Mock exam / Key assessment two

Question one: representation

 - Compare how these pages from the The Sun and The Times construct versions of reality. In your answer you must: 

·                consider the choices media producers make when constructing versions of reality. 

·                consider the similarities and differences in the representations. 

·                make judgements and draw conclusions about how far the representations relate to relevant media contexts. 

 

Representation in thew context of media products can be defined as the ways in which a producer shows something again to their audience. Producers use representation to reconstruct their ideological reality and promote their own ideologies to the audience. Constructing representations within a media product allows the producer to influence the audiences’ own ideologies and viewpoints, this is particularly evident within heavily influential forms of mass media such as newspapers. Within both the Sun and the Times newspapers it is clear that the producers aim to highlight and convey their political ideologies. Each newspaper includes a front-page story in relation to the previous prime minister Boris Johnson, the newspapers also appeal to a generally right-wing audience who will agree with the political ideologies that both newspapers promote.

 

In The Suns front cover there is a significant focus on image-based content, since the sun is a tabloid newspaper, it means that there is a significant focus on imagery, and the mode of address to the audience is significantly more informal. The cover initially draws the audience to the large headline in a bold sans serif font reading ‘Bojo I’ll be back!’, the use of a large headline here effectively highlights the leading story of the newspaper edition, furthermore the use of informal lexis when referring to Johnson as ‘Bojo’ develops a sense of familiarity with the reader, and potentially generates a more humorous tone, to avoid creating a monotonous story. It is clear that the Sun is presenting a highly sensationalized and dramatized story to engage the audience, this is evident within the caption beneath the headline which reads ‘Rishi is hot favourite to replace Truss’, the choice of informal lexis here is used to dramatize the situation, making it seem as if the ‘fight for no.10 is essentially a childish ‘game’. This can also be suggested this from the selection of the main image of Johnson which dominates the page. The image captures Johnson in the middle of a speech, in which he appears to be wearing a somewhat determined and emotive expression, this is used to connote a sense of leadership and authority placing Johnson in a position of authority over the country essentially encouraging the audience to view Johnson as a leader, this is anchored by the lexis of ‘I’ll be back’ which further reinforces a sense of determination from Johnson. Above the main image there is a by-line making reference to another former pm Liz Truss, who had a significant impact on the country during her time in power, the by-line reads: ‘as disaster pm Liz quits…’ the choice of lexis here connotes a sense of ridicule towards Truss, the choice of the term ‘disaster’ conveys feelings of disappointment and mockery from the producer, this negative representation of truss encourages the audience to feel the same way essentially pushing blame onto Truss. However, this negative representation interestingly portrays the conservative government in a shameful way, despite the sun typically aiming to appeal to a right winged working-class audience who would favour the conservative government, this is an example of the producer following the general public’s widespread view on the state of the country. Situated in the top left corner of the main image, there is an inclusion of as pull quote stating that ‘not a second longer can be wasted on these civil wars – the sun says’, by including this, with the caption the ‘sun says’, the producers are directly giving their own opinion on the situation, interestingly they do not blame the previous PM’s for the countries current state, they instead make reference to the ‘civil wars’ as the leading cause, this is intentional as they aim to shift the blame away from the conservative government in order to represent them as the only people  capable of resolving the situation. The use of a pull quote stating that ‘not a second longer should be waste’ acts as an encouragement towards the conservative government, this can be supported by the lexis of ‘ill be back’ which represents Johnson in a somewhat ‘heroic’ manner, however the producers construct a binary opposition by including a photo of Rishi Sunak’s smiling expression which juxtaposes the main image of Johnson.  

