Analysis of the set edition ('partygate' front page) of The Daily Mirror

Revising the analytical thinkers

Roland Barthes

• Everything has a deeper meaning. The world is built from codes, anything which has meaning
• Proairetic code - action code. Something that suggests that something is going to happen. 
• Hermeneutic code - mystery, suspense, enigma. Asks a question. E.g. a ghost, dark setting, a dark ally…
• Symbolic code - the deeper meaning
• Referential code - intertextuality: where something refers to something else
• Myths: stories help to shape the world
• Myths - a story that isn’t necessarily true, yet helps us to make sense of the world.
• Codes contain deeper meanings. Anything can be a code, including shot types, MES, colour, haircuts, soundtrack…

Claude Levi-Strauss

• Binary oppositions - when our understanding of something is defined through what it is not. Examples include day &night, good & evil, sad & happy, right & wrong, student & teacher. We understand the world through binary oppositions.
•  Binary oppositions. Two contrasting concepts, including day and night, teacher and student, mother and child… binary oppositions help us to see differences in the world, to identify what is what and to actually make sense of the world. 

Exploring how media language constructs complex ideological perspectives in the Mirror front page

• Hermeneutic code - the lexis of the headline refers to parties, police probes and so on. Yet it is not shown, constructing a sense of mystery for the target audience. It encourages and anchors the reading that the Daily Mirror will provide these answers, which constructs this newspaper as being made by reliable journalists. 
• The font for the lexis ZERO is significantly larger than the other numbers. It constructs a reality where it is a proven fact that Boris Johnson lacks shame. 
• To infer that Johnson has no shame is to infer symbolically that he is a bad person, and even less than human. This extremely biased mode of address will appeal to the working class and left wing target audience of the daily mirror. 
• Rather than convincing an audience, the Daily Mirror cultivates an ideology that Johnson is a bad and negative person. By attracting a specific and presold audience, it allows the newspaper to maximise profit. 
• The main image of Boris Johnson functions as a proairetic code, with the MES of his facial expression suggesting that he will make a bad decision. The image is both unflatter, and constructs Johnson as conniving, scheming and hateful. Within the narrative that the mirror has constructed, Boris Johnson is a villain. This simple and straightforward narrative will appeal not only to the left wing audience, but also a working class audience. The Mirror has therefore made a discriminative, othering and stereotypical assumption about it’s working class audience. 
• A narrative is constructed where Johnson is hypocritical. He broke the laws that he set, a clear example of a binary opposition.
• The colour yellow is vibrant, stands out, and symbolically encodes danger and hazards. This bright shade of yellow is symbolically associated with extreme danger, constructing a reality where Johnson is dangerous. 
• Johnson is wearing a suit, which is connotative of his status and importance. However, this contrasts with the narrative constructed surrounding Johnson's immaturity and incapability to rule. This binary opposition helps us to understand that Johnson is a terrible person. 
• In spite of his issues, Johnson is still constructed as the most important person  in the country. This reading is anchored through his role as PM, being featured as front page news, and his suit, which is connotative of power. This reinforces and constructs a myth where our country is ruled by powerful yet irresponsible people. This encourages the preferred reading of being critical of the conservative party. 
• The only other front page story is a colourful puff piece of the Queen being sad about her father’s death. This soft news story reinforces the myth of the importance of the royal family, and will appeal to working class audiences who love the royal family. 
• Boris Johnson forms a binary opposition with Kier Starmer. While Johnson is constructed as being more important/dangerous, Starmer here take the role of the left-wing protagonist, solving this problem. The caption beneath Starmer reads CRUSING, anchoring a reality where Starmer is powerful, profession, and physically strong.  
• The main image presents Boris Johnson in an unflattering light. He is not posing, suggesting the image was taken candidly. Johnson’s facial expression appears to be smug, constructing a reality where Boris Johnson, in a position of power is able to flaunt the law. This image therefore works as a symbolic code, symbolising his contempt for the nation.
• A reality is constructed where Johnson is incompetent. However, the mid shot includes the MES of his suit, constructing a reality that although he is incompetent and unliked, he is still in a position of authority. Johnson was a controversial Prime Minister for routinely breaking protocol during the pandemic, constructing a narrative where Johnson is above the law while normal working class people are suffering. The readership of the Mirror are working class and left wing, which positions the target audience as one of the people who have suffered. Therefore Johnson is constructed as a supervillain. This example of a referential code helps the working class audience to understand a complex political situation
• The headline ZERO SHAME suggests Johnson not only lacks morality but also lacks accountability, through the abuse of his power. 
• The word ZERO is in yellow which has connotations of fear and terror. This anchors the meaning that the audience must be afraid, as the man running the country is an incompetent and amoral monster. Additionally, the colour yellow is used in warning signs, functioning as a powerful proairetic code for the audience. Things will now get very bad
• By constructing an alarmist and threatening mode of address, the Mirror constructs a reality where the world that we live in is cruel and unfair world. By making the audience pessimistic, it ensures the audience will buy the newspaper day after day. 
• Johnson is universally negatively represented in this paper, which aligns with the left wing ideologies of the institution 
• The lexis of the headline features a countdown from 12 to zero that resembles a timer on a bomb. This referential code to videogames and action movies constructs an exciting mode of address about a scandalous yet also straightforward story. 
• The use of numbers gives a sense of factual seriousness which potentially overwhelms readers. 
• The ellipsis symbolically suggests that the scandal is still ongoing and that there will be more to the story later
• The small, inset secondary image of Kier Starmer constructs a binary opposition between the lazy, confused, smug Johnson, and the superior, focused, and professional Kier Starmer. This reinforces the ideology that Starmer is in charge, and that the labour party is morally superior.
• The secondary story is a puff piece about the 75th anniversary of the King’s death and the Queen’s inauguration. This story is significant because it features the royal family, which reinforces the ideology that not only are the royal family at the top of the social hierarchy, but that this is a good thing. 

