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 by the editor and publisher John Walter. It was called the Daily Universal Register for the first three years than changed its name to the Times in 1788.

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

 He offered something that would suit everyone, such as politics, foreign affairs, matters of trade, legal trials, advertisements and amusements. 

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

Walter wanted to applaud either political party and wanted it to be fair and respectful.

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

 The times is owned by News UK. It is protected by Independent press Standards Organisation ipso.

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

They introduced digital subscriptions 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.

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

The Times has to follow the rules and regulations set by the ipso 

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

 

News UK &Ireland is part of  News Corp which is a global diversified media business focused on creating and distributing content that educates, informs and inspires. The current editor is  John Witherow.  

Learner Response

 1) Type up your feedback in full - WWW & EBI. You do not have to write your mark and grade if you don't want to.

Total = 24 = Grade 5

WWW - This is a very solid assessment, up slightly on your last one and with lots of potential to go even higher. Your questions on the clip are very good - 1.2 , 1.3. We now need to hit that level in the 20 mark question to open up the top grades.

EBI - Revise Reception theory a little!

       - Revise industries contexts for Doctor Who and Class. In particular BBC and Public Service                      Broadcasting - remit, ofcom, justifying license fee etc. Also merchandise and selling Doctor                    Who +  Class around the world.

LR - See blog  

2) Write a definition for a preferred reading to make sure you know this terminology. The original blogpost for Reception theory may help with this.

The meaning the producers intend to indicate, also known as the dominant reading

3) Write a list of any narrative theories that you DIDN'T use for your answer to question 1.2. How could you have used these in the Doctor Who clip in the exam? 

Levi - Strauss 

Could have talked about binary opposition. 

 - Good vs Evil

 - Light vs Dark

 

Barthes

Could have talked about action and enigma codes.

Entering TARDIS  -Enigma codes - What is it? 

                                                        - Who are they?

4) Write three ways in which a modern audience might respond differently to Doctor Who: An Unearthly Child compared to an audience at the time.

Camerawork

There is a less variety of shots in Doctor Who which makes it less exciting for a modern day audience. 

Sound  

The sounding is outdated for a modern audience as nowadays they would be able to add in more eerie sound to make a more eerie atmosphere to create elements of space.

Genre

The Doctor is a white male which would be an outdated stereotype for a younger audience but in 1960's it would have been normal for them as males were dominant.

5) Write a plan for question 2 in the assessment - the 20-mark essay on Doctor Who as a franchise. Use the mark scheme to help you and aim to plan an introduction, conclusion and at least three detailed paragraphs.

Introduction: The Doctor Who franchise has been very important for the BBC as it has been the longest running TV show and is aimed at a large audience. 

Representations

Paragraph 1: Traditionally the Dr was a white older male with a younger female companion which was reinforcing the stereotypes of males being dominant and superior whilst the females were inferior. But there have been changes in society were females are more superior and males were not. This can be seen in Class as April is more powerful as she threatens to kill her dad, etc which subverts stereotypes of women being inferior.

Story lines

Paragraph  2: The Doctor and Susan are strangers to earth and could be danger/threat. During this time there was a danger of Russian spies. The Doctor and Susan could be reflecting the spies.

In Class April has problems and fights with her father. This could relate to a teenage audience as it could reflect the parent child conflict in real life.

Audience  

Paragraph 3: Shows are now aimed at a smaller audience but spin-offs are made to gain a larger audience. For example Doctor Who and Class.

 

6) What topics do you need to revise for future Paper 2 exams? List at least three topics, theories or CSPs.

-Reception theory 

-Industry context for Dr Who

-PSB remit, ofcom etc

Daily Mirror case study: Representations and Industries

Representation

1) What political party does the Daily Mirror support?

     Labour

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

     The Daily Mirror usually goes against rich and powerful people as they support the labour party and      fight for the voices for ordinary people. 

3) How are celebrities usually presented in tabloid newspapers like the Daily Mirror? Look at the 'New          Bond stars are revealed' story on the front page of the Daily Mirror.

 

   Celebrities are presented to be important in tabloid newspapers  

4) How are the royal family presented in the double-page spread 'Kate told Harry to make peace... then they all met up for tea'? 

