Category Archives: Journalism

Filters

Author:
Category:

Journalism, Magazines, New Media, Newspapers

Teen Vogue and The voice -CSP Revision

April 18, 2023 Georgina Foord Leave a comment

Key words/Ideas:

Intersectionality (Bel Hooks) – Diversity within the online publications
Culture Industries – Risky business (David Hesmondhalgh)
Uses and gratifications- personal/social needs (Katz, bloomer)
Marginalisation
End of Audience (Clay Shirky)
Dispora
Feminist Frequency
Data Harvesting (Zuboff)

The Voice

First published 1982
No investors for a niche audience, context of 1980’s offered McCalla an opportunity. Barclays was being criticised for investments in south africa after segregation was institutionalised. McCalla secured £62,000, by one of MT’s initiatives so unemployed could start their own business’
Countertype to mainstreams negative portrayal of black people

Teen Vogue

Structure:

How media has changed – adaptations (formerly print)

Binary oppositions between portrayals

Noam Chomsky

Journalism, Magazines, Oh!

CSP – OH!

October 14, 2022 Georgina Foord Leave a comment

Radical representation of women in the media as on the front cover she is not over-sexualised. She is not wearing revealing/tight fitted clothing. Her make-up is light and very natural looking helping to create a humanising picture of a woman. her posture is slumped back and wide as she takes up space in the environment showing her confidence. Her hair is short which is counter typical for the stereotype of femininity. Links to Butler’s theory of gender as performance. She is not the stereotypical representation of women but rather shows some masculine features.

Encountering more diversity. Inclusion of women from different cultures and not shown in the stereotypical way. (poverty/terrorism) She is a campaigner fighting against FGM showing her as a strong independent woman. Capitalisation of the word “Sister” showing emphasis of how she wishes to unite women. Focusing on real world problems instead of common conversational topics such as fashion, cooking, cleaning, and weight gain/loss. Focusing of empowering women rather than gossiping.

Promoting body positivity and acceptance of all bodies. Counter typical to the common passive aggressive remarks which are often made towards women and their body changes. Creating emphasis around this as an inclusive magazine.

Industries:

Owned by Iceberg Press- Iceberg press set up Oh Comely in order to bridge the gap between the more mainstream magazines and the vibrant and innovative content of independent magazines. They are strictly print.
- Independent media organisation
- Only a few members of staff
The EDITOR, Lisa Skyes, spent further stints at Hearst Magazines UK, working as a deputy editor of coast magazine

Print Language: Her eyeline is directly at the audience, the picture is poised however it still has the quality of being candid. close up shot to draw audience to look at her face. Language used is unconventional for women and words normally associated with masculinity, e.g strong, mischief, revolution. Creating a sense of empowerment – linking with feminism. The Headline is “Oh comely” which is an old fashioned word meaning “attractive” this links into the classiness/elegance of women without sexualising them.

Representation:

Audience:

Social Media Reach: 100,000
Readers Per Issue: 25,000
Average Age of reader: 27
Sold through independents, WHSmith and international outlets
Target Market is young women
Aimed at a niche audience

Institution, Journalism, Magazines, Mens Health

Magazine csp – men’s health

October 3, 2022 Georgina Foord Leave a comment

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is mens-health-front-cover.jpg

Print Language: The dominant signifier is a celebrity called Vin Diesel. He is looking down towards the viewer – connotating towards feelings of intimidation and superiority/dominance. The symbolic use of the shades of colour blue is stereotypical to the gender of a man creating a reactionary representation of a masculine magazine. The font is blocky and bold in order to come across stronger and more masculine. The semantic field of language used demonstrates what it is to be a man and alludes to strength. E.g. kill, demolish, blast. There is also use of a hashtag to link to social media and perhaps trying to access a younger demographic or to link with the modern digital world, in order to make it more accessible.

Representation: The Magazine print is a reactionary representation of men as it uses stereotypical semiotics that are connotated with masculinity. This connotates to Judith Butler’s theory of how we view gender in a “binary fashion”. She believes that gender is fluid.

Audience: The use of a celebrity is more appealing to the audience- connotating to Laswell’s Two-step flow communication model by influence of opinion leaders. The target audience is men who want to invest on their selves and take care of their body. The audience will also be men who are typically wealthy and have the money to afford luxuries. This is aimed at a range of men 15+.