Symbolic connotations of The Mirror masthead

• The masthead is always presented at the top of the newspaper, and above the fold, allowing it to appeal to and to address the target audience
• The font is sans serif, which has connotations of class. It is simple and stereotypically appeals to a working class audience 
• The lexis ‘the heart of Britain’ suggests that this is the number one newspaper in the country. The word heart has connotations of popularity, and avoiding controversy. Additionally, a polysemic array of meanings are constructed, including tone of love, caring and respect. Finally., the heart of Britain suggests that this newspaper is the centre of British life 
• The colour red is connotative of many things: pride, the colours of the British flag, with the red and white symbolic of either English flag, blood and a sense of togetherness, passion.
• The Heart of Britain is in a gold font, which has connotations of royalty, which is popular with the working class target audience 
• A warm colour palette, but also bold and confident 
• The red topped logo connotes a simple and straightforward tabloid audience. It is cliched, simple and straightforward
• 95p is affordable for the working class target audience. The cover price has doubled in the last three years due to mismanagement and also rising costs of production and dwindling readership
• The anchorage of the mastheads helps the audience to understand that the colour red is not symbolic of death or ladybirds
• Instead, the colour red symbolises a beating heart, the shared blood of it’s readers, urgency, passion, love, and a vibrant and attention drawing mode of address
• Mode of address – the way a media product greets or talks to it’s audience. The Mirror masthead is friendly and optimistic!
• The colour white stands out effectively against the red, forming a binary opposition
• The masthead resembles a stop sign, asking the audience to stop and read the important information inside. It appeals to a driving audience, yet it is not subtle
• The ‘heart of Britain’ functions as patriotic propaganda. It encourages and positions the target audience to agree that they are important, and Britain is important. The anchorage of the word ‘heart’ reinforces the symbolism of blood established by the colour red
• The masthead must efficiently show the target and devoted audience exactly what paper this is. 
• The masthead cannot change. The only information that can change is the date and sometimes the slogan 
• The font is sans serif. It is normalised, and appeals to a mass audience and a working class target audience!
• 95p is a reasonable cover price which targets a working class audience
• The word ‘Daily’ is at a 45 degree angle, which is less formal, typical of a tabloid newspaper
• The red top instantly identifies this as a tabloid newspaper, minimising risk and maximising profit 

How are different versions of reality constructed in The Mirror and The Times? Boris Johnson 'partygate' cover analysis

The Times presents a more informational and informative mode of address. This is typical of broadsheet newspapers, as it allows it to target a more middle class target audience. 

However The Mirror presents less information, appealing to a working class target audience. This highly stereotypical mode of address cultivates an ideology in the audience that they are either educated or not educated.

The Times is a right wing broad sheet. It constructs a reality that is positive towards the conservative party. However, it presents Johnson in a broadly negative light. This reflects the views and ideologies of the general public. By agreeing with public perception, the newspaper cultivates a general consensus, encouraging audiences to buy it day after day. 

By contrast, the Mirror is completely negative about Johnson, presenting a biased perspective. The headline Zero Shame, anchored with the unflattering image, constructs a wholly negative and straightforward reality. 

