Paradise Papers/Social Participatory Media

Write up a description of the main differences between the two front pages from The Guardian and the Daily Mail, looking at both conventions and how the stories have been presented to the reader.

Daily Mail makes out that the Queen is innocent by using the verb 'dragged' because it makes us think that it is not the queen's fault. In contrast, The Guardian are holding the queen more accountable to the matter as they state that it is her cash that is being invested therefore it is her fault. The Guardian have made this story the whole front cover therefore the issue would clearly interest their readership more than it would for the daily mail. this may be due to it being about money and investments therefore the less educated readership of the daily mail may be less interested in this topic area. the daily mail have included other plugs on the front page so that those who arent interested in the money issue can read about the 'schoolgirl' or the 'diet'. this is because their readers are typically more interested in social issues and celebs.

the font and size of the main headline on the daily mail's front page is much more in your face than the guardian's main headline. they used short, punchy words to dramatise the issue and have described it as a 'row'. it is clear from this that the daily mail are trying to describe the issue to the reader as simply as possible so that they understand what is going on. on the other hand, the guardian have used very highbrow language in their headline because the majority of it's readership would understand what they are addressing. the reason for the smaller, lower case headline on the front of the guardian would be because it doesn't need to be made exceedingly eye-catching as the story covers the whole page and have used the bright yellow theme which would instead catch the audience's eye.

Write a paragraph outlining why you think the Guardian created a series of news articles looking at the same issue and how that may reflect the newspapers political ideology and news values.

the reason behind the guardian producing more than one article on the matter is because it would interest their readership. they are providing interesting articles for more educated people therefore money and investments would be more relatable to them than the people who read the daily mail, typically speaking. it is common for the guardian to go into more detail about articles because the readers would be interested in the issue of money. their readership would want to continue to read about further news regarding the issue therefore the guardian do this by creating a series of news articles.

Look at the Mirror, The Daily Telegraph, Daily Express and the Independent online newspaper and consider what you learn about these two publications from their versions of the story and the front page conventions.

the daily express and daily mirror have adopted a similar approach to the daily mail on this matter as they have both used large, capital lettered main headlines to attract as much attention as possible. they have also included other plugs , like the daily mail, to interest the people that arent bothered by money investments into reading the paper. everything on the front cover of the daily express/daily mirror/daily mail is very in your face, unlike the independent. it is noticeable that the daily express have described the issue as a 'row', which is the same word as what the daily mail used. the independent have used a similar approach to the guardian with the lower case main headline and high level of vocabulary. this suggests that their readership is similar to the guardian's.

it is interesting to see that the daily telegraph has only included a small headline regarding the story. this suggests that there are more important issues that would interest their readership more than this would. it is as though they have only included it on the front because the issue has been on the news lately so they feel as though they have to include it.

Look at the online versions of these stories via Mail Online and The Guardian website. Compare and contrast their coverage. Use the sites to find out as much as you can about the story, so you fully understand it. What other media elements do the two websites provide readers (e.g.: audio or video clips, hyperlinks to other sites or connected stories)?

from looking online, i have noticed that the guardian have a page on their website dedicated to all the paradise papers stories. whereas, with the mail online i could only find paradise papers articles dotted about. as you scroll down the article on the daily mail, a video pops up of the article so that their readership can, instead of reading the information, watch a clip of it with someone explaining it. this adds to the sense that the daily mail is more in your face, as it doesn't give you a choice to watch the video or not. the guardian goes into a lot of detail about the story whereas the mail online include less copy and more visual images to please their less educated readership. as you scroll down the article on the mail online, they have included a 'related articles' box with four other articles featured. as you reach the bottom of the article, they tell the reader to 'share' the article and include many social media tabs for the reader to easily click on. this is less prominent on the guardian as they only include small social media icons and no text telling them to share the article. down the left side of the article the guardian have included a few related articles for the reader to click on. the guardian include many hyperlinks on words throughout their articles to encourage the reader to click on them which leads them to another article relating to that word.


The mail online have included subheadings on some of their paradise papers articles to simply educate the reader on what the issue is about. this clearly shows that their readership is less educated because the subtitles are questions that the readers may have about the issue.

