation
Choice of pull quotes placed next to Boris implicitly directs blame at his behaviour
Ellipsis creates enigma suggesting there is more to be seen in the report
'Change is here' advert: Standfirst- Shame 'hard left' to engage their right leaning audience
'Soft left' in the sub headings
Male over 35 engaged through balding ad (humour, dress codes of tattoos)
Continuity of news article- political figures
Front cover: High text to image ratio- attracts a highly educated reader
Offers balanced political journalism- their audience value it
Standfirst 'Blair-style majority' reps Boris in a positive light
Business ad: Succeeder/Aspirer engaged with advert due to the concept of owning a small business
Direct address and dress codes aim this at small business owners (middle class, male audience through male model)
Fashion article: Middle class interest/pre-occupation with 'high fashion'
Mugabe article (drops his name) showing expectation of a highly educated reader knowing about Robert Mugabe (Zimbabwean dictator) - audience interested in world politics
Splash of fashion show - abstract fashion engages an audience interested in marketing, engages a younger audience (female secondary audience)
Anchorage of central image 'Ukrainian brand' - engages reformers
House ad: Higher income/succeeder/aspirer engaged due to house prices and central image of grand house
Engages Gen X/Boomer sub bracket of 35+ age - around the time you would buy a house
Rural location engages middle class readers (values of privacy/family)
The Times: Unbiased news publication - pull quote using Sue Gray's words and not their own however it does directly criticise Boris - reps Sue Gray as an opinion leader
Economically struggling - have to diversify with tabloid conventions - soft news in the puff
Picnic page: DIverse representation for progressive readers (secondary audience) - A supplement - soft news to widen their audience
Standfirst about 'raising a family' paired with picnic imagery engages 35+ audience
Sainsbury's ad: Middle class shop attracts their middle class audience
Prop code of champagne engages ABC1 audience
'Taste the difference' slogan engages succeeders/aspirers
'PM's four lockdown parties' - The apostrophe in the headline attributes blame to Boris almost as the central figure of the parties placing all blame on him - reps him as an immoral and untruthful leader
Also represented in the stand first 'drinking culture' 'too little thought'
Media language
Central image: Close up of Boris with an indirect mode of address
Code of expression suggests some trepidation of what is to come as he goes to the Commons
The paper selected this photo to suggest he doesn't have any questions to answer whilst not explicitly criticising him
Headline and subheading: 'Police investigate PM's four lockdown parties' is informative rather than dramatic and enigmatic
The subheading 'Gray criticises leadership and drinking culture' includes a subtle criticism through the selection of the number 'four' and choosing the specific aspect that comments on 'drinking culture'
Layout and design: Conventional of this style of broadsheet- generally text led rather than image led
The Times usually has an image, which may be a standalone, a main story, a secondary story and a plug
Also often an 'in the news' section at the bottom with jump lines linked to the main stories
Masthead: Bold and recognisable and signifies the ideology of the newspaper suggesting that it reflects upon issues of the time
The typography is strong and commands the front page and placed either side of the crest and logo
The lion and unicorn are symbols appearing on heraldic creates and the slogan 'Dieu et mon droit'- God and My Right- dates to King Richard 1st - The fact this has remained unchanged by the paper suggests they have traditional values and longevity they intend to reinforce
Plug - Uses a bright colour palette to differentiate between the serious and lighter elements of the paper's content
Promotes Times2, the lifestyle supplement features article on fitness and a personal story about being bitten by a puppy- atypical of broadsheet- trying to target younger audience
Pull quotes - Direct quotations from Sue Gray's report, denoted by the large quotation mark to emphasise their importance
Positioning them in white on a black background gives them prominence and means they function as an achor for the image of the Prime Minister
Language and mode of address: It is formal- text is compact and detailed
Subheadings are not generally used to split up the stories into sections suggesting the readers are comfortable with detailed information and analysis
The subheading 'The Times verdict' with jump lines to the analysis of the story on the inner pages, establishing the paper as an opinion leader
Levi Strauss: However the use of headlines, language and mode of address differs between popular and quality newspapers
The Times demonstrates less explicit political allegiance compared to a tabloid publication so may offer more than one viewpoint on an issue
The resolution of oppositions may only be evident in an editorial and opinion piece where the political allegiance of the paper may be more obvious
'In the news' section: Offers a brief summary of other content in the paper including a global aspect
Mode of address is serious and formal
Audience
Target audience: ABC1, over 35 and liberal/right wing political stance, well educated and middle-class audience take interest in global affairs, Aspirers, Succeeder
Engage their audiences through content - both soft and hard news - the plug lifestyle supplement 'times2'
Launch of edition-based digital format- has daily updates and closely resembles print format while appealing to younger audiences as it can be distributed easily across platforms
The launch of Times radio and podcasts
The front page may not explicitly show its political allegiance but editorials and opinion pieces of political cartoons reinforces their right-wing ideology
The Times letter page offers readers the opportunity to air their views and interests and interact with the community of the newspaper- this page and comment section reflect the readership and their interests and concerns
5 habits Newsworks believe transcends the generation divide:
Fix- Access news constantly for need and distraction
Track- Access regularly to keep up to date with breaking stories
Fill- Access news to pass time when moving
Indulge- Make time to enjoy news as a break from everything
Invest- Read news to get an in depth perspective on stories
Why should papers move online due to millennials?
They regularly 'snack' on news
Access newsbrands continually throughout the day
More likely to exhibit news habits on digital devices
74% stated that they turn to newsbrands to get a balanced pov
73% stated they visit a newsbrand website to get more information when they see an interesting story on social media
78% stated their newsbrand introduces them to stories they wouldn't otherwise read
Why papers should move online?
Their news brand habits are centred on specific times of the day
More than 1m read a digital newsbrand daily and enjoy the speed and ease with which they can access news
Hall's reception theory: Active audiences who agree with the ideology of the newspaper will accept the preferred reading of the newspaper that is evident in its approach to stories and editorial and opinion pieces
Those readers who have a different political allegiance will have an oppositional response, disagreeing with the messages constructucted by the newspaper and will not buy or read a publication that does not reflect their ideas and opinions
Gerbner's cultivation theory: Audience exposure to repeated patterns of representation like Brexit, economy, or government by newspapers may shape and influence their views and opinions of the world around them
Gerbner says this is not like a 'hypodermic model' but rather depends on what the audience already believes
Newspapers function as opinion leaders and mediate the news for the readers with their political allegiance in mind- these views will be cultivated and reinforced by the newspaper and its content
Clay Shirky: They have enabled the rise of the prosumer who can create their own content submitting stories as a citizen journalist, offering an immediate perspective on news stories
Consumers also actively engage and 'speak back' to the news media. The Times newspaper and website offers interactive opportunities for readers to comment on stories and features giving them a voice as part of the newspaper's community