The informative tone of the Times presents a more subtle and rounded representation of Johnson. Most strikingly, the figures used are different. The mirror suggests 12 parties probed by cops. However, the Times suggests ‘police investigate PMs four lockdown parties’, a very different interpretation of the facts

The Mirror’s headline reads like an ad hominem attack, however the Times presents a more informative, serious, and sophisticated mode of address. The term ‘investigates’ suggests a serious situation’. 

The times uses the lexis ‘police’, which has connotations of formality. However, the mirror uses the colloquial ‘cops. This Americanism is an example of a referential code, referring to exciting American police dramas. It suggests the target audience must have their news dramatized in order to enjoy it. 

The mirror selects an image of Johnson looking smug and unrepentant. Anchored through the lexis zero shame, it suggests that he doesn’t care. The Times Selects a close up crop of Johnson’s face, emphasising his creased eyes, his mottled skin tone and his messy haircut. Not only does it create a shocking mode of address to challenge fans of Johnson, but also it has the effect of humanising him, and creating a sympathetic mode of address. 

The pull quote/caption on the Times suggests that the fault lies with many people, unlike the savage attack by the Daily Mirror.

The Daily Mirror features two stories, with the headline ‘partygate’ story clearly taking the most space. However the Times features a further 9 cover stories

 in addition to the headline, including “I was bitten by a pandemic puppy’, a soft news story that lessens the impact of the headline story. 

The Mirror and the Times use different numbers to illustrate their stories. However, the Mirror uses a bigger number than the Times in order to construct a reality where Johnson is more guilty

The selection of images varies wildly. The Mirror is a left wing, working class newspaper. Therefore, the unflattering and smug image of Johnson on the front page is expected. It constructs an ideology that Johnson is a bad person. This is an example of an ad hominem attack. 

However, the Times also uses an unflattering image of Johnson. The big close up of Johnson’s face is particularly unflattering, as it focuses on his facial expression. It emphasis his age, with his pronounced wrinkles, and his complexion make him appear sick and ill. He looks visibly tired. The Times is a right wing newspaper. Yet it is crucial of Johnson, for making the party look bad. Additionally, the newspaper reinforces Johnson’s negative perception appealing to an audience who are now more critical of him. 

However, The Times constructs a reality, where Johnson DOES feel guilty. Additionally, the anchorage of his tired face may provoke empathy for the conservative target audience. 

In The Mirror, a reality is constructed of Johnson being a bad person, as well as prideful and stubborn. This is anchored through the lexis of the caption I’M NOT GOING, in block capitals.

However, the caption over Johnson’s face in the Times constructs a reality where the fault lies with the leadership of the conservative party. Quoting Sue Gray in the inquisition against the conservative party’s lockdown parties, creates a reality where the audience agrees the blame lies elsewhere. Manufacturing consent. This highly edited quote constructs an educated and sophisticated mode of address, that assumes that the target audience are more educated that the audience for the mirror

On the front of the mirror, there are two stories, with Johnson's lack of shame occupying almost the entire front page. However, the Times features a total of ten stories. The secondary story discusses conservative regulations for masks on planes, indicating the government are creating new laws. However, other soft news includes a story about being bitten by a puppy. This wide selection of stories not only increases readership, but also minimises Johnson’s guilt, by comparing his narrative to that of a naughty puppy. 

The bottom bar features six snapshots of hard, political and international news. This suggests that the readership for the Times is more open minded and intelligent. However, it also serves to bury the Johnson story.

The headline included in the mirror is brutal and insulting. However, the Times presents a more professional mode of address, appealing to an intelligent and open minded audience 

"UK regulator launches probe into Elon Musk's X over Grok deepfake images"

 Read this story published by The Daily Mirror on 12/01/26 and accessed on the same date.

Then consider the following questions:

• What makes this story newsworthy?
• What issues are there with regulating online media?

The newspaper industry - audience case studies

For this task, you will be compiling examples of audience interactions and industry concerns from the websites of the newspapers we have studied. If done correctly, this work should take between two and three hours to complete. 

Click here to access the work 

Exploring industry contexts - Private Eye on Reach plc's ongoing financial and managerial issues

Read the following article from Private Eye no. 1663 (28th November - 11th December 2025). Private Eye is a satirical yet serious investigative periodical, that uses it's numerous links and sources to draw attention to corruption and abuses of power in the UK and world media, government and industry. It's recommended reading for media students! 

Questions

• Why have Reach PLC fired so much of their workforce?
• How does this relate to current issues and developments with the distribution and production of print media?
• Why have readers objected to recent changes in The Mirror, and how has this been addressed?
• What issues arise from firing so many key staff members?
• And what issues arise from using AI to facilitate the construction of these newspapers?