Daily Mail & The i

Authoritarianism Vs Liberalism:

• Left wing = More concerned with humanity.; Collective
• Right wing = More concerned with economics/ business. Individualist.
• Authoritarian = The idea of power and control.
• Libertarian = The idea of freedom and liberty.

Both an economic dimension and a social dimension are important factors for a proper political analysis. By adding the social dimension you can show that Stalin was an authoritarian leftist (ie the state is more important than the individual) and that Gandhi, believing in the supreme value of each individual, is a liberal leftist. While the former involves state-imposed arbitrary collectivism in the extreme top left, on the extreme bottom left is voluntary collectivism at regional level, with no state involved. Hundreds of such anarchist communities existed in Spain during the civil war period

[Collectivism: is the idea that people should prioritize the good of society over the welfare of the individual.]

[Anarchism: a political theory holding all forms of governmental authority to be unnecessary and undesirable and advocating a society based on voluntary cooperation and free association of individuals and groups]

[Regional level:  a sub-division of government, which shares political, fiscal (taxation) and economic powers with a central government.]

You can also put Pinochet, who was prepared to sanction mass killing for the sake of the free market, on the far right as well as in a hardcore authoritarian position. On the non-socialist side you can distinguish someone like Milton Friedman, who is anti-state for fiscal rather than social reasons, from Hitler, who wanted to make the state stronger, even if he wiped out half of humanity in the process.

[Free Market: one where voluntary exchange and the laws of supply and demand provide the sole basis for the economic system, without government intervention.]

The chart also makes clear that, despite popular perceptions, the opposite of fascism is not communism but anarchism (ie liberal socialism), and that the opposite of communism ( ie an entirely state-planned economy) is neo-liberalism (ie extreme deregulated economy)

The usual understanding of anarchism as a left wing ideology does not take into account the neo-liberal “anarchism” championed by the likes of Ayn Rand, Milton Friedman and America’s Libertarian Party, which couples social Darwinian right-wing economics with liberal positions on most social issues. Often their libertarian impulses stop short of opposition to strong law and order positions, and are more economic in substance (ie no taxes) so they are not as extremely libertarian as they are extremely right wing. On the other hand, the classical libertarian collectivism of anarcho-syndicalism ( libertarian socialism) belongs in the bottom left hand corner.

Demolished the myth that authoritarianism is necessarily “right wing”, with the examples of Robert Mugabe, Pol Pot and Stalin. Similarly Hitler, on an economic scale, was not an extreme right-winger. His economic policies were broadly Keynesian, and to the left of some of today’s Labour parties. If you could get Hitler and Stalin to sit down together and avoid economics, the two diehard authoritarians would find plenty of common ground.

[Keynesian economics: is a macroeconomic theory of total spending in the economy and its effects on output, employment, and inflation.]

Liberalism is a “policy which deliberately adopts competition, markets and prices as it’s ordering principles.”

– Friedrich Hayek

Business cycle is the way economy grows and contracts. Over time economies find themselves in equilibrium. Gluts (excess of supply in relation to demand) and shortages should balance themselves out via market mechanisms leading to the optimal distribution of resources within an economy. – The School of Life

U.S. neo-conservatives, with their commitment to high military spending and the global assertion of national values, tend to be more authoritarian than hard right. By contrast, neo-liberals, opposed to such moral leadership and, more especially, the ensuing demands on the tax payer, belong to a further right but less authoritarian region. Paradoxically, the “free market”, in neo-con parlance, also allows for the large-scale subsidy of the military-industrial complex, a considerable degree of corporate welfare, and protectionism when deemed in the national interest. These are viewed by neo-libs as impediments to the unfettered market forces that they champion.

[Neo-liberalism: Refers to market-orientated policies such as “eliminating price controls, deregulating capital markets, lowering trade barriers”.]

[Neo-Conservatives: typically advocate the promotion of democracy and interventionism in international affairs, including peace through strength, and are known for espousing disdain for communism and political radicalism.]

Daily Mail

1. Lord Rothermere was a friend of Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler, and directed and chief executive of the Mail’s editorial stance towards them in the early 1930s
2.  A right- wing tabloid, the Mail is traditionally a supporter of the Conservative party. 
3. It has endorsed the party in every UK general election since 1945,
4. Published in London by Daily Mail and General Trust and distributed across the United Kingdom
5. Daily Mail and General Trust plc (DMGT) is a British multinational media company, the owner of the Daily Mail and several other titles. 
6. The 4th Viscount Rothermere is the chairman and controlling shareholder of the company.
7. The head office is located in Northcliffe House in Kensington London DMGT’s annual revenue is around £1bn.
8.  Women making up 52–55% of its readers
9. The term “Suffragette” was first used in 1906, as a term of derision by the journalist Charles E. Hands in the Mail to describe activists in the movement for women’s suffrage,
10. A survey in 2014 found the average age of its readers was 58, and it had the lowest demographic for 15- to 44-year-olds
11. Is considered to be the voice of ‘Middle-England‘ (middle class england).
12. “Highest-circulated daily newspaper. February 2020 show gross daily sales of 1,134,184 for the Daily Mail.”