Industries: Men’s Health was published by Hearst – the worlds largest magazine brand. Started by Mark Bricklin in the US in 1986 focusing on topics such as fitness, nutrition, relationships, travel, technology, fashion and finance. These magazines reach over 71 million readers worldwide. The magazine was criticised due to its focus on fitness which can increase men’s anxieties about their bodies and making them more prone to eating disorders and compulsive over – exercising. In 2004 Men’s Health started putting pictures of celebrities on the front cover with their shirts on. This is due to them promoting an unattainable model of a man. The price is $4.99 per magazine (monthly) or $28 for the year.

Since 2000, Men’s Health has been nominated for 17 National Magazine Awards which are administrated by Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism and presented by the American Society of Magazine Editors. Won both Editor’s Choice and Reader’s Choice for the 2016 Hot List

Costs over $200,000 to feature an ad on the front cover. 708 men buy Men’s Health and 365 women buy men’s health.

The British edition of Men’s Health was founded in 1995. In March 2006, one of the UK writers, Dan Rookwood, appeared on the cover having transformed his body shape while working at the magazine.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is mens-health-contents-page.jpg

Links to online website ‘menshealth.co.uk’, encouraging readers to move online to view the magazine- more accessible. Also prevents from going outdated
Reactionary representation of exercise, strength and fitness through links to articles within the magazine on the contents page. This is shown through image signifiers such as pictures of trainers, weights etc. Creating this unrealistic ideal that to be a ‘real’ man you must be physically at top performance. Limited radical representation through the inclusion of men of different ages and races.
Typical male characteristics displayed through linking to an article with a picture featuring spanners, lock and key, cogs – implying men are good at fixing things or building things.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is mens-health-article.jpg

Q+A style interview signposted through bold font for question and different for answers.
Iconic sign of a arrow, clearly marking that he is the topic of the conversation.
Use of alliteration “Marathon Man” making it more memorable, eye catching and easier to digest. Also has similarities with language choice alluding to this sense of a powerful ability e.g “super man”

On pages 10-11 of Men’s Health the car provides escapism and self esteem which applies to Katz’s theory of uses and gratifications and contrasts between the social and personal needs. Also relating to a typically masculine interest/hobby.

The School of Life produced a video called How to be a Man, while this is not an academic theory it nevertheless presents two versions of masculinity; the warm man and the cool man. It is possible to identify these two versions in Men’s Health, thus supporting Gauntlett’s notion of fluid, negotiated, constructed, collective identity.

For example, on the front cover of Men’s Health, Vin Diesel is standing with his posture straight and his eyeline directed down towards the viewer. Here he is demonstrating the cool man which is typically a relaxed and confident version of masculinity.

Exam Prep

Hearst UK’ is a publishing organisation (conglomerate) which publishes 21 magazines in the UK, including; ‘ELLE’, ‘Good Housekeeping’, ‘Women’s Health’ as well as ‘Men’s Health’. It is owned through horizontal integration by ‘Hearst Communications’ (an American mass media company based in New York that is over 130 years old) Women’s Health was founded in 2005 as a branch of Men’s Health. It currently has a higher circulation than Men’s Health – 96,350, (dec 2021)
Started by Mark Bricklin in the US in 1986 focusing on topics such as fitness, nutrition, relationships, travel, technology, fashion and finance.
“More than 21 million readers across social and digital platforms”
‘MH-18’ a spin-off magazine of Men’s Health was produced in August 2000 to try to engage with a teenager demographic. This links to David Hesmondhalgh idea that media companies need to find ways to find new audiences, whilst keeping the loyalty of avid readers as a way of reducing risk.
Social Media: 8.9 M – Facebook, 4.4M – Twitter, 1.7M – Instagram.
Their consumer profile states that 67% of their readers are married, engaged or with a partner. 66% of the readers are college educated. The consumer profile also highlights that 5.3 Million of readers are adventure/ thrill seekers and 11.4 Million aspire to have a healthy lifestyle.
Print sales fell by 42% from 23.8m to 13.9m between 2010 and 2017.

Statistics from Jan-Dec 2021

An average of a 89,811 circulation per issue (how many copies distributed)
26% of copies were purchased digitally
74% of copies were purchased as print

Journalism, NEA, Newspapers

newspaper nea soi

June 20, 2022 Daniel Mendonca Leave a comment

The newspaper’s audience are people of all ages living in the region who are interested in national and international news stories as well as stories relating specifically to the local area.

In evaluation, I’m going to research current issues on climate change and how locally climate change in affecting Jersey, such as the high levels of lung cancer increasing due to the much larger volumes of granite in Jersey compared to the UK. I may take a photo of the sea wall or beach which can generally and easily relate to the main idea which is climate change. I might also be able to discuss ideas of theorist Noam Chomsky and how current reports of climate change may not be accurate and is creating an ideological world which support money making motives. The newspaper will help enable political discussion and civic involvement.

