The Times - Introduction

 1) What year was The Times founded and when did it start using the Times name?

The Times was founded in 1785.It was called the Daily Universal Register for the first three years, until it rebranded as The Times in 1788 – the first newspaper in the world to use the Times name.

2) What content did John Walter suggest the paper would offer in the first edition?

 it should contain something suited to every palate” including politics, foreign affairs, matters of trade, legal trials, advertisements and “amusements”.

3) What does the page say about the political views in The Times? 

The Times has supported both New Labour and the Conservatives in recent times and supported Remain in the 2016 EU referendum.

4) Who owns The Times today and how is editorial integrity protected?

More than 200 years on, these founding principles hold true today. The Times has supported both New Labour and the Conservatives in recent times and supported Remain in the 2016 EU referendum.

5) What did The Times introduce in 2010 and why?

 Both papers introduced digital subscriptions in 2010 to help ensure a sustainable future for their journalism.

6) What was The Times named in 2018 by the Reuters Institute for Journalism at Oxford University?

 The Times was named Britain’s most trusted national newspaper by the Reuters Institute for Journalism at Oxford University.

7) What does the section on Editorial Standards say about The Times and newspaper regulation?

The Times and The Sunday Times take complaints about editorial content seriously. We are committed to abiding by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (“Ipso”) regulations and the Editors’ Code of Practice that Ipso enforces.

8) What does the section on Ownership say about The Times and who is the current editor? 

The Times & The Sunday Times are published by Times Media Limited, part of News UK & Ireland Ltd. News UK & Ireland is part of News Corp, a global diversified media business focused on creating and distributing content that educates, informs and inspires our customers

Daily Mirror case study representation and audience

 Representation

1) What political party does the Daily Mirror support? How can you tell?

Labour party, one of the headlines are named as 'Labour hero' 

2) How does the Daily Mirror usually represent rich and powerful people or corporations?

They go against the rich and powerful (like Conservative politicians or big corporations like Amazon).

3) How are ordinary working people presented in the Daily Mirror?

The Daily Mirror might act as a voice for ordinary working people and go against the rich and powerful

4) How is the Labour Party represented in the Daily Mirror?

The Labour Party is fully supported by the Daily Mirror

5) How is Amazon represented in the article on 'no-till' Amazon stores?

Represents amazon and big business as negative threat.

Industries

1) What company owns the Daily Mirror?

Owned by Reach

2) What is the Daily Mirror's circulation in 2022? How many papers did the Daily Mirror used to sell back in the 1990s?

Over 30 million a day.

3) Why has the newspaper industry struggled in the last 20 years?

The newspaper industry has struggled in the last 20 years due to technology

4) How has the Daily Mirror reacted to the decline in print sales and the growth of the internet?

• Created a social media strategy in collaboration with the digital team to drive growth of their Twitter and Facebook profiles. 
• The Daily Mirror provides this online content for free. Some newspapers (e.g. The Times) have a paywall on their online content which means that they charge subscription fees to read articles.  Free providers make money from advertising space online.

5) List five of Galtung & Ruge's News Values and explain how they link to the stories in our CSP edition of the Daily Mirror.

• Amplitude: (Is it a big event or one which involves large numbers of people) - NHS nurses going on strike for a better pay
• Elite nations and people: (Which country has the event happened in? Does the story concern well-known people) - Royal Family, Celebrities, Politicians, Western Countries
• Negativity: (Is it bad news?) - Amazon and the NHS are presented by the Mirror as bad news to people
• Balance: (The story may be selected to balance other news, such as a human survival story to balance a number of stories concerning death) - Mirror front page main splash head: NHS balanced by holiday guide and Royal Family gossip
• Immediacy: (Has it happened recently?) - Amazon store in Ealing has just come out  

Newspapers: Daily Mirror - Language and Audience

 Language

1) Write the definition of the following key language for newspaper front pages (you may want to add an example for each from our Daily Mirror CSP):

Masthead: The title block of the newspaper
Pug: something to catch readers eye
Splash Head: the lead story
Slogan: sums up the value of the newspaper.
Dateline: date newspaper was published.
Kicker: story at top of the paper too catch readers attention
Byline: gives the name of article writer.
Standfirst: introductory paragraph usually in bold

2) How much does a copy of the Daily Mirror cost? (Note: the current cost is different to the CSP edition - I recommend learning both).

