The Daily Mail is our first newspaper CSP and a hugely influential voice in British media.
We need to study the newspaper from the perspective of audience and industries, linking what we've already learned about the newspaper industry and journalism.
Notes from the lesson
The Daily Mail is a ‘black top’ or mid-market tabloid newspaper. It is the second most popular daily national newspaper after the Sun.
The Daily Mail was most successful in the early 2000s with more than 2m copies sold daily. It is now down to 1.2m but still influential.
The paper offers a mix of hard and soft news. It is socially, economically and politically conservative and backs the Conservative Party in politics.
The Daily Mail: ownership and editorial
The Daily Mail is owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT). Its chairman is Jonathan Harmsworth, 4th Viscount Rothermere, whose great-grandfather was a co-founder of the newspaper. From 1992 until Autumn 2018, the editor was Paul Dacre – a hugely controversial and influential voice in the UK newspaper industry. The new editor is Geordie Greig who moved over from the Mail on Sunday. The paper is already showing signs of softening its pro-Brexit position under Greig’s leadership – a significant change for readers.
Even with falling circulation, the front cover of the Daily Mail can set the news agenda and dictate what broadcast media lead on – such as the influential BBC Radio 4 Today programme or Newsnight on BBC2. This is why newspapers are still seen as having a disproportionate influence despite falling sales.
In February 2017, the Daily Mail was labelled ‘generally unreliable’ by Wikipedia editors, discouraging people from using the Mail as a source. The Daily Mail responded by saying it had only been adjudicated ‘inaccurate’ twice by IPSO – but how effective is IPSO?
Audience
The Daily Mail readership key details:- Average age of 58
- Almost half of its readers are over 65 and only 14% of the paper’s readers are under 34
- The Daily Mail is the only newspaper to have more female readers than male (52% - 48%)
- Two thirds of the readership are ABC1 so middle class. Seen as ‘voice of middle England’
Daily Mail: Friday 21 September
Our chosen edition of the Daily Mail to use as our CSP is Friday 21 September. Consider the following in your analysis:
Media language
Page design, font, text, images, conventions, hard news/soft news, news values.
Narrative
Selection of news: is there an ongoing narrative? How is narrative created by the paper to engage an audience?
Representations
Are any stereotypes reinforced? Is the audience positioned to respond to the story in a certain way?
Daily Mail case study: Blog tasks
Daily Mail analysis: Friday 21 September
1) What are the front page stories on the 21 September edition of the Daily Mail?
The front page of the Daily mail contains a combination of soft and hard news. The hard news story, which is based on Prime Minister Theresa May, focuses on the current political affair, Brexit. This news story highlights the difficulty that Theresa May is facing whilst attempting to create a beneficial deal for the UK as we continue preparations to leave the EU (Headline - FURIOUS MAY: WE'RE READY TO WALK AWAY). The fact that they appear supportive of Theresa May in this article highlights the fact that The Daily Mail is typical a conservative newspaper, and that they will side with the Prime Minister in an attempt to remain strong during this difficult transition period for the UK. Soft news includes the story of Meghan Markle and her trip to Grenfell alongside her Mother. Both stories have been included on the front page in order to appeal to a wider audience - perhaps the lower-working class would enjoy the diversion of following the royal family, whilst the upper-working class would want to learn more about what's happening in the UK in terms of their government.
2) From your analysis in class, what other stories and topics are covered in this edition of the Daily Mail?
Other stories and topics covered in this edition include:
- Keeley and her former job as a model and magazine cover girl
- Will Self's "bizarre divorce"
- Geordie Greig's editorial
- Littlejohn on the MI5 conspiracy
- Campaign: Saving the High Streets
3) Media language: Write an analysis of the construction of the Daily Mail homepage: Page design, font, text, images, conventions, hard news/soft news, news values etc.
- Images - Meghan Markle is positioned as the focus of the story - the only image on the front draws attention to her
- Serif font - creates the impression of The Daily Mail being a traditional, well established newspaper
- Large, capitalised Headline - quickly conveys the narrative/focus of the Theresa May article to the reader, whilst also creating a sense of urgency - the idea that the story should be read immediately.
- Conventional layout and format - Masthead at the top of the newspaper, no cover model obscuring the newspaper's name.
4) Narrative: How is narrative used in this edition of the Daily Mail? Look at the selection of news: is there an ongoing narrative? How is narrative created by the paper to engage an audience?
Theresa May story
Theresa May is reflected as a strong, powerful female leader. This is effective in demonstrating how supportive The Daily Mail are of the conservative party. This may also have been done in an attempt to encourage their readership and the population to join forces with Theresa May and support her efforts, rather than working against her and ridiculing her regardless of how much she is trying.Meghan Markle
Perhaps reflective of The Daily Mail's attempts to become more progressive - i.e. showing a young black female in the newspaper in a positive light. Highlighting their support of the royal family despite the hate that they have received due to bringing a black female into the monarchy. This article also acts as an ongoing narrative as most newspapers have followed Meghan Markle on her journey and integration into the royal family, after her wedding to Prince Harry.
