MEDIA ESSAY – Newspaper CSP
Media products utilise a constructional view of the world and current times to target certain audiences and make sales. As Denis Mcqauil states “The media do serve the ‘public interest’ or ‘general welfare’ whether it’s by design or chance”” saying that the newspapers we read today are designed to sway and support our own decisions and that it doesn’t matter how it came about, that is the truth. As well as this, in the second half of the 19th century Karl Marx argued that the ideas of the governing power were causing too much in society and that people should take a step back and look at what they’re doing before they mindlessly follow it.
Firstly, we can see that within the newspaper “The Daily Mail” on page eighteen for the 06/06/22 paper the statement “Boris Johnson is by a country mile the best person to lead the Tory Government.” was made by Christopher Hart who is a writer/journalist for the daily mail. This displays one of the 5 filters of mass media, the structures of ownership. Media conglomerates are mostly owned or swayed by the government and if they go against it, the paper is seen to be less popular and many stories, proof and sources are deemed untrustworthy by other papers that have criticised them due to the governments input. Secondly this page can be seen to support the UK prime minister which supports Noam Chomskys idea that “the media is hand to hand with the government” and that they “are swayed to make stories which will change the opinion of the public” which we can see in the Daily mail throughout.
For example, on page six of the 06/06/22 Daily mail paper, the quote “Final parade was so very British” which refers to the Queens Jubilee party over the bank holiday weekend of 12-15 of May 2022. The quote directly supports the party and speaks of how great it was which further supports Chomskys idea that “the media is hand to hand with the government”, as well as this, the quote supports the idea that the Daily Mail is a right wing, authoritarian paper which supports the Conservative party which we can also see in the quote on page 2 “Tory rebels ‘are plotting a course to catastrophe’” implying people against the conservative party are causing mayhem which we can see in the quote “are plotting a course to catastrophe”.
Furthermore, we can see in “The I” newspaper from 06/06/22 the quote on page 20 “Thank you for saying what needed to be said about the Isralian state” which supports Habermas’ idea of the public sphere. Habermas said the public sphere was the mass spread of communication that came around with newspapers and letters were produced, which we can see used here to spread information about the Isralian state. Secondly the quote on page 20 “How long before Priti Patel makes it illegal to boo at someone we find offensive” which supports Antonia Gramsci’s idea of hegemony which is the theory that the state and ruling class have too much power and use cultural institutions to maintain power and control in society. We can see this because the quote “Priti Patel makes it illegal” implying he would abuse his powers to ban something he doesn’t like and make it the way he wants in court. Priti is the Conservative MP which shows that “The I” is a left-wing libertarian newspaper, being the opposite of the Daily mail despite the fact that both “The Daily Mail” and “The I” are owned by “The Daily Mail general trust”.
Lastly we can see that “The I” support Karl Mark’s idea that relationships between capitalists and workers were inherently exploitative and would inevitably create class conflict, we can see this as they didn’t pick a political party to side with in the 2017 and 2019 elections which can raise peoples thoughts of “The I” in whether to further support them. As well as this Nick Clegg, a deputy prime minister (libertarian”) sided and said he is a reader of “The I” which can further prove that “The I” is suited and written towards the members of the public that support the libertarian approach to politics.
In conclusion both “The Daily Mail” and “The I” target audiences by construction an idea logical view of the world, whether that’s through politics, war, celebrations or opinions.