90p back then

1.20 now.

3) What are the main stories on the CSP edition of the Daily Mirror (see above)? Make sure you learn the headline and what the stories are about.

Meghan , of her having claims of her bullying. ' ex royal staff to aid bully probe'

Rishi sunak  insluting NHS workers by doing a 1% increase pay rise. ' INSULT TO NHS HEROES'

4) Why is the choice of news stories on the Mirror CSP front page typical of a tabloid newspaper?

Because their newspapers are more gossip, softer news and the front cover is full of gossip.

5) What is the balance on the Daily Mirror front page between images, headlines and text?

They have images with headlines and text included.

 
Audience

1) What is the Daily Mirror's audience? List the key statistics here.

The Daily Mirror audience is older with almost half the audience aged 65+. In terms of social class, most are in the C1, C2 DE social classes. They are likely to be in the Struggler, Resigned or Mainstream psychographic groups.

2) Why do the Mirror stories on the CSP pages appeal to the Daily Mirror audience?

Because daily mirror readrs are working class , 65+

3) Why might a reader enjoy the Daily Mirror? Use Blumler & Katz Uses and Gratifications theory to add detail to your answer.

They will feel a sense of personal identity. They will learn new information.

4) Why are print newspapers generally read by older audiences?

Because younger generations are mainly on technology whereas older people wont be on as much.

5) How is the 'Amazon no-till shops' story constructed to appeal to Daily Mirror readers? 

Headline represents amazon and big business as negative and a 'threat'.

December mock exams: Learner response

Paper 1

1) Type up your feedback in full

WWW: There is potential here: you clearly know the terminology (Q1, Q4)  and 7/12 is a solid return on the unseen  text. Work on your 20 mark essay skills and you'll be flying! 

EBI:  Plan and practise 20 mark essay's. Revise the CSPs for this too.

2) Use the mark scheme for this Paper 1 mock to read the answers AQA were looking for. Look specifically for the indicative content in the mark scheme - these are the suggested answers from AQA. Did you get any key media terminology wrong in this paper?

Design and Layout including juxtaposition, overlays

Typography

Non-verbal codes

Verbal codes (use of language)

Colour palette

Photographic codes (cropping, shot selection, angle of shot)

3) Next, write down three points from the mark scheme you could have made for Q2 - the unseen analysis question.

The size of the typographic elements signifies the relative importance of their referent.

Body adornment such as neck tattoo which has associations with hard core

subculture which are at odds with the design elements themselves (flowers, treble

clef) which have softer, more gentle connotations.

The obscured title (True) is a convention of magazine cover design which rewards

readers who are ‘in the know’

4) Pick out two points from Q3 on Heat magazine that you could have added to your answer.

– pictures taken when the star wasn’t aware of the camera.

Paparazzi shots also create a more realistic feel where audiences think they are getting a glimpse of ‘reality’ rather than airbrushed celebrity images. 

5) Finally, focus on Q5 - the 20 mark essay on music video. Write a new essay plan for this question based on the answers in the mark scheme. Aim for an introduction, three main paragraphs and a conclusion.   

INTRODUCTION:

Talk about both music videos

Argument paragraphs:

• the video has a number of sequences designed to show their personalities rather

than their musical ability. Indeed, BLACKPINK have been put together to be visually

appealing to the target audience .

• The Arctic Monkeys video deliberately manufactures an authenticity that plays on

how they became famous: “Don’t believe the hype”.

• For the rock/indie genre, authenticity is the key selling point so Arctic Monkeys play

up to this in the music video.