5) Representations: Are any stereotypes reinforced? Is the audience positioned to respond to the stories in a certain way? You should focus on the Brexit and NHS stories (front page, p6-7, p10) as a minimum here.
Brexit
The representation of Brexit reflects the Daily Mail's conventionally conservative/right-wing views and bias. Their reflection of Theresa May is quite positive; during a time where news coverage surrounding her efforts is usually negative. This article highlights their support of the Conservative party and their political stance.
NHS Stories
This news article reinforces the stereotype of the NHS being quite disorganised and lacking in sympathy towards the needs of their patients. The fact that this article is quite brief, yet taps into the topic of surgery, is likely to appeal to the older demographic of The Daily Mail's audience.The concept of healthcare is something that all (if not, the majority) of The Daily Mail's readership would be able to relate to/would be interested in.
Factsheet 175 - Case Study: The Daily Mail (Part 1)
Read Media Factsheet 175: Case Study: The Daily Mail (Part 1) and complete the following questions/tasks. Our Media Factsheet archive is on the Media Shared drive: M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets
1) What is the history of the Daily Mail?
The Daily Mail was established by Alfred Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe, in 1896. Harmsworth is important because he was responsible for the rise of popular press - he aimed to introduce a new style of journalism aimed at the working classes. The practices that Harmsworth used are acknowledged to have shaped the modern press and remain fundamental within the popular press: wide ranging contents; advertising to keep prices low; aggressive marketing; independence from party political control. The paper reflected the societal changes of the time: The Elemental Education Act (1870) introduced compulsory universal education for children aged between 5-13 and a newly literate lower middle class was created. The paper appealed to this group through the use of a low cover price and lots of competitions/ prizes/ promotions. The Daily Mail was always intended to appeal to a female audience and offered features specifically aimed at women; it remains a paper whose readership is predominantly female.
2) What news content features in the Daily Mail?
News content across the print and online versions often includes stories concerning women (health, family, fashion, celebrity focus); Royal family coverage; outspoken columnists such as Richard Littlejohn; attacking Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour party in general; politics including pro-Brexit comment; criticism of the EU (regulation, laws) and coverage of European leaders; campaigning against the current NHS supporting a ‘patients betrayed’ ideology; wide ranging health section; British interests (food and agriculture, terrorism risks/ plots/ acts of…).
3) What is the Daily Mail’s mode of address?
From the NRS data, we can see that the dominant readership for the Daily Mail are adults aged 65+, in the demographic group ABC1(C2).
4) What techniques of persuasion does the Daily Mail use to attract and retain readers?
A method used by the Daily Mail is the use of techniques of persuasion to establish a consensus in line with the political and social ideologies. These techniques are subtle and will attempt to stir the emotions of the consumer to prompt consensus. These techniques are split into 3 areas: Practical, Emotional, Associations. Practical techniques include: bribery (offering rewards/ coupons/ incentives); newness (being new, or new and improved); longevity (reminding consumers of their childhood/ or the longevity of a brand to evoke nostalgia and trust); ease of use (offering a simple solution to a complex problem); inexpensive (offering a product at a low price compared to competitors); luxury (offering consumers a chance to feel rich with abundant content). Emotional techniques include: exaggeration or hyperbole (taking a fact or statistic and blowing it out of proportion); repetition (repeated lines/ ideas/ themes to reinforces an idea); comforting (offering consumers a ‘fuzzy warm feel – this could be from the human-interest news, images, nostalgia); fear (warning consumers of the danger to their way of life/ family values/ financial security); humour (often at the expensive of those in conflict with the ideologies of the news institution – readers like a product that makes them feel good or echoes their dislike through the use of humour or satire). Associations include: celebrity endorsement; experts (having an expert to appeal to the logical brain helps to convince consumers).
5) What is the Daily Mail’s editorial stance?
In a recent YouGov poll (Feb 20-22, 2017), of those questioned “81% considered the [Daily Mail] to be right-wing to one degree or another” with 44% considering it as “very right-wing”. The Mail’s political stance is traditionally Conservative, having supported the party in all recent general elections. The paper is also known for criticism of the Labour party, and in particular the current leader Jeremy Corbyn (correct as of January 2018).
6) Read this YouGov article on British newspapers and their political stance. Where does the Daily Mail fit in the overall picture of UK newspapers?
Compared to the other mainstream UK newspapers, The daily mail is arguably voted as the most right wing newspaper. The Guardian is arguably the most left wing newspaper according to the table.
7) What is the Daily Mail’s view of the BBC? What are the possible reasons for this?
The Daily Mail is very supportive of the BBC. This is because the BBC is very popular with the readership and fans of the Daily Mail newspaper. However, the BBC has been viewed as a very left-wing/centred broadcaster, meaning that the Daily Mail are not completely in favour of it.
8) What controversies have followed Mail columnist Richard Littlejohn? You will need to research this beyond the factsheet.
