Circulation - refers to how many ‘copies’ of a media product are distributed to the audience. The measurement of circulation depends on whether a product is physically or digitally distributed
Daily Mirror fact finding mission
Circulation (the most recent figure and a figure from around the turn of the century) - circa 2023 277,550. Circa 2020 451,466. Website c2021 - “32 million monthly readers”
Distribution - A print edition and also a digitally convergent website
Producer - Reach PLC, a UK company that produces and distributes newspapers. Reach PLC specialises in producing a number of regional and local newspapers, adopting a pluralistic approach to media distribution
Reach PLC are a horizontally integrated and specialised industry
Target demographic - working class, British and left leaning, and supporting the labour party
Regulatory body - IPSO (replaced the PCC after the phone hacking scandal),. IPSO is fundamentally identical to the PCC, and operates at an advisory level.
Controversies - in 2019 they ran a headline controversially humanising a white far right mass murderer, constructing a very different representation to other representations of terrorists
Underline the key terms
For this question, you will be rewarded for drawing together knowledge and understanding from across your full course of study, including different areas of the theoretical framework and media contexts.
To what extent have recent technological changes affected the newspaper industry? Make reference to The Daily Mirror to support your answer
Knee jerk reaction
Recent technological changes have significantly affected the newspaper industry by directly affecting the circulation and distribution of print newspapers
Plan
Font
Regulation theory - Livingstone & Lunt
Ineffective regulation
Pull quote
Postmodernism? A shift from traditional political beliefs to populism
Digitally convergent media
Website
Shirky - end of audience
Online commenting
Digital technologies
Power and profit
Reception theory - Stuart hall
Piers Morgan - ex editor
Ideology
Audience manipulation
Tabloid
Working class
Declining sales
Reach PLC
Horizontal integration
Diversification
Introduction
DAC - definition, argument, context
In recent years, digitally convergent technologies have completely shaped the ways in which we consume media. DCT refers to how computers and associated technology can bring together previously separate industries. While this produces many opportunities it also leads to significant hardships for legacy media industries. I shall argue the newspaper industry has been particularly affected by changes in technology. To explore this I shall refer to the British left leaning tabloid the daily mirror.
Paragraphs
PEA - Point, evidence, argument
Paragraph examples/discussion/etc here
Digital technologies have led to the decline of print media circulation. Mirror Circulation has fallen by more than 30% in three years
The availability of online media and the move to websites
The hypermodality of the website provides and exciting mode of address/user experience, involving a selection of different stories in a variety of different topics
The website offers audiences an interactive experience, and encourages them to become producers. The comments section allows audiences to share their own ideological perspective. However many comments are irreverent, unpleasant, misogynistic and disruptive, including comments that openly support outlandish conspiracy. This may be highly inappropriate and even illegal. Many comments are intrusive and defamatory. Yet ultimately Reach PLC profits off of this as these outlandish opinions create higher user engagement
Website funded exclusively through advertising and sponsorship which leads to a slow and clunky user experience
Newspaper websites present an agile experience for the target audience, and allow only the most up to date news to be quickly and easily shared
Digital technology has lead to a shift from traditional political ideologies to more populist ideologies. The amount of conspiracy theories shared during the covid 19 pandemic represented a huge shift in public opinion and a massive distrust in governments
The Mirror website appeals to a working class audience through being free to access, something made possible through digitally convergent technology. However, a range of highly manipulative and confusing pop up adverts now fund this business
Selection of scandalous stories combined with a simple straightforward lexis allows the mirror website to cynically target a working class audience. This is made easier than ever through digitally convergent technology
Anonymous posting of comments leads to impossible to regulate media