• many young people do not watch music videos anymore, preferring to download

music or stream it via apps such as Spotify, therefore the music video becomes

irrelevant

• some of the music video hits on YouTube can be accounted for by young people

listening whilst working at the computer, rather than watching the screen

• they are seen in the video playing instruments, reinforcing that music is central to the

group

CONCLUSION:

make judgements which lead them to either agree or disagree with the

statement in the question.

Paper 2

1) Type up your feedback in full (you don't need to write the mark and grade if you want to keep this confidential).

WWW- Your Q2 essay shows clear potential: reference to the CSPs and the contexts of their production. The challenge now is to hit that level across the whole paper.

EBI-  You need high quality notes focused on the keywords

Revise narrative theories and terminology

1.3 needs to focus on the clip in the exam.

2) Use the mark scheme for this Paper 2 mock to read the answers AQA were looking for. First, write down a definition and example of non-diegetic sound (Q1.1 and 1.2). 

 Diegetic sound- all sounds made by or heard by the characters

Example-‘When Lyra says, “So you’re a

kitchen boy then?”

3) Next, identify three points you could have made in Q1.3 - camerawork and the extract. Look for the indicative content in the mark scheme - these are the suggested answers from AQA.

The wide shot and slow dolly/tracking through the open doors shows both characters

together sitting at the table. The camerawork is communicating the growing friendship between Lyra and Will and

helps to foreshadow the suggestion (in the very next shot) from Will that they team

up and work together.

As Lyra walks into the house, the camera moves backwards with her – a faster-

paced dolly shot to signal to the audience that things are changing, the relationship is moving on. Will is left out of focus and trying to keep up – once again communicating to the audience the power imbalance in Lyra’s favour.

4) Now look at Q1.4 in the mark scheme - pick out two points from the mark scheme that you could have included in your answer.

The way Lyra first investigates and then eats the omelette also subverts feminine

stereotypes. Her interaction with props in the scene deliberately subvert ideas of

being ‘ladylike’ or feminine.

Will’s expression and body language is very timid which subverts masculine

stereotypes. In contrast, Lyra’s movements and expressions exude confidence.

5) Finally, Q2 was a 20-mark essay on representations of age and social and cultural contexts. Write a new essay plan for this question based on the answers in the mark scheme.  

There are also positive representations of teens in which attributes such as freedom,

independence, creativity and social awareness are likely to be emphasised. Some

frequently represented characteristics of teenagers may be seen as positive by

younger audiences but as negative by older audiences. These include

rebelliousness, openness to change, liberal values on matters such as sexuality and

a much stronger commitment to friendship groups than to family or country.

In HDM it is the teens/young adults who lead the way in driving the narrative

forward. The adults tend to accept their more peripheral roles or discuss the

prophecy that revolves around Lyra. The teens are proactive, and the adults react.

As with many modern representations of teenagers, HDM suggests stronger ties to

friends than to families. Lyra’s attitude towards her friends in contrast to her mother

Mrs Coulter is a good example of this. Older characters are viewed with suspicion.

• The use of spectres in HDM also drives a strong dividing line between younger

characters and adults – with the two girls that Will and Lyra run into saying ‘We’re

OK on our own, aren’t we’.

Introduction to Newspapers

 1) What type of news can you typically find in a tabloid newspaper?

Softer news, gossip, show bizz. More entertainment rather then information.

2) What type of news can you typically find in a broadsheet newspaper?

Hard news. Politics. International. Culture. Sport. All for information purposes- less for entertainment.

3) If someone is left-wing, which political party are they likely to support? Which newspaper would they be likely to read?

Labour. Daily mirror.

4) If someone is right-wing, which political party are they likely to support? Which newspaper would they be likely to read?

Conservatives. The Times.

5) Why has there been a decline in newspaper sales in the last 20 years?

Because television has started to appear in 1950's which led to people watching the news on their TV , rather then reading on the newspaper.

6) Why is a free press important in a democracy like the UK?

Free press implies that journalists (those that write for newspapers) and newspaper editors can edit content free of intervention from Government influence. So they have freedom to publicise their opinions on the newspapers.