 

In comparison to The Times, it is evident that the producer of the ‘party gate’ edition newspaper, aim to present the conservative right winged government in a more positive way. The article was made in relation to a scandal during the coronavirus pandemic, when the government enforced guidance in an attempt to prevent social gatherings, the prime minister was found to have attended and hosted several parties, breaching his own rules. The main image includes an extreme close-up photo of Johnsons seemingly smug looking facial expression however, we can also infer that this photo also develops a sense of vulnerability shame and guilt, this intentional selection suggests that the producers aimed to make Johnson appear apologetic and ashamed of his irresponsibility as he takes ownership for his actions. This is a clear attempt to justify his actions and potentially gain sympathy or understanding from the audience. The choice of lexis in the headline 'police investigate four lockdown parties’ implies that the ‘investigation’ is ongoing, and Johnson’s actions haven’t been evidently proven as of yet, the tone is subtle which is highly contradictory to The Suns bold, exclamatory headline, here the tone appears to be one of inquiry instead of accusation. This indicates that the alleged lockdown parties are just speculation and not the potential truth. It’s clear that the producers have intentionally aimed to minimise the severity of the situation, in the headline it reads that there is an investigation into ‘four lockdown parties’ whereas the article beneath it states that there was an investigation into ‘sixteen parties’, this is a clear attempt to distract the audience from the severity of the situation, maintaining a more neutral representation of ethe conservative government and the previous PM. The caption beneath the main image states that 'he promised change', by including this the producers represent Johnson in a more positive way, indicating his ownership for his actions and willingness to make a change, similarly to the ways in which the sun attempts to capture Johnsons ‘leadership qualities’. Interestingly the main image is unrelated to the scandal and doesn't show any evidence which further differs the audience from the truth, this is an example of bias by selection, as the producers aim to avoid encouraging further backlash from the audience.

In relation to both the sun and the times there is a significant similarity, as well as an underlying contradictions within their political representations of Boris Johnson and the conservative right wing government. The times newspaper has significantly more text relating to the scandal and has a less sensationalised and informal tone, whereas the sun takes a more dramatic approach.  Since The Sun is a tabloid newspaper, it intentionally targets a working-class audience who are typically from a less educated background, therefore the lack of text and a big headline is used to convey the tabloids overall political stance and ideology with obvious clarity. To compare, The Times targets a middle-class audience however, it still promotes the same right winged ideology that The Sun does, despite the accusatory claims for Johnson breaching the guidance that he himself enforced, the producer aims to minimise the potential criticism from the audience and instead try and minimise a negative presentation of the former PM. 

 

 

Audience

2 - Explain how the newspaper industry targets audiences. Make reference to a print edition of The Daily Mirror to support your points.

Newspapers effectively target their audience by including topics that may engage and be relatable to their target audience the ways in which newspapers do this, can be demonstrated in the daily mirrors print edition newspaper. This edition’s headlining story is in relation to the death of famous football star, Pele, it’s evident that the producer aims to target a widespread audience in order to ultimately maximise their profit and power within the newspaper industry. One way in which the mirror targets their audience is by focusing their content on topics of interest amongst their target demographic, this print edition includes a significant amount of content in relation to football, which is a widely known sport and a popular common interest amongst the audience. The mirror includes a front page and double page spread devoted to the passing of Pele, in which the producer heavily idolises him, along with a page focalising on highlighting relevant football conventions that are occurring. The inclusion of topics of general interest encourages social interaction and essentially leads to more profit for The Mirror as they effectively engage with a large audience. Furthermore, the mirror also engages directly with their target audience who are typically of a working-class and left leaning ideological background. Within this edition the producer includes a story covering the impact of the cost-of-living crisis amongst individuals and a rising in energy bill prices. Here the mirror directly targets their audience by presenting a relatable situation that the target audience will be able to resonate with, there is also inclusion of an article titled ‘poverty trap’, which is highly critical of the governments poor attempts to resolve the soaring energy bill crisis, this is demonstrative of The Mirror targeting individuals who will agree with the left-wing ideologies that the producer promotes. The mirror also includes a double page spread titled ‘ignoring the danger’ in which again, they criticise the government for ignoring the recent uprise in coronavirus cases, this highlights how the mirror optimizes their audience with individuals that will be influenced or resonate with its ideological perspective. Ultimately, it is important for newspaper organisations to target their audiences and appeal to audiences with the relevant content needed to maximise their profit.