The royal family are presented to be like a 'normal' family. We can use Blumler and Katz theory. We can  use personal identity - People like us can identify with the royal family row.

5) Why do you think the Daily Mirror represents the royal family as a 'normal' family? Why might this appeal to Daily Mirror readers?

 

The royal family are presented as a 'normal' family because the publishers and newspaper editors want to create personal identity with the royal family and the readers.

Industries

1) What company owns the Daily Mirror?

Reach PLC

2) What is the Daily Mirror's circulation in 2020? How many papers did the Daily Mirror used to sell back in the 1990s?

1990: 3 Million a day

2020: 450,000  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 the internet. This is because the internet is giving news away for free which made people stop buying newspaper.

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

 

The daily Mirror have put their newspapers online on the internet to increase their circulation. 

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.

Elite nations and people -  Half of the front cover of the Daily Mirror is dedicated to the royal family. 

Negativity - This newspaper talks about the row between Prince William and Prince Harry.

Balance - The newspaper talks about the new James Bond stars to balance other news. 

Immediacy - Happened last year, fairly recant.

Continuity - Already defined as news as it has been on other newspapers, channels and websites.

Grade 8/9 extension task

The Daily Mirror's owner, Reach (then Trinity Mirror) bought control of the Express and Daily Star newspapers in 2018. Read this Guardian feature on the deal. Why did Trinity Mirror buy the papers?

The Trinity Mirror wanted to grow bigger to give it the scale to drive revenues from traditional newspapers and to fight for digital advertising. 

TV assessment - Learner Response

1) Type up your feedback in full - WWW & EBI. You do not have to write your mark and grade if you don't want to.

 Total = 23 = Grade 4

WWW - This is a very solid assessment with much to credit and the potential to go to a lot higher. You have clearly revised the CSP's and terminology and focus on the questions impressively. Now we nee to add the depth and detail to reach the top levels.

EBI - Revise narrative theories and audience theories (uses and gratifications) that you're missing for 1.2 and 1.3. You just need a bit more for the top levels here. 

       - In Q2, you need more examples of social and cultural contexts e.g. diversity, sexuality, technical                construction of TV etc. You also need specific examples from the CSP's.

LR - See blog.

2) Write a definition for intertextuality to make sure you know this terminology.

  Intertextuality is when one media product makes references to another media product.

3) Write a list of narrative theories that you could have used for question 1.2. How do these relate to Class? You can refer to the extract or any other moment in episode 4 of Class.

• Todorov
• Propp
• Levi-Strauss 
• Barthes

Todorov - disequilibrium - problem between April and her Father

Propp - character types - April: hero/villain/anti-hero

                                    - Corakinus: villain 

                                       = Conflict/drama/suspense

Levi-Strauss - Binary opposition -Shadow kin planet

                                                      - Earth

Barthes - Action/enigma codes

Action codes

-Swords (prop): fight/death/danger 

Enigma codes

-Will April kill her father?

- Will heart storyline be resolved 

4) How do the four aspects of Blumler and Katz's Uses and Gratifications theory apply to Class? Give specific examples from episode 4 of Class.

Personal relationships - Character : April & Ram

                                                        April - Conflict

                                                                  - heart

Personal identity : Family conflict + arguments with parents 

                              - Ram and April's relationship

Diversion/Entertainment

-Fantasy/Sci-fi genre elements - shadow kin world, costume

- violence - swords - visceral pleasure 

- April and Ram : conventionally attractive actors

  5) Write a plan for question 2 in the assessment - the 20-mark essay on social and cultural contexts. Use the mark scheme to help you and aim to plan an introduction, conclusion and at least three detailed paragraphs.

Intro : answer to the Q.

To a great extent, Doctor Who and Class reflect the time of their production.