The i

1. The paper and its website were bought by the Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT) on 29 November 2019, for £49.6 million
2. Originally launched in 2010 as a sister paper to The Independent 
3. In the 2017  and  2019 UK general elections, the i chose not to endorse a political party
4.  The paper is classified as a ‘quality’ ‘ in the UK market but is published in the standard compact tabloid-size format.
5. the i has developed a strong national reputation over time. The paper is understood to be highly regarded by many journalists
6. The i was named British National Newspaper of the Year in 2015.
7. It is aimed at “readers and lapsed readers” of all ages and commuters with limited time (lapsed reader = They had not read since leaving formal education, or because their reading habits had been interrupted).
8. The paper had an average daily circulation of 302,757 in March 2013.
9. At the top of select pages there are links to the social media handles of ‘The i’, perhaps they are trying to connect to a younger audience, becoming more inclusive and progressive
10. Founded: 26 October 2010; 11 years ago

Comparison table:

Key word/ Theme	Daily Mail ( Textual Evidence)	Daily Mail (Institutional Evidence)	The i (Textual Evidence)	The i (Institutional Evidence)
Views on Conservative party	p18 is the ‘Comment’ – the editorial or voice of the paper ‘Only Starmer gains from this clueless plot’ – Labour will gain from Conservative divisions over Boris Johnson	Lord Rothermere was a friend of Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler, and directed the Mail’s editorial stance towards them in the early 1930s  a right -wing tabloid, the Mail is traditionally a supporter of the Conservative party. It has endorsed the party in every UK general election since 1945,	Front cover ‘Johnson future turning toxic for Tories’ seems to be against Conservative / Boris Johnson	In the 2017 and 2019 UK general elections, the i chose not to endorse a political party  The paper is classified as a ‘quality‘ in the UK market but is published in the standard compact tabloid-size format. the i has developed a strong national reputation over time. The paper is understood to be highly regarded by many journalists The i was named British National Newspaper of the Year in 2015.
Business over humans		Daily Mail is part of the General Trust plc (DMGT) is a British multinational media company, which owns several other titles.
concentration of ownership				The paper and its website were bought by the Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT) on 29 November 2019, for £49.6 million
globalisation		Its website has more than 218 million unique visitors per month	Page 16: “do you know people are dying right now-at an estimated rate of one person every 48 seconds.” – significant to put this advert into the newspaper-suggests audience and more community based and caring for other countries. suggests libertarian views.
Patriotism	Front page ‘Joyous Jubilee’ – supporting Royal Family Page 5: “Brothers so near yet so far…” – Slight criticisim towards Harry who has resigned his position as a royal. Showing them sat far away for each other. – Support of the monarchy and showing how the media dramatizes issues.		Front page ‘The new Firm’ slightly critical of Royal Family
Racial superiority	Page 25: “UK sends in war crime experts”- suggests otherization and that Britain are launching an investigation after 1 British-Ukrainian faces the death penalty and 3 other British soldiers have been captured.- only care because of the British soldiers. They are getting involved because they think they should regulate. Page 18: “Britain’s outcomes compare well with the rest of the developed world.”- suggests Britain dealt with the pandemic better than the rest of the world. Nationalism. Page 18: “Boris is right and Macron wrong. Saving Putin’s face is a mug’s game.
Nationalism	page 10 ‘how the nation came together’ suggest national harmony – we are all together. Page 5-6: ‘Queen hopes for “renewed sense of togetherness”- suggests Page 2: “we are strongest when united.”- suggests all people of all beliefs within the UK can make Britain stronger if we come together.		Page 20: “This is not an anti-Semitism- but simply exposes the brutality of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians.
Militarism (use of military)
Feminism / Female	Page 33: “father’s worst nightmare” – Father of Gemma owens discusses his concern for his daughter (gemma owens) going onto love island reality tv show due to the repercussions on her mental health from the media. Newspaper adds in the concern for watching his daughter have sex on TV – Highlighting the difference in attitude towards men and women’s behaviour and the degree of acceptance.	women making up 52–55% of its readers The term “suffragette” was first used in 1906, as a term of derision by the journalist Charles E. Hands in the Mail to describe activists in the movement for women’s suffrage,
traditional values		Founded in 1896		originally launched in 2010 as a sister paper to The Independent
Links to the establishment / elite		The Proprietor is the The 4th Viscount Rothermere is the chairman and controlling shareholder of the company The head office is located in Northcliffe House in Kensington, London.
Authoritarian / Libertarian	Still uses an Editorial ie the voice of one over many?		Does not have voice of editor, but an ‘Opinion Matrix’ instead ie a range of different voices and opinion – so much more freedom and plurality (=many) in voice and thought?
the fusion of entertainment and news / information	Page 19: “Is the West End going broke because it’s gone all woke?” – suggests that Theatres in England received a backlash and are currently struggling after changing famous narratives in order to create more diversity like cinderella where the prince is gay and runs off with the duke instead. Page 13: “Queen of rock: Her Majesty and Paddington tap their crockery to the opening beat of the Queen’s We Will Rock You in the film.” – Presenting Queen as a relevant character in society, she is active and not just the traditional figure of royalty. Humanises her. Pride within Britain. “The mask of office was allowed to slip”	A survey in 2014 found the average age of its readers was 58, and it had the lowest demographic for 15- to 44-year-olds		The paper is classified as a ‘quality‘ in the UK market but is published in the standard compact tabloid-size format. the i has developed a strong national reputation over time. The paper is understood to be highly regarded by many journalists The i was named British National Newspaper of the Year in 2015.
Title of Newspaper	The font of the Masthead suggests old and traditional.		The Masthead suggests connotations of an eyeball- sees everything or the first-person pronoun “I” suggesting a collection of opinions which are representative of the public.
Class differentiation/ social status	Page 23: “Ousting PM now would be nothing less than insanity”- shows the daily mail supports Boris Johnson through his hypocritical actions (disobeying covid restrictions). Page 18: “Britain’s outcomes compare well with the rest of the developed world.” Page 14: “The Prince of Wales unites the UK” – suggests the Royal family are superior. Page 2: “Tory rebels are plotting course to catastophe” – suggests right wing beliefs
Restriction of immigration	Page 39: “What happens when your Ukrainian surrogate has to flee a war and move in with you.”
Violence			Page 19: “Vladimir Putin deserves to be crushed for the sake of his country-and Europe.”-suggests a common opinion of anti-putin and support for Ukraine and the neighbouring countries.

