Newspapers knowledge & notes

A list of UK Newspapers

• Daily Mail

• Daily Express

• The Sun

• The Times

• The Guardian

• The Telegraph

• Metro

• The Independent

• The Observer

• The Daily Star

• Financial Times

Newspapers lean on different sides of the spectrum: Liberal Vs Conservatism.

Where do Britons get their news?

• BBC One

• ITV

• The Sun

• The Daily Mail

• Channel 4

• Google

• Facebook

What type of people (Demographics) do you think were asked to contribute to this poll? Why do you think this is?

Older generation – BBC is so high and social media handles such as Facebook are low.

Tabloid and Broadsheet

Tabloid – Sensational Headlines, Informal Style, Easier vocabulary

• The Sun

• Daily Mirror

• Daily Express

Broadsheet – Informative headlines, Formal Style, Extensive vocabulary

• The Guardian

• The Daily Telegraph

• The Times

‘Bias’ aka Political Allegiances

British press is:

~ Run by a small number of right wing moguls e.g. Rupert Murdoch.

~ They will defend the status quo of which they are part of.

~ Using media to manipulate in order to maintain their position of power/wealth.

Political Perspectives – Political Stances

Newspapers, like any Media text, have an agenda. Most are associated with political perspectives and ideology, as well as specific political parties.

Left Wing politics:

• Liberal

• Civil Rights

• Feminism

• Communism

• Inclusiveness

• etc

~ The Daily Mirror, The Guardian, The Observer

Right Wing politics:

• Conservative

• Inequality

• “Outdated” values

• Capitalism

• Privatisation

• etc

~ The Sun, The Daily Express, Daily Telegraph, The Times

Central politics:

• No political view

~ The Financial Times

Who owns the press?

Which corporation owns the majority of news and print media platforms?

~ News corporation – which is owned by Rupert Murdoch.

Name 4 other newspapers owned by News Corp.

~ The Sun, The Times, Sunday Times and The Sun on Sunday

Who owns the Daily Mirror?

~  Trinity Mirror. She also owns the Sunday Mirror and the People.

^ Tabloid based newspapers. The format is low, unsophisticated to appeal to the TA.

OLIGOPOLY – A small number of companies owns a large section of the market.

• News (News Corp, Daily Mail group, Trinity Mirror Group etc.)

• Film (Disney, Warner Bros, Universal etc)

• Music (Sony, Universal, Warner Music).

Media could become bias as there isn’t many view points. Not much diversity. The money is only being circulated between the larger groups and not the independent companies.

Influence of News Corp.

• Powerful as the corporation is well known

• Able to persuade the TA

The Mainstream Press

• 78.4% – Conserative Party

• 17.9% – Labour

• 4.7% – Lib-dem

• 2.6% – Independent

The UK newspaper market is dominated by an oligopoly of 7 newspaper groups.

4 of the biggest 5 are openly biased towards the Tory Party.

Newspapers and Technological Change

~ What challenges do newspapers currently face in the digital era?

• Newspaper industry is facing a drop in circulation

• Sociological changes have changed the way media is being read

• News can be gathered much quicker now due to technology and so people are less likely to wait for the Newspaper release.

• Online presence – news content is available on other social media platforms and through apps.

• New generation like to receive News in bite-sized chunks.

~ What have newspapers done to adapt to these changes?

• Newspapers have downsized – more compact version – more appealing

• Produced online versions of their papers in order to target a new audience.

Online Presence: The Daily Mirror. Pg 100.

Visit the Daily Mirror’s website and find the answers to the question listed on the table.

What are the advantages of online Newspaper sites?

• They are up to date and users can access the news and get regular updates.

• They offer more immediate and interactive opportunities.

• Apps for several newspapers are available for mobile phones and iPads.

• There is an archive facility so that users can access back issues or features.

• The navigation tool allows users to quickly select the news and features that interest them.

The masthead: the name of the paper, this can signify the paper’s ethos and values.

The plug/puff: usually runs across the top of the front page and advertises what else is in the newspaper. Topics are often lighter aspects of the newspaper.

The headline: A larger font than the rest of the front page story. The aim is to attract the audience.

The strapline: either placed above or below the main headline and provides more information about the meaning of the central image.

Subheadings: short headings which break up the main text to make it easier to read. They appear throughout the paper but are mainly evident in popular, tabloid papers where they tend to be more dramatic.

The jump line: This follows the teaser headline on the front page and encourages the reader to buy the newspaper in order to read on.

The central image: The central image is essential in selling the paper. It may be a celebrity or a dramatic image of an event. This often emphasises the exclusivity of the story for the paper.

A stand-first: A block of text that introduces the story, normally in a style different from the body text and headline.

A pull quote: This is a quote from the story that is enlarged and appears within the text.

A standalone: A picture story that can exist on its own or on a front page, leading to a story inside. They are usually used by broadsheets who want an attractive images on their front cover along with the new copy.

A splash: A sensational news story which is often the front page lead. The splash is the shock news, for example, Brexit and David Cameron’s resignation.