Standardised practices in newspaper production

One argument you can (and should) make in the exam is that standardised methods of production lead to standardised products in the media industries. This relates to both Curran and Seaton's theory of power and especially Hesmondhalgh's theory of the cultural industries, and is an excellent criticism of how media products present a standardised product to appeal to mass audiences. This recent Guardian piece discusses how the free newspaper The London Evening Standard is cutting jobs in order to maximise profit and power.  Slightly mind blowing is the EXTREMELY standardised way in which news stories are selected for inclusion. It's heavily biased, extremely condescending, and, you guessed it, uses standardised production processes to ensure a mass audience. We can even link this to the cynical ways in which digitally convergent online media are created by using algorithmic shortcuts in order to ensure clicks. Check it out below.