In terms of layout and design, I am going to follow the style model of our CSP (The i). This has a main image (half page) with two ‘plugs’ or ‘ears which are stories that are to be continued later into the paper, these are not to be as relevant as the main page but will maintain its contemporary and stylish look.

I want to create a newspaper front cover using Adobe InDesign that features local news for jersey that also relates to national and international – world – issues. I may also use photoshop to create certain detailed elements that will relate to the style of the newspaper cover.

Body:

Main header : Will current climate change issues effect our futures?

Human activity is the main cause of climate change. How can we locally prevent uses of fossil fuels to help prevent global warming and climate change? Alex Matthews investigates

Latest reports from a well respected university professor of ethics in London says that ‘Climate change is the defining problem of our time and we are at a defining moment and in dire need of revolution’

A devastating current world issue that faces people everyday is being forsaken, recent studies on climate change show that temperature levels are actively and constantly rising and are effecting all world’s climates. Specifically, in Jersey these temperature levels are effecting the work rate of Jersey employee’s and is causing workers to quit work that are based on working outside. Also, looking deeper into ideas on effective change and how to fix this world epidemic , but specifically in Jersey in this case, there has been recent voting’s being held in Jersey and looking at certain portfolios of some of the candidates, some of them seem to have an idea on how to solve climate change issues locally and how we can help prevent recent increases of fossil fuels accordingly.

Journalism, NEA, Newspapers, Production

Newspaper nea

June 19, 2022 Dr McKinlay Leave a comment

Create a front page from a regional newspaper reporting on a social and/or political issue of interest to its broad local audience.

TASK 1 RESEARCH, PLANNING, PREPARING: make sure you write a statement of intent. I would also suggest you sketch out your design
TASK 2 AUDIENCE RESEARCH: ask your family and friends
TASK 3 BUILD YOUR ASSETS (masthead, front cover story, supplementary stories, index / contents of paper, institutional details – day, date, bar code etc
TASK 4 IMPORT ASSETS INTO INDESIGN
TASK 5 COMPLETE PRODUCTION – print out at appropriate size and upload to blog.

YOU ONLY HAVE THIS WEEK. TUESDAY IS SPORTS DAY!

Planner

NEWSPAPER NEA

1. understand brief
2. write statement of intent
3. Make sketch of front cover
4. produce main story body copy (on word or on blog)
5. Take photo for front page story

SPORTS DAY

NEWSPAPER NEA

1. produce masthead on photoshop (use ruler to measure real size)
2. Make other assets that require Photoshop
3. Make InDesign template (use real measurements)
4. Import masthead, photo and body copy
5. Adjust columns for body copy and
6. Add drop cap(s) to copy
7. Add in-line quote (to body text)

NEWSPAPER NEA

1. Add other assets – either directly into InDesign or build in Photoshop first

Aim to complete first draft

NEWSPAPER NEA

Complete all work.

Make sure you have printed your work to the appropriate size (you will probably need an A3 printer) and saved a JPEG on your blog

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5

Journalism, Newspapers, Notes, Research, Theory

noam chomsky

June 15, 2022 Daniel Mendonca Leave a comment

So how does this process of ‘manipulation’ or ‘persuasion’ work?

1.Structures of ownership

Maybe there is only a few select amount of companies
“The first has to do with ownership. Mass media firms are big corporations. Often, they are part of even bigger conglomerates. Their end game? Profit. And so it’s in their interests to push for whatever guarantees that profit. Naturally, critical journalism must take second place to the needs and interests of the corporation.”

2.The role of advertising

The propaganda model is a conceptual model in political economy advanced by Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky to explain how propaganda and systemic biases function in corporate mass media.

3.Links with ‘The Establishment’

Links with higher power
(THE MEDIA ELITE)
The establishment manages the media through the third filter. Journalism cannot be a check on power because the very system encourages complicity. Governments, corporations, big institutions know how to play the media game. They know how to influence the news narrative. They feed media scoops, official accounts, interviews with the ‘experts’. They make themselves crucial to the process of journalism. So, those in power and those who report on them are in bed with each other.

4.Diversionary tactics – ‘flak’

Diverse someone’s attention to something else
“If you want to challenge power, you’ll be pushed to the margins. When the media – journalists, whistleblowers, sources – stray away from the consensus, they get ‘flak’. This is the fourth filter. When the story is inconvenient for the powers that be, you’ll see the flak machine in action discrediting sources, trashing stories and diverting the conversation.”