Look at social media sites and explain how you think they encourage readers to interact with the story.

from looking at the guardian's twitter feed on the paradise papers, i have noticed that people can easily get involved with the stories by retweeting them and writing their own comments about them. by retweeting their posts, their friends may be more encouraged to get involved. a link that kept coming up was called 'the guardian opinions' which encourages people to get involved in the articles by giving their opinions. The Mail Online also have a twitter feed with posts related to the paradise papers. other pages have tagged them in their posts, increasing their publicity. Shirky's theory can be applied to this as it suggests that user-generated content creates emotional connection between people who care about something.

both newspapers include an easy-to click on link of their article and then caption it in simpler words to make it very easy for readers to understand what the post relates to. considering they both post so frequently, there are more and more things for people to get involved with. the link to the article always included a picture so attract the audience's attention, just like they do in their paper copies,.

Social and Participatory Media

How active are the social media feeds of The Daily Mail and The Guardian and what might this tell us about their readers and how involved they are with news products? Which articles are included and which generate the most social media activity and audience participation?

the guardian's twitter feed is very active, with just 5-10 minutes between each of their posts. the daily mail's twitter feed is just as active as the guardian's. both of their readerships are clearly very involved with social media, as otherwise the newspapers wouldn't be posting so much content online. 

the guardian's most popular posts are ones relating to DNA sampling, women's rights and supporting same-sex marriage. it is clear from this that the guardian's readership are interested in more educated matters. another popular post is about archaeology and birds suggesting that they care more for the environment than the daily mail's readership. 

i have noticed that the most popular posts on the daily mail's twitter feed are ones of dogs doing silly things. this shows that their readership are more interested in lighthearted issues. another one is meghan markle pictured outside Buckingham palace aged 15.

Annotation of Shelter Advert

Annotation of Lucozade Advert

Advert Research (Lucozade, Old Spice, Shelter)

Lucozade 

What is being sold? Research company background, type of product and price.

A sports energy drink is being sold in the advertisement. Lucozade is a soft drink manufactured by the Japanese company Suntory and marketed as a range of sports and energy drinks. In 1927 it was created as "Glucozade" by a Newcastle pharmacist William Walker Hunter. It was acquired by the British pharmaceutical company Beecham's in 1938 and sold as an energy drink for the sick as Lucozade. The company's advertising slogan was "Lucozade aids recovery". A glucose–water solution, the product was sold until 1983 as a carbonated, slightly orange-flavoured drink in a glass bottle wrapped in yellow cellophane. Pharmacists sold it, children were given it when ill, and hospital visitors would regularly arrive with a bottle. It was rebranded it as a "pick me up" in 1978 and as a sports drink in 1983 to associate it with health rather than sickness. The company switched to a plastic bottle and introduced a range of flavours in more recent times and it is sold at around £1.50 in most shops.

Who is the target audience? Explain.

Lucozade Energy has always seemed a brand obsessed with physicality, therefore the target audience for this product would typically be sports people and young people. By featuring the sportsman Gareth Bale on the front, people would be more encouraged to buy the product because they know that Gareth has something to do with it. The glucose drink focuses new ad energies on manual workers. an age range of 18-30 year olds would be the most accurate as a target audience because during these ages people are more likely to be engaged in sporting activities and would therefore want to drink lucozade to improve their performance.

What representations are evident in the advert? why have they been used? how does this appeal to the target audience?

Gareth bale has been represented as a serious, determined athlete which encourages other young people to be like him. his face is easily recognisable by the target audience because the image of his face is large and clear. It is noticeable that there is sweat on his forehead, making the audience assume that he is a hardworking individual and the lucozade drink is aiding him to progress further by providing him the energy that he needs. this encourages the target audience to work hard like gareth does, giving them inspiration to be as famous as he is. The use of sporting clothing on Gareth also suggests that he is passionate about sports and that it is a big part of his life.

Is the advert successful? Explain your answer

I think that the advert is successful as many sportsman aspire for their performance to be as good as Bales, so therefore by him advertising the drink it therefore suggests that he has the drink to gain energy before the fame, so this will encourage others to buy the drink. the white square that outlines the advert is clearly recognisable as a football pitch, associating the advert immediately with popular sports and therefore attracting a large amount of people. this is complimented by the blue and yellow colour theme that is typical of sports clothing and equipment.

