IDEOLOGY CAN BE DEFINED AS A COLLECTION OF VALUES AND BELIEFS. TO WHAT EXTENT DO MEDIA PRODUCTS TARGET AUDIENCES BY CONSTRUCTING AN IDEOLOGICAL VIEW OF THE WORLD? YOU SHOULD REFER TO YOUR NEWSPAPER CLOSE STUDY PRODUCTS, THE I AND THE DAILY MAIL.

The printing press was created in Germany in 1440, this invention made way for the purpose of informing the public through a different media form. Noam Chomsky explains that media products target audiences by constructing an ideological view of the world through marketing. Noam Chomsky is an American linguist, philosopher and political activist.  He is the author of more than 150 books on topics such as linguistics, war, politics, and mass media. Chomsky goes on to explain how propaganda and systematic biases function in corporate mass media. He seeks to explain how populations can be manipulated through the use of propaganda to consent for economic, social and political policies, both foreign and domestic, is “manufactured” in the public mind. This results in narrowing the public sphere with the audience engaging passively instead of actively. They no longer challenge the information they receive and believe what they are told is “facts” making them easily manipulated. The public sphere is an area in social life where individuals can come together to freely discuss and identify societal problems, and through that discussion influence political action. The media ceased to be an agency of empowerment and rationality however instead of containing a neutral status, the media manipulated mass opinion instead of giving rational-critical debates. According to Chomsky “propaganda is to democracy what the bludgeon is to a totalitarian state,” and the mass media is the primary vehicle for delivering propaganda in the United States. We generally believe that we are more free than authoritarian states, when in fact Noam Chomsky says that we are not and that our freedom of choice is an illusion.

On each end of the political spectrum there is Authoritarianism, who believe in more individualistic ideals, and Libertarianism, who believe more community/communist ideals. All newspapers hold their own political compass. For example the “I” creates contrast compared to “The Daily Mail” and appears that it is positioned on the left-wing spectrum, however the I is owned by DMGT (Daily Mail General Trust) which presents views of patriotism and right-wing conservative. (70% of news papers are owned by just three companies). Showing how conglomerates narrow the public sphere and control the population.

The daily mail uses a handful of Roland Barthes theory on semiotic signs which includes font, colours and pictures to represent their ideas and political viewpoint. For instance the front page of the Daily Mail reads “Magnificent celebrations” with two pictures of the Queen looking up towards the right hand corner and smiling creates an impression for the reader of a strong and noble Queen. This shows their support for the royal family and their patriotic attitude. The use of “magnificent” shows their pride and support of such a rare occasion and also shows their more right-wing compass as someone on the left-wing might argue the tax pay leading up to the celebration. The Daily Mail’s ownership supports the UK conservative party as on page 18 it states “Britain’s outcomes compare well with the rest of the developed world” which suggests that Britain dealt with the pandemic better than the rest of the world or even implying that Britain set the standard for the rest of the world. The use of developed also infers a sense of racial superiority in comparison, this shows a more authoritarian belief as they support the Prime Minister.