5.Uniting against a ‘common enemy’

To manufacture consent, you need an enemy — a target. That common enemy is the fifth filter. Communism. Terrorists. Immigrants. A common enemy, a bogeyman to fear, helps corral public opinion.

Noam Chomsky describes himself as an anarcho-syndicalist and libertarian socialist, and is considered to be a key intellectual figure within the left wing of politics of the United States.

Chomsky rose to national attention for his anti-war essay “The Responsibility of Intellectuals“. Becoming associated with the New Left, he was arrested multiple times for his activism and placed on President Richard Nixon‘s Enemies List

What is the manufacturing consent theory?

It argues that the mass communication media of the U.S. “are effective and powerful ideological institutions that carry out a system-supportive propaganda function, by reliance on market forces, internalized assumptions, and self-censorship, and without overt coercion”, by means of the propaganda model of communication …

The 5 Filters of Mass Media Machine

The five filters are:

(1) ownership; (2) advertising; (3) official sources; (4) flak; and (5) marginalizing dissent.

The author discusses the applicability of Herman’s and Chomsky’s propaganda model today.

Ownership: Mass media companies and firms as parts of even bigger conglomerates, as a sole function for profit. In their interest to push what ever increases that profit.
Advertising money: Advertisers are paying for audiences. So their role is to be at the use of mass media conglomerates as a tool to increase profits.
The media Elite: Make themselves crucial to the process of advertising. They are used as a tool to help the processes of media consumption. You cannot challenge power.
Flak machine: discrediting, distorting, challenging and undermining stories.
The common enemy: Helps crowd public opinion, points the finger at the common enemy as a tactic to control the masses.

AGENDA SETTING

FRAMING

MYTH MAKING

CONDITIONS OF CONSUMPTION

Essays, Exam Prep, Journalism, Newspapers, Regulation, Representation

ESSAY

June 13, 2022 Sarah Browne Leave a comment

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.

In this essay, I am going to explore the ideological view that the audiences of the media have. Also, the impact and influence that the media has, specifically newspapers. I am going to use two newspapers to do so: The Daily Mail and The i – both dated on Monday 6th June and both owned by Daily Mail and General Trust plc (DMGT) which is a British multinational media company, the owner of the Daily Mail and several other titles such as The i, it is owned by The 4th Viscount Rothermere.

Printing press first began in 1440 with the main purpose of sharing knowledge wider and quicker. Nowadays, printing is done much quicker therefore their main purpose is to entertain, inform and educate. There are many tabloids out there all serving the same purpose but have to differentiate who they’re targeting and what they’re spreading.

The i Newspaper launched to pose a challenge to existing ‘quality’ newspapers with low cover price and tabloid format. The i needed a way to stand out from other newspapers as newspapers realistically are dying. They don’t make enough money from the newspaper itself. From Noam Chomsky’s 5 Media Filters, the second filter “Role of advertising” – Media costs more than consumers will ever pay. Newspaper fees do not ever cover the cost of production. Advertising is an important way for newspapers to make money. For example, when you go onto The i’s online website as you start searching, advertisements begin to pop up on the screen. Newspapers thrive off of advertising since it is their main way to make money, this makes the newspaper industry a risky business as said so by David Hesmondhalgh on Cultural Industries.

The Daily Mail newspaper is a right wing supporting newspaper, who in the issue dated Monday 6th June 2022 was heavily supportive of the conservative party and the Monarch. On the majority of pages up to page 17 are all dedicated to the Queen and her Royal Platinum Jubilee at the weekend just gone before the issue was published. On Page 18, a comment was left in favour of Queen Elizabeth herself. ‘For 70 years. the Queen has put love of country and public service above all else. And, as the last four days of Platinum Jubilee celebrations have shown, the people love her for it. For an object lesson in the virtue of loyalty, the Tory rebels need look no further. The Daily Mail including this in their column suggests they have no negative opinions towards the Queen or the conservative therefore enforcing positive opinions onto the audience who is targeted as

notes

Curran and Seaton – Power and Media industries theory

“The free market makes the press a representative institution…newspapers and magazines are to respond to the concerns of their readers if they are to stay in business.”

However, since the press has been industrialised, the ‘assumption that ‘anyone is free to start a paper’ is an ‘illusion’.

Power of media institutions and how monopolies can project ideas and messages to large amounts of people.

the press can be used as a propaganda tool to influence the audience. Because there are far fewer newspaper owners than their are readers, an audience only receives a small amount of opinions. Whilst many hoped the internet would make this fairer, due to lower costs, Curran and Seaton believe this hasn’t happened in practice as the big news organisations control the majority of online news.