Para 1 : Doctor Who 1963

- Production values/technical construction

- Slow not much camera movement 

- Mise-en-scene: props, fashion

- Gender stereotypes : Men superior - teachers

- Class : Middle class 

- Ethnicity : White - racist "savages"

- Space race

Para 2 : Class 2016

- Production : Shots, camera movement, pace of editing, colours, effects

- Mise-en-scene: aliens, costume and make-up

- Gender: powerful female characters - April 

- Race/Ethnicity : diversity - subverts stereotypes/ Ms Quill

                             -Ram & Tanya 

6) What topics do you need to revise for next week's PPE? List at least three topics, theories or CSPs.

   

-  Social, cultural and historical context

- Narrative theories

- Doctor Who class

- Audience pleasures 

  

  

 

 

Daily Mirror: Language and Audience

 Language

1) Write the definition of the following key language for newspaper front pages:

Masthead: The title block of the newspaper 'Red Top'

Pug: Something to catch the readers eye

Splash Head: The lead story 

Slogan: Sums up ethos of newspaper 

Dateline: The date the newspaper is published 

Kicker: Story at the top of the paper 

Byline: Gives the name of the article writer 

Standfirst: Introductory paragraph usually in bold 

 2) How much does a copy of the Daily Mirror cost?

80p

3) What are the main stories on the CSP edition of the Daily Mirror (see above)?

• The new Bond movie 
• Measles epidemic fear 
• The royal family

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

Because the tabloid usually features soft news which is celebrity gossip, the royal family and sports.

 

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

There are more pictures than text. This is because it is aimed at a working to middle class audience.

Audience

1) What is the target audience for the Daily Mirror?

The target audience for the Daily Mirror is working to middle class people (C2,D,E)

2) Why does the Mirror front page story appeal to the Daily Mirror audience?

The front page appeals to the target audience as it is mainly about the royal family which the audience would enjoy as it is a big part of the nation and if some of the audience are patriotic, then they would think the royal family is amazing. 

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

An audience would enjoy reading the Daily Mirror as:

Personal identity - The royal family are having a row so the audience can relate it as it seems like one of their family rows.

Personal relationship - The audience feel like they know the royal family. 

                                   - 'Wills' 'Harry' ' Kate' - informal and friendly 

                                   - Royal family get lots of media courage. Particularly in tabloids.

                                   - Appeal to Mirror audience - Old + working class 

                                   - Traditional 

                                   - Patriotic

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

  

Print newspapers are generally read by older age groups (55+) as they don't use the technology whilst the younger audience go online to see their news.

5) How is the 'Wills and Harry royal rift' story on the double page spread constructed to appeal to Daily Mirror readers? 

The royal family news usually is printed on tabloids as it is less serious and is enjoying for older audiences as it is traditional.  

Grade 8/9 extension tasks

Read this Guardian column on the Mirror's struggles with covering Brexit. How did the Mirror suggest people vote in the EU referendum and how did many of its working class audience actually vote?

Guardian Media critic Roy Greenslade writes about why tabloid newspapers like the Mirror are struggling to attract younger readers in this column. Make a note of some of the key statistics in this article and also what Greenslade thinks tabloids should do to stay relevant in the digital age. This column also has an excellent discussion of the Mirror's political stance which is ideal to grade 9 answers.

The Daily express lost more  than 9%, although the Daily Mails annual loss was only 7%.

Introduction to Newspapers

 

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

Soft news - Celebrity gossip, sports, showbiz and the Royal family.

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

Hard news - Politics, international culture and 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? 

Left-wings are most likely to be read by the labour party supporters. They are most likely to read the Daily Mirror.

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

Right-wings are most likely to support conservative. They are most likely to read The times.

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

There has been a decline in the past 20 years to newspapers due to technology and the news being online and free.

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

Free press is important for democracy like the UK as the press sometimes speaks the truth towards power. 

 

 

Class: Audience and Industry

 Audience

1) What were the viewing figures for Class and why do you think it did so badly?

The class viewing figures went from 1.8 million down to 0.6 million. This could be because of the fact of the hours they were scheduled or that there was to much sexual content, violence and bad language scenes.

2) What audience psychographic groups might particularly enjoy Class?

Groups that would enjoy class would be the people who are Dr. Who fans or an audience that enjoy watching Sci-Fi or Fantasy.

3) What audience pleasures are offered by Class - Co-owner of a Lonely Heart? Apply Blumler and Katz's Uses and Gratifications theory to the episode. Make sure you provide specific examples from the episode to support your ideas.