Shelter 

What is being sold? Research company background, type of product and price.

 Shelter is a registered charity that campaigns to end homelessness and bad housing in England and Scotland. It gives advice, information and advocacy to people in need, and tackles the root causes of bad housing by lobbying government and local authorities for new laws and policies to improve the lives of homeless and badly housed people. It works in partnership with Shelter Cymru in Wales and the Housing Rights Service in Northern Ireland. Shelter helps people in housing need by providing advice and practical assistance, and fights for better investment in housing and for laws and policies to improve the lives of homeless and badly housed people. Shelter was launched on 1 December 1966, evolving out of the work on behalf of homeless people then being carried on in Notting Hill in London.

Nothing is being sold in the advertisement; it's purpose is to encourage people to support the charity by giving donations. All donations are accepted and there aren't any price limits.

Who is the target audience? Explain.

There is not a specific target audience, however, if there was one it would be middle aged adults. they would be the most well-off people in society because they are working so can afford to donate to charities typically speaking. These specific adverts display young adults to middle aged adults which encourage these sort of ages to donate as they would be able to relate to the people shown in the adverts that are homeless as they are of a similar age. In this sense, the adverts are not very effective as it excludes the fact that there are younger and older people who are in need of help and support. they have clearly just included young/midde aged adults on the advert so that the target audience is more encouraged to donate money.

What representations are evident in the advert? Why have such representations been employed? In what ways do the adverts appeal to the target audience?

the advert represents a variety of races, genders and ages. the adverts are appealing to the target audience as they have used bright, contrasting colours to catch the audiences eye. the three people featured on the advert have been represented as sufferers due to the red and black colour theme. considering the large red writing is all over their faces, it creates the impression that they are trapped behind these words. this is complimented by their faces being very close up to the camera and merged into the black border as it creates the impression that they cannot escape from the situation that they are in. the red writing may also have connotations of blood, suggesting that being homeless is dangerous and can result in violence from members of the public. the line 'loosing a job' is effective because we live in a capitalist society so most people need a job to survive, meaning this issue will effect most people and be relatable to the target audience.

The advert presents people of different races which is positive as it shows that it isn't a racial issue, different ages and genders to emphasise that homelessness can effect anyone. however, none of the people featured are white british which could be suggesting that those people are not usually affected by homelessness which of course is untrue. The contact information is easy to read as it has been put in the colour white over a dark background, representing light amongst darkness.

Is the advert successful? Explain your answer

i believe that this advert is successful because it clearly represents the pain and suffering that homeless people have to face on an everyday basis. the transparent font covering the faces is effective because not only does it draw attention to the people's facial expressions, it also shows powerful, rhetorical questions that forces the audience to consider difficult issues that these people have to face everyday which persuades them to want to make a change, that can potentially change their lives for the better. the colours in the advert have been used well, for example, the dark facial expressions of each person on the advert have been blended with the black border, creating the impression that these people just blend in with everyone else. however, because their faces and facial expression are so clearly presented on the advert, it gives us the idea that they shouldnt just blend in with everyone else; these people are desperate individuals that need to be helped. People can easily read the contact information due to it being put on a dark background.

One the contrary, I think these adverts would be a lot more effective if they presented a wider spectrum of people so it could appeal to a broader audience and represent the true variety of people that are homeless in the UK.

Old Spice

What is being sold? Research company background, type of product and price.

Old Spice products were manufactured by the Shulton Company that was founded in 1934 by William Lightfoot Schultz. Schultz was inspired by his mother’s potpourri and as a result, the first Old Spice product in 1937 was a woman’s scent called Early American Old Spice. The product was received well, and therefore followed with Old Spice for men in 1938. Old Spice's buoy-shaped bottle cologne has been its staple product, available in its original scent as well as newer Pure Sport. In 2006, Old Spice introduced a fragrance, OS Signature, which won the magazine FHM 's 2006 Grooming Award for Best Sporty Fragrance. Old Spice Red Zone products include a "Scratch-and-sniff" version of the Signature fragrance. Old Spice launched the Hardest Working Collection in 2016 with antiperspirants and body washes, offering the best protection and performance yet from the company. In 2014, Old Spice expanded its product line-up to men’s hair care with the introduction of shampoos, conditioners and styling products. These products included: gel, putty, pomade, paste and wax. As of 2016, Old Spice has six main lines of grooming products and each line features a variety of products and scents. nowadays, old spice is sold for around £3 and gift sets are available for around £10.