Firstly, Richard Littlejohn is a journalist well known for his right wing views - he writes a twice weekly column for the DailyMail. Littlejohn has a long story of using his voice at the Daily mail to mock and harass others, including people of colour, the LGBT community and people with cerebral palsy - these groups in particular are all considered as minority groups. Transgender teacher, Lucy Meadow, was targeted by Littlejohn in one of his articles titled "He's not only in the wrong body... he's in the wrong job," - from this piece he had started a wave of harassment that drove Lucy out of teaching, leading her to take her own life. Lucy’s death sent a wave of shock and anger across the UK, with tens of thousands of people demanding that Daily Mail fire Richard Littlejohn. The Daily Mail is one part a of huge global media conglomerate, and if people around the world stand up to hold the paper accountable, it will send a clear message that the media can’t peddle this kind of bigotry and get away with it. However the Daily Mail went on to defend Littlejohn. [https://actions.sumofus.org/a/daily-mail-littlejohn-lucy-meadows-intl]
Factsheet 177 - Case Study: The Daily Mail (Part 2)
Now read Media Factsheet 177: Case Study: The Daily Mail (Part 2) and complete the following questions/tasks.
1) How did the launch of the Daily Mail change the UK newspaper industry?
The Daily Mail impacted the newspaper industry in terms of the presentation of the newspapers. The Daily Mail created the idea of having "shorter, bite-sized" articles in magazine-style digests which allowed articles to remain shorter and be more spaced out on the entire page, making them easier to read.
2) What is the inverted pyramid of journalism and why was it important in the way the Daily Mail presented news?
The inverted pyramid of journalism was a concept designed to ensure that the most important and compelling news stories were included in the newspaper. This was done in order to ensure that the popular stories were covered, so that members of the public would be more likely to reader the newspaper on a regular basis. Inverted pyramid of journalism can also be referred to as "Front-Loading" which reflects the idea of putting the important and enticing information at the front of the newspaper. This allows readers to quickly skim content and consider whether or not they want to read the whole newspaper.
The Daily Mail is owned by the DMGT (Daily Mail and General Trust PLC). They operate in over forty countries globally and own the following brands:
- The Daily Mail
- Mail on Sunday
- Mail Online & Mail Plus
- Metro & metro.co.uk
- Mail Today & Mail Travel
- Wowcher
- Jobsite
- This is Money
4) Between 1992 and 2018 the Daily Mail editor was Paul Dacre. What does the extract from Dacre’s speech on the freedom of the press tell us about his ideological position?
The extract from Dacre's speech on the freedom of press reflects his right-wing ideological position. He is strongly in favour of the idea of "publicly shaming" those who have behaved wrongly and/or are a threat to society. His right-wing position is reflected through his disregard for the idea that the content of newspapers could potentially damage/affect the democracy in society.
5) What is Dacre’s view on BBC news?
Although Dacre was previously very supportive of the BBC and still enjoys the role it plays in providing news, he does believe that the corporation is too powerful. Dacre has expressed that "lines must be drawn in the sand" and that their power and dominance is reducing the concept of media plurality. Rather than creating a non-partisan news-spread, they are imposing a homogeneous, left-wing culture. As a result, it has destroyed the sense of debate in Britain.6) Look at the right-hand side of page 4. Why is the editor of a newspaper so important?
The editor of a newspaper is important because the selection of information and how it is presented will have a huge impact on the readership and circulation. The opinions of the editor (in their editorial column) will effect how people view the newspaper and its values. It is important to ensure that the editor's opinions also match those of the newspaper, so that they are not contrasting or going against them and so that it the newspapers values are clear to an audience.
7) Why did Guardian journalist Tim Adams describe Dacre as the most dangerous man in Britain? What example stories does Adams refer to?
Guardian journalist, Tim Adams, describes Dacre as the most dangerous man in Britain due to the impact that The Daily Mail had during the Brexit campaigns. The media coverage and news stories published by The Daily Mail reflected the idea that leaving the EU would be beneficial etc which persuaded more of the readership to vote leave compared to the amount that voted remain. They played upon the fear of mass immigration, expressing the impact that Brexit would have as more immigrants would enter Britain if people voted Remain.
8) How does the Daily Mail cover the issue of immigration? What representations are created in this coverage?
The Daily Mail negatively reports on the issue of immigration. For the 4 headlines shown in the article, all four of them portray immigrants/foreigners as the anti-heroes and antagonists. They are said to have "sparked" the housing crisis and the coastlines being a "shambles" due to the migrants moving into the country. The Daily Mail adopt an unsympathetic attitude towards the migrant crisis, and encourage their readership to truly believe that immigration is the sole cause of the issues present in Britain.
9) How did the Daily Mail cover the murder of MP Jo Cox?
They downplayed the murderer's motives for the crime and downplayed Jo Cox's death itself. The fact that it was a shocking and major news story suggests that The Daily Mail did not value the story as much as the other news in that edition, leaving it to page 29.
10) What was Dacre’s position on Brexit?
Dacre appears to be pro-leave as he expresses that he was not in favour of federal Europe. He stated that those voting remain would be an "obstruction" to leaving the EU which could ultimately benefit Britain.
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