Daily Mail and General Trust plc (DMGT) –

magnificent celebrations,” “joyous jubilee.

Institution, Journalism, Newspapers

Political Compass

June 6, 2022 Georgina Foord Leave a comment

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.

Key word / theme / question etc

Key word/Theme/Question	The Daily Mail (Textual Evidence)	The Daily Mail (Institutional Evidence)	The I (Textual Evidence)	The I (Institutional Evidence)
Titles of Newspapers	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.
Globalisation			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.
Business over humans
Patriotism (strong belief in your country)	Front cover: “Joyous Jubilee” “Magnificent Celebrations” – showing support towards the queen and her reigning period.
Nationality	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.
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.
Militarism (use of military)
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.	Lord Rothermere was friends with Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler and directed the Editorial towards them in the early 1930s.		The i chose not to endorse in a political party.
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	right-wing and supports conservative party
Restriction of Immigration	Page 39: “What happens when your Ukrainian surrogate has to flee a war and move in with you.”
Religion
Relationship freedom (family/friends/partner)
Misogyny/gender inequality
Ableism
Regulation of media/market		Publisher : DMG Media		The owner of the Daily Mail, DMGT, has bought the i newspaper and website for £49.6m from JPI Media
Education
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.
Terrorism
LGBT

The Daily Mail:

Harmsworth family, Viscounts Rothermere own The Daily Mail.
Type: Public limited company
Publisher : DMG Media
First issue date:1896
Headquarters: Derry Street London
Awards: The Press Award for Newspaper Of the year.
Revenue: £1.1 billion (2021)
Lord Rothermere was friends with Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler and directed the Editorial towards them in the early 1930s.
Generally Critical of the BBC
woman make up 52-55% of readers.
right-wing and supports conservative party

The I:

Owner: Daily Mail and General Trust
Headquarters: Northcliffe House; London, England
Founded: 26 October 2010; 11 years ago
The owner of the Daily Mail, DMGT, has bought the i newspaper and website for £49.6m from JPI Media
The i chose not to endorse in a political party.

Audience, Journalism

david hesmondhalgh:

January 5, 2022 Roisin Flynn Leave a comment

His theory, that major cultural organisations create products for different industries in order to maximise chances of commercial success.

David hesmondhalgh is among a range of academics who critically analyse the relationship between media work and the media industry. In his seminal book, The Culture Industries (Sage, 2019) he suggest that:

the distinctive organisational form of the cultural industries has considerable implications for the conditions under which symbolic creativity is carried out’

the individualising discourses of ‘talent’ and ‘celebrity’ and the promise of future fame or consecration, have special purchase in creative work, and are often instrumental in ensuring compliance with the sometimes invidious demands of managers, organisations and the industry.

He states that ”the media industry is a risky business”.

Hesmondhalgh identifies that the media industry is split into 3 sections which are production, distribution and consumption, this concept is not owned by anyone. It is an idea that certain people in the industry are involved in each one. Such as cameramen and directions in production, social media marketers for distribution and cinema projector engineers for consumption.

Advertising, Audience, Exam Prep, Journalism

AT HOME NOTES 2:

December 3, 2021 Alex Henry Leave a comment

“Far reaching social changes currently affecting western society” – Concept one, David Gauntlett.

This gives me the idea that the idea and opinion of genders people have are widely affecting a large amount of people.

“The notion of who we are is heavily determined by long-standing social forces” – Concept one, David Gauntlett.

This connotates the idea that gender determines our personality.

“Linked to family expectations and rigid social codes” – Concept 1, David Gauntlett.

This shows how people believe genders have responsibilities to fill.

“Sheer new amount of products and channels, both niche and mainstream, facilitates the process of identity editing by audiences” – Concept 2, David Gauntlett,

All types of media have an affect on people and gender identities.

“Self help books tell us that we do not have to endure the personality flaws that hold us back from the jobs we want or the relationship we desire” – Concept 2, David Gauntlett.

The idea of change of identities started with self-help books.

“Popular culture within the process of constructing their sense of identity” – Interview with David Gauntlett

The general idea of genders is constructed by opinions and stereotypes.

“She highlights his conclusions that myths are powerful makers of meanings” – Gender as performance, Judith Butler

Even though its all a lie, the stereotypes have a big effect on people.

“Male and female identities are not naturally configured” – Butler gender revolution

Stereotypes and opinions do not decide who you are.

2023 Media Blog