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The Voice

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PAPER 2 (LONG ANSWER) Online, social and participatory – news website, produced by and targeting a minority group.

Social, political, economic and cultural contexts

The Voice as an institution has historical and cultural significance in its origins (1982) as the UK’s first (and only) newspaper aimed specifically at a Black British audience, dealing with relevant political and social issues. The website continues this function but is perhaps considered more mainstream and less political than in the past. The economic context can be explored through a consideration of the nature of the production and distribution and move to online content to reach a wider audience and attract advertisers.

The Voice is a commercial media product but could also be seen as fulfilling a public service through its targeting of an ethnic minority audience. The website also demonstrates the way that news institutions have had to respond to new technology through The Voice’s bi-media presence
and use of convergence.

  • The Voice provides a case study for the specialised nature of media production, distribution and circulation within a regional and national context
  • The use of digital platforms to expand the output and reach of the products demonstrates how institutions have responded to the impact of new technology.

REPRESENTATION

These include the representation of the target audience – Black Britons – but also the selection and construction of news stories and their subjects. The analysis of representation can be used to explore target audiences and ideological readings.

The Voice CSP provides an example of a clearly targeted, primary audience through demographics of ethnicity, race and age, which should encourage the study of issues of identity.

AUDIENCE

Related to this would be a discussion of the changing relationship between producers and audiences – is there a need for media aimed at specialised audiences in the context of audience as producer? (Clay Shirky ‘end of audience’ theories)

  • Definitions of mass and minority or specialised audiences
  • Debates around the idea of targeting specialised audiences (by race, age, lifestyle, etc) and how successful that targeting is in reality
  • Differing interpretations by different groups – those belonging to and outside the primary audience (Stuart Hall – reception theory)
  • Opportunities for audience interactivity and creativity
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Newspapers

Liberal theory of press and media as watchdog

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The market-based press is loyal to only the public. It acts as a ‘watchdog’, prepared to hold the government accountable for any wrongdoing in order to keep the public informed.

This allows the public to form opinions of their own, especially during the likes of election time. Public opinion is then issued to those in power by the press.

Autonomy allows the press to provide readers with information about the government that may not act in it’s favour, without any consequences.

Examples of ‘watchdog’ articles in the Guardian and Daily Mail:

The Guardian

The Daily Mail

Newspapers

The Guardian VS the Daily Mail: articles about patriotism

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The Guardian questions the idea of patriotism to make their viewers reflect on the meaning of it. This is also the same on another article they wrote about patriotism: How we can shape a progressive patriotism.

This is different for the daily mail who try and create a sense of urgency and outrage with more dramatic titles, for example in the article Patriotism in free-fall: Just 39% of US adults and 18% of young people are ‘extremely proud’ to be American they try and cause outrage about how patriotism is so low, especially in the younger generation. Furthermore in their article they include a photo of a protest to make their article more dramatic compared to the guardian’s article which includes a photo of a hand holding up an american flag.

Newspapers

Political Compass Test Results

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According to the test, I am on the economic left and social libertarian. This means that I support the idea of all people living equally and having no superiority over each other because of cultures or social class. This also means I’m against basic human necessities being sold for high prices in order for corporations to make a profit. Libertarian means that I would be against the idea of governments intervening in every aspect of peoples lives.

Instructions, NEA, Newspapers, Theory

Alternative ways of Writing

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In our previous blog post we explored the general rule of introducing a story by answering questions such as ‘who, what, when’ from the outset.

However, there are cases when this rule is not followed. Sensational, tabloid, ‘soft news’ reporting (on lifestyle, personalities, events) quite often focuses on details and atmosphere before proceeding into essential information.

See an example below:

This intro here answers the ‘when’ (11am) without even mentioning the date. The texts evokes literary accounts by emphasizing weather and atmosphere. The next paragraph employs colorful and poetic language through the use of the phrase ‘grey London skies.’ These modes of expression present the Royals are highly honorable figures. The melancholy of the weather ties with their mission to honor the memory of the dead. The headline contrasts this atmosphere of silence and awe with the ‘sound and fury’ of the pro-Palestine protesters. The Royals here are presented as the embodiment of high national ideals: patriotism, reserve and constrain. This allies with the overall conservative worldview of the newspaper and targets audiences who have similar ideas about British identity, public order and the sanctity of monarchy.

On the following page, this emotionally charged representations of the ritual mix with ‘gossipy’ information about the dressing style of princess Kate. This expands the appeal of this topic towards readers who might be not very politically conscious. The use of the close up photograph of the princess and the historical background of her ‘pin’ create an effect of ‘personalization.’ The readers are invited to consume the personal story of a public figure by foregrounding her aesthetic tastes, ‘elegance’ and emotion. All these elements are graphically depicted in both text and visuals. Politics becomes ‘celebrity’ news. It is the person that matters, not the institution or the ideology. In addition to inspiring sympathy for and glorification of the princess, this style of presentation might target a more diverse audiences that monarchists: fashion enthusiasts, women, gossip-fans. The entertainment value of the story supports but also overcomes its ideological positioning.

Keep in mind these conventions of ‘media language.’ These patterns of writing and visualizing construct a specific views of the world and cater for particular types of audiences. Royalist, traditionalists, ‘Middle England’ figures, women, sensationalist readers, fashion enthusiasts.