Newspapers

• The Times is a British national 'quality' newspaper, first published in 1785.
• The news agenda will reflect the needs of the readers for detailed, informative reporting.
• The Times is also referred to as 'broadsheets', derived from their original larger size.
• The Times has been published by Times Newspapers since 1981, a subsidiary of News UK which is wholly owned by News Corp, Rupert Murdoch’s company.
• The company also publishes the Sunday Times, the Sun, the Sun on Sunday and until recently, the News of The World.
• The Times adopts a more neutral position compared to the explicit political allegiance of the tabloid press.
• The Times is famous for having a range of journalists with varied political viewpoints which allows the newspaper to offer a more neutral and balanced political stance on some issues.
• The Times describes itself as a faithful recorder of the times for more than 200 years, authoritative, credible, responsible, trusted and a part of the nation’s cultural heritage.
• The set edition of The Times was published on February 1st, 2022 and focuses on the report into the investigation into parties held at Downing Street while the country was under lockdown restrictions.
• This edition of The Times deals with the scandal surrounding allegations regarding parties and social gatherings held by the Conservative Party at a time when its leaders had enforced strict restrictions on the people of England that prohibited such gatherings.
• The story of parties held at Downing Street during lockdown was first reported in November 2021 and alleged that