Who is the target audience? Explain.

the target audience for this product would be typical be men of all ages, but it would also attract females to buy the product as it features a young, muscly and attractive man. Because young men would be amused by the young man on the horse.

What representations are evident in the advert? Why have such representations been employed? In what ways do the adverts appeal to the target audience?

Is the advert successful? Explain your answer

Ownership and Regulation

Companies that own more than one newspaper title:

The Barclay Brothers Press Holdings own The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Telegraph;

News Corporation own The Times and The Sunday Times;

Scott Trust Limited own The Guardian and The Observer;

Lord Rothermere's Daily Mail and General Trust PLC own the Daily Mail and The Mail on Sunday;

Richard Despond's Northern and Shell own Daily Express and Sunday Express;

Trinity Mirror own Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and Sunday People.

From the list we can see that 6 owners publish more than one national newspaper. It is noticeable that they link the titles together to make it known that they are owned by the same company. This results in the company holding a higher profile as people would recognise the similarity in the names of the newspapers and presume that they're owned by the same company. 

Ownership of the Trinity Mirror

The Trinity Mirror group went on to buy Scottish & Universal Newspapers in 1992, and in 1997 it acquired the Birmingham Post and Mail. Trinity was a company which evolved from the Liverpool Daily Post and Echo which owned newspaper titles in Canada and the US at the time, as well as interests in paper mills in Canada. The company then bought the paper mills in Canada, owned it's own newspaper distribution company and even went as far as buying up newsagents across Merseyside. In February 2010, Trinity Mirror acquired the regional M.E.N. Media and S&B Media divisions of the Guardian Media Group, containing 22 local titles across Northern England and in Surrey and Berkshire; this includes the Manchester Evening News and Reading Evening Post. In January 2012 it was announced Trinity Mirror acquired Communicator Corp, a digital communications company specialising in email and mobile communications for £8m. In November 2015, Trinity Mirror purchased Local World for £220 million, a major stakeholder in local news titles, from DMGT. Since purchasing Local World it has gained 83 print publications.

The Trinity Mirror group owns The Leicester Mercury as well as 154 other regional titles, mostly in Scotland and Wales, and in the North of England. Johnston Press are rivals of Trinity Mirror because they have 160 titles. Newsquest owns 300+ newspapers and has a network of 160 local Web sites, which includes Glasgow's The Herald, The Northern Echo (Darlington) and Telegraph Argus (Bradford), together attracting more than 5 million unique users and over 50 million page impressions per month.

It is clear from the Trinity Mirror's history of acquiring many media outlets for lots of money they follow the normal capitalist pattern of increasing concentration and integration. they are supporting the idea that cultural production is owned and controlled by a few conglomerates who vertically integrate across a range of media to reduce risk. the company clearly want to reduce the risk of going bust or being overtaken by other companies by buying out other media outlets which as a result, increases their power and popularity.

Why is ownership a concern in the UK?

Considering more and more media industries are following the normal capitalist pattern of increasing concentration of ownership in fewer and fewer hands, it is leading to a smaller variety of opinions represented and a pursuit of profit at the expense of quality or creativity. According to Curran and Seaton, the internet does not represent a rupture with the past in that it does not offer a level playing field for diverse voices to be heard. It is constrained by nationalism and state censorship. However, news is still controlled by powerful news organisations, who have successfully defended their control over the country as a whole.

Research some of the ideas about regulation and the importance of a free press which regulates itself. Why is regulation important? Include some of your ideas from Wednesday's lesson on your blog. Consider why this may be significant, using the academic ideas from Livingstone and Lunt.

Media regulation is the control or guidance of mass media by governments and other bodies. This regulation, via law, rules or procedures, can have various goals, for example intervention to protect a stated "public interest", or encouraging competition and an effective media market, or establishing common technical standards. the reason why we do this is not down to just one reason, it is down to many. For example:

• The management of what is arguably the key economic resource in the emerging `information society', with a very high dependence on all forms of communication.

• The protection of public order and support for instruments of government and justice.

• The protection of individual and sectional rights and interests that might be harmed by unrestricted use of public means of communication.