Historical context:

JOHANNED GUTENBERG:

Printing press was invented in 1440 by Johannes Gutenberg. This introduced the era of mass communication which permanently altered the structure of society. The relatively unregulated circulation of information and ideas transcended borders and threatened the power if political and religious authorities. The increase in literacy broke the monopoly of the literate elite on education and learning and boosted the emerging middle class – social mobility.

PETERLOO MASSACRE:

In 1819, a peaceful protest took place in the city of Manchester fighting for justice from Parliament.  There were banners with slogans such as “Liberty and Fraternity” and “Taxation without Representation is Unjust and Tyrannical” whilst also patriotic tunes such as Rule Britannia and God Save the King.

Violence, carried out by troops sent to disperse them were so aggressive they killed 18 people and left 650 injured which resulted in the bloodiest political clash in British history.

What happened at St Peter’s Field would become known as the Peterloo Massacre – a name coined by a local journalist named James Wroe in punning reference to the Battle of Waterloo four years earlier. Wroe paid for the joke by seeing his radical newspaper, the Manchester Observer, closed down, and was himself sentenced to a year’s imprisonment for seditious libel (meaning they argued it was a false statement – defamation.)

 They prompted John Edward Taylor, a 28-year-old Manchester businessman and witness to the massacre, to start his own paper, two years later, to campaign for reform. The Manchester Guardian’s roots, and its enduring liberal, reformist character lie in what happened there in 1819.

This links to Habermas and the transformation of the public sphere. As the purpose of newspapers is the idea of a democratic society enabled by news, information, ideas and debate.

It is argued that “a public space between the private domain and the state in which public opinion was formed and ‘popular’ supervision of government was established”

Mass Media and Democracy by James Curran there is a focus on Jurgen Habermas and his concept of the ‘Public Sphere‘, basically arguing that the developments in education and the mass media allowed for a greater access to information particularly with regard to government, authority and the exercise of control. Similarly, Denis McQuail aruges for a media that specifically works in the public interest and not in a purely commercial interest.

We can also link this to Noam Chomsky who talks about manufacturing consent.

“The link between media ownership of news organisations and news coverage is not easy to determine”

In other words the media are biased.

• the suggestion that the news media ‘reinforces’ a political situation (Murdock, 1982), or the idea that
• ‘different stances different news organisations or types of organisations take toward different audiences in the marketplace‘ (Curran et al, 1980), or
• the proposition that “major media conglomerates control more and more of the world’s media. Where media are not controlled by organisations, they are generally voices of the state.”
• the propaganda model that the media ‘serve to mobilize support for the special interests that dominate the state and private activity‘ (Chomsky, 1988)