Personal Identity: The main characters are School students which teenagers can relate to. We see                                          ourselves  like that.

Personal Relationship: We create a personal relationship with the characters and we feel for them.

 Diversion (Escapism): We get diverted from the real life world to the Class world and The Shadow Kin                                          planet.

Surveillance (Information / Facts): We learn about the Travel of Space and Aliens.

4) Thinking of the 3 Vs audience pleasures (Visceral, Vicarious and Voyeuristic pleasures), which of these can be applied to Class - Co-owner of a Lonely Heart?

Visceral: When the swords appear in Aprils hand gives a feeling of thrill.

Vicarious: We experience meeting aliens through the characters. 

Voyeuristic: We see Ram And April and Parent and child conflict.

5) How did fans in the 'Whoniverse' (also known as 'Whovians') react to Class? Watch the fan reaction video (and read the YouTube comments) embedded above or check the comments in the extension articles below to help with this.

The fans agreed with the review. They thought that the format of Class was wrong and that the relationship of April and Ram was too Fast.  

Industries

1) What was the objective of BBC3 when it was launched?

BBC3 objective was to innovative programmes to a target audience of viewers between  

16-34-year-old.

 2) Why did BBC3 go online-only in February 2016? 

BBC went online in February due to 16-34-year-old not watching live TV.

3) How does Class - Co-owner of a Lonely Heart meet the BBC's mission statement to 'inform, educate and entertain'?

Co-owner of a lonely heart meets the remit as they entertain teenagers by making the show related to a teenager lifestyle.

 4) How did the distribution of Class contribute to the failure of the show with audiences?

 

Class was shown late at night when most people are most likely sleeping and now days most teenagers watch online TV.

5) What advertising and marketing was used to try and promote Class to an audience? Why do you think this wasn't very successful?

They had lots of online videos with the cast and workers of Class, fan art and fiction.

It wasn't successful because it was criticised for not making more of its link to Doctor Who.

Comparison: An Unearthly Child and Co-owner of a Lonely Heart  

1) How are the technical conventions different between 1963 Doctor Who and 2016 Class (e.g. camerawork, editing, sound and mise-en-scene)?

The camera work in Doctor Who was shaky because they done it by hand compare to Class where it is much more steadily done because of stands and tracks. The sound is more realistic in class compare to Doctor Who.

2) What similarities and differences are there between An Unearthly Child and Co-owner of a Lonely Heart in terms of the science-fiction genre?

In an unearthly child, the design/layout of the TARDIS is like a spaces ship (alien like). 

E.g. the design pattern on the wall of the TARDIS is like small lights which give a feeling of Sci-Fi. 

Whilst in Co-owner of a lonely heart there is the futuristic weapon that Ms. Quill has and there is the blue orb which gives a felling of Sci-Fi.

3) What similarities and differences are there between An Unearthly Child and Co-owner of a Lonely Heart in terms of how they meet the BBC's remit to inform, educate and entertain?

In an unearthly child they meet the remit of educate and entertain whilst in Co-owner of a lonely heart they only entertain. An unearthly child educates about science, history, space and time travel and it is entertaining for the audience. In Co-owner of a lonely heart there is only entertainment for the audience as it is aimed at 16-34 year-old. 

4) How are representations of people, places and groups similar or different in the two shows?

In an unearthly child the representations of women are put as inferior towards men. This can be seen in when Barbara and Ian are in the junkyard and the doctor keeps looking at Barbara ignorantly and keeps talking to Ian "Young man..." Whilst in Co-owner of a lonely heart the women are superior. This can be seen when April is looking down and shouting at her farther then threatens to attack her. In Dr. who there is not that much diversity, there is only white middle-upper class actors/actresses. Whilst in Class there are BAME and white actors/actresses from all backgrounds and classes.  

5) What similarities and differences can you find in terms of the audience pleasures for An Unearthly Child and Co-owner of a Lonely Heart?

Both Dr. Who and Class have forms of diversion and entertainment as it fills their time in, it is relaxing and is full of enjoyment for the audience.