• The promotion of the efficiency and development of the communication system, by way of technical standardization, innovation, connectivity and universal provision.

• The promotion of access, freedom to communicate, diversity and universal provision as well as securing communicative and cultural ends chosen by the people for themselves.

• Maintaining conditions for effective operation of free markets in media services, especially competition and access, protection of consumers, stimulating innovation and expansion.

Comparing Editorial Comment

The Guardian's editorial comment from Mon 11th October

From reading the editorial comment from each newspaper, there are some clear similarities and differences between the two. The most prominent difference would be that The Guardian has included an editors comment about more than one topic whereas the Daily Mail has kept the focus on just one issue (Brexit). Both newspapers have used a text-based column style editorial comment, though The Guardian's editor has written it in two columns whereas The Daily Mail's editor has written it in just one long column. As a result, The Guardian has made it easier to read and have made it look more detailed. This suggests that the guardian are more passionate about getting readers to agree with their opinions. It also suggests that their readership are more able and willing to read more detailed pieces of information.

Both the newspapers have a relatively small masthead at the top of the comment and both subheading's outline the opinion of the editor. This is done to attract the audience to read about their certain opinion on the matter, whether they agree with them or not. 

After taking a closer look into the language of the two comments, there are clear similarities and differences. Both newspapers have used an authoritative and persuasive tone to show that they feel strongly about their opinions. However, the Daily Mail uses more word play amongst their opinions. It is noticeable that The Guardian has a higher level of vocabulary compared to the Daily Mail, including figures of speech such as metaphors, lists of three and emotive language.

The Daily Mail's editorial comment from 

The Guardian references climate change as a 'crime', which portrays themselves as people who care for the environment. This encourages the audience to also consider and care for the environment in the same way as they do. For those who are unaware of all the events that have happened due to climate change, this comment would be an eye-opener, allowing people to reflect on what they have just read. The tone that they have used throughout their comment makes them seem influential and sensible as they reference climate change as a 'wake-up call' to society.

Many lists of three have been used to emphasise the amount of natural disasters caused by climate change, adding to the The Guardian's factual and objective approach to news stories. This approach suits their well-educated readership who may already have strong opinions on world issues due to their creditable knowledge. In this comment, they make it clear that they are against big corporations with their sarcastic attitude towards the 'handsome profits' that corporations make which is at the cause of the earth becoming 'a degree warmer than it should be'. The Guardian then express that these companies 'privatised their profits' and 'socialised the cost to the poor people, taxpayers and future generations', putting a bad name on corporations and influencing their readership to believe the same. many of the readers would be unaware that this was taking place, therefore they would enjoy reading about the underlying effects that big corporations have on society. Climate change has been described as a 'human rights emergency' which emphasises the extremity of the problem.

It is worth noting that in 2008, 2/3 of Tory MP's didn’t think climate change was a priority, but their leadership says it’s important. They are more likely to focus on energy security (oil and gas are set to run out very soon, and they won’t want to rely on other countries).

From reading the Daily Mail's editorial comment, we can see that they are guilty of bias. This suits their less-educated readership as they would need a stronger influence to guide them to what they want to believe. They have described protectionism as 'petty' giving it a pathetic sense and discouraging people to like the idea of staying in the EU. It is clear that the Daily Mail dislike Brussels' co-operation with the matter as they mention the country's 'intransigence'. This makes the audience think badly of the members of the EU and makes them believe we are better off cutting ties with countries like Brussels. The Daily Mail then emphasise their authority with the line 'how dare he lecture us!' in response to Michel Barnier's refusal to discuss trade or 'anything else'. Again, the Daily Mail are influencing their readership to dislike other members of the EU. This is effective in entertaining the Daily Mail's readership because they have made their opinions so clear that people would enjoy reading them as they show passion and sometimes fury. 

The Daily Mail's comment touches upon the surmountable 'hurdles' that we will face if/when we leave the EU, giving the reader the idea that leaving will not be difficult. We can 'take back control' if we are no longer part of the EU, which sounds admirable to the reader. The Daily Mail then criticise the labour party by mentioning that they are 'betraying' millions of their own voters'. For those who are unsure of which party to like, this comment is very interesting for them as it feeds them ideas of who to support. Furthermore, The Daily Mail have created a positive vibe around Theresa May as they mention that she 'welcomes' her 'ambitious...plans'. The reader would get the sense that the conservatives are people who promise security and happiness for our future, giving those who are in the middle wing a strong opinion of who they think is best at running the country.

