Knowing the keywords is the key (lol) to the newspaper industry section...
The following 'keywords' could come up for any of the questions on the newspaper industry. In fact, even more could come up. But if you're comfortable with all of these terms, you will absolutely smash the exam. Some you may just have to define ('Explain what vertical integration entails [2]'), and some may form the basis of longer questions ('To what extent is the newspaper industry a specialised industry? Make reference to The Times to support your answer [12]')
- Production (how something is made. Newspapers are made on an EXTREMELY tight schedule by specialised people in specialised roles. Journalists will investigate and research stories, editors will edit the stories, and senior editors will choose where a story goes. The slang term 'if it bleeds it leads' can be used to determine if something is 'newsworthy'
- Distribution (how a product is given out. To keep things really simple: print or digital)
- Circulation (for print editions, how many copies are printed and distributed. For online media, this term has all kinds of meaning, but clicks and visits is often used instead)
- Specialisation (every media industry does something really well, and newspapers are no different. Newspapers work on a system of obtaining big, exclusive, and scandalous news stories that will appeal to their audience. Pretty much the second it's published, it's 'old news' ie worthless...)
- Technological changes (how technology has changed. Basically, for newspapers, a shift online has massively hurt paper circulation figures. Google this right now to find out how much the sales of both newspapers have dipped in the last decade!!!_
- Ownership (who owns the product. Being owned by a big, right wing multinational like News Corp. News UK clearly has created a biased product, but Reach PLC also create a simple, straightforward product for the purpose of profit and power)
- Conglomeration (the process of a big company buying out smaller companies. News Corp love to do this)
- Vertical/horizontal integration (how an organisation is structured. Horizontal means the organisation owns different companies in the same sector, vertical means different sectors in the chain of production and distribution. A good example of vertical integration is News Corp, who used to own everything, before Disney bought it off them)
- Economic factors (anything to do with CASH MONEY)
- Marketing and promotion (how newspapers are marketed and promoted. Sorry)
- Regulation (the rules and restrictions media products must follow. Most newspapers follow IPSO's voluntary guidelines, but they break them all the time, for example reporting on suicide and intruding in to personal lives of private citizens)
- Digital technologies (anything to do with computers. Websites for example)
- How newspapers are shaped by ownership (Reach PLC is a big horizontally corporation that owns many, mainly local newspapers. But News UK is a subsidiary of News Corp, a MASSSSSSIVE multinational conglomerate, that very much pushes a right wing agenda to keep taxation and government interference as low as possible!!)
- Digital convergence (the coming together of previously separate industries thanks to digital technologies, eg the hypermodal links from newspaper websites to social media accounts)
- Global issues (the issues that affect the world, eg financial crises and war. These may contrast with smaller, local issues)
- Individual producers (individual audience members making things, eg bloggers and commenters)
- Diversification (where a company branches out in to other things for the reasons of profit and power)
...but, everything needs to be backed up with examples from the 'Nazanin' case studies, and/or the websites for The Mirror and The Times (you can also use other select examples, for example The Daily Mail 'apologising' to Megan Markle, and the Daily Mail using their website to voyeuristically fetishize women to their target audience...)
How are newspapers shaped by ownership? Make reference to The Daily Mirror/The Times in order to support your points [12]
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| The masthead used by The Times establishes this as an exclusive product targeting a middle class and right leaning target audience. It is a conventional masthead that reflects a conservative worldview |
Who owns each paper?
The Mirror - produced by Reach PLC - horizontally integrated newspaper company that produces a verity of newspapers including The Mirror, The Daily Star, and a whole range of local newspapers. They are a highly specialised company. Mirror is left leaning
The Times - produced and published by News UK, a subsidiary of News Corp. News Corp are a vast conglomerate who own a range of different media companies. Right wing newspaper. Supports right wing ideologies such as paying less tax and stripping public services
Introduction
The Times is a right leaning broadsheet newspaper targeting a middle class, middle aged and conservative target audience. It is owned by News UK, a subsidiary of of News Corp, who are a vertically and horizontally integrated international conglomerate. This has completely shaped how the Times is made.
Paragraph frames
P - One way in which The Times is shaped by ownership is through its selection of stories
E - An excellent example of this is through it's focus on hard news, international and political stories. The front page includes a hard hitting and difficult to read story focusing on the invasion of Ukraine that will appeal to a middle class and middle aged audience...
Significant costs of international reporting
P - Another way in which The Times is shaped by it's ownership is through it's funding
E - The times website is blocked by an expensive, 26£/month paywall, which once more will appeal to a middle class audience. This significant price will appeal to a certain target audience through its exclusivity
P -A final way in which The Times is shaped through it's ownership is through it's right wing, conservative bias
E - An excellent example of this is how a hard hitting story about Boris Johnson flouting covid laws is buried on page 20 of the newspaper, which suggests that this story is somehow less important and is even soft news