Comparing the Daily Mirror and The Times: print editions 2023

 For this task you will be comparing and making reference to the print editions of The Daily Mirror and The Times, set by your teacher. You may be asked to make reference to a print edition of either the Times or The Daily Mirror in the final exam when answering a question about industry or audience. These tasks will help you to complete this. 

Click here to find the print editions

1 - Read through the print editions - 15 minutes

You don't need to read every word (seriously, no one reads every word of a newspaper, unless you're stuck on a broken down train or something). But spend no more than 15 minutes (and definitely no less than 10!) reading through these two newspapers to get a feel for what they are all about. This will really help for the next few tasks!

2 - key terminology of the front pages - 10 minutes

Find and save the front pages of both of these newspapers. Label these newspaper front pages using the newspaper key terminology (click here to find it). This is very similar to what you did last time, so don't spend more than ten minutes on this task, maximum! And if there's something you can't find (eg folio), leave it off!

3 - audience appeal: how do these newspapers appeal to their target audiences? - 30 minutes

Newspapers target very large, but very specific audiences. Make three screenshots from each newspaper (not an entire page, parhaps just a picture or a section of copy (that's body text!) and then write brief notes underneath clarifying how the newspaper appeal to it's target audience.

To make this clear

The Mirror - tabloid newspaper - working class target audience - left wing political ideology (broadly pro-Labour)

The Times - broadsheet newspaper - middle class target audience - right wing political ideology (broadly pro-Conservative)

HOWEVER - do note that both newspapers are at times critical of their 'own' political' party. You may note The Times is pretty critical of Prime Minister Sunak. Why could this be?

And here's an example for each (you can't use these examples!)

The Daily Mirror

This headline demonstrates a direct criritcism of the conservative party. Referring to the 'rawanda plan' as 'batty', the newspaper appeals to a left-wing target audience. Moreover, the lexis 'batty' is both condesending and colloquial, and appeals stereotypically to a less educated and working class target audience

The Times

This headline from the business section uses a lower case font that suggests a more mature and sterotypically serious target audience. Likewise this is further anchored through the serious lexis: words such as 'FTSE' make explcit reference to financial institutions and appeal to a more wealthy and business-centric target audience

4 - Exploring news values - 30 minutes

Remind yourself of the four main news values (and what news values are) by reading this article.

Next, select just one story from the times and one story from the mirror (a big, juicy story from earlier in the paper works best!) and answer the following questions:

1 - Agenda

• Why has this story been selected?
• Who is represented in this story?

2 - Minimising risk and maximising profit 

• How might this story appeal to audiences?
• What reasons are there to buy the newspaper based on this story?
• What entertainment value does this story present?

3 - Immediacy

• What is this story actually about?
• How would a journalist actually obtain the information in this story?
• How new is this information? Are any claims of exclusivity made?

4 - Gatekeeping

• Who is NOT represented in this story (for example lower income people, people of colour, people of certain nationalities etc... obviously this could be a long list!)
• What assumptions are made about the interests of the audience?