Referendum Analysis

How does intertextuality create meaning in this source?

The Big Issue has referenced The EU referendum that happened on 23rd June 2016 in their June 13-19 2016 edition. They have made an intertextual reference to the Swedish pop group ABBA to create a comedy effect. ABBA is a very well-known pop group who were popular in the 70's and 80's therefore the big issue's target audience would recognise who they have mocked and as a result, find it more amusing. The lyrics of ABBA's songs have been referenced in the speech bubbles next to each of the politicians, all of which are relevant to the decisions of Brexit. Nicola Sturgeon's face has purposely been edited onto a male's body to make her seem less feminine, creating the impression that she has a personality like other male politicians. The colour of Nicola's hair co-ordinates well with the brown outfit that she is wearing. Considering she has short hair, she looks more stereotypically masculine so The Big Issue are playing off of this to create a comedy effect.

Boris Johnson and David Cameron have been made to look like the two female vocalists in ABBA. The audience would find this amusing as The Big Issue have emasculated the two men, which is ironic because they're meant to be stereotypically powerful and strong leaders. However, we do not see this through the facial expressions that the big issue have used for them; they have been made to look like young girls with attitudes who are fooling around. This creates a mocking effect towards the two of them, suggesting that they do not take their job seriously. Boris' sarcastically-shocked facial expression compliments the lyrics in the speech bubble next to him as it creates the sense that Boris is laughing at Nicola and David who want to remain in the EU.

Nigel Farage is known for his racist and offensive views, therefore when the audience see his laughing and overjoyed facial expression because he wants to leave, it may seem like he is doing it towards the migrants who would no longer be allowed to enter the country. The Big Issue have purposely chosen these four particular politicians because two of them want to leave and two of them want to remain. This creates an even argument, suggesting that the chance of us leaving or remaining is 50/50. It is noticeable that Nicola and David have quite serous expressions compared to Boris and Farage who look like they're fooling around. By doing this, The Big Issue have made it seem like leaving the EU is an exciting thing to do.

The Big Issue have made the world into a disco ball, showing all the politicians 'performing' underneath it. This adds to the pop group effect. It also creates a sense that those four politicians are in their own world, making their own individual decisions that will have a huge impact on the residents of the world. Considering on the image the world is much smaller than the four politicians themselves, it suggests that their actions are more important than those living in the world. They have purposely made the background blue and sparkly to make it look like the ocean, with the yellow/brown strip being land that they are all standing on. The bright, vibrant colours would effectively attract the audience's attention. A ballot paper and box have been placed on the front cover to give the audience a clear insight into the image that they are creating.

The main headline is in black and white to co-ordinate well with the masthead. The line 'decision time' has been written in the colour red to draw attention to it and to emphasise the importance of this article. All the speech bubbles are black and white to add to the masthead and headline theme. The lyrics that are in the speech bubble next to Nicola reflect the fact that she is a female because it mentions the difficulty of relationship break-ups. This creates the impression that she is stereotypically feminine, which contrasts with the fact that she is dressed like a man. Farage has been made to look like he is not taking it serious because the lyrics in the speech bubble next to him say 'take a chance'. This suggests that he does not have valid reasons for wanting to leave, hinting at his underlying controversial reasons that shouldn't be known. 'The winner takes it all' as a main headline is amusing because people would know that it is from an ABBA song, therefore they would think it is clever how most of the text used on the cover references ABBA. From this headline, The Big Issue have created the impression that the referendum is a big competition between the politicians.

Advantages of this approach would be that the audience would find it amusing that the politicians are dressed up as the opposite sex, with silly facial expressions. As a result, the audience would believe that the article would also be amusing to read, encouraging them to buy the magazine. It is a unique and effective approach to the referendum. Most other articles that discuss the referendum would be fairly serious and therefore less fun to read. The Big Issue have subverted this stereotype by turning it into a comedy. The bright clothing and sparkly disco background that people were familiar with in the 1970's would be an advantage to the magazine as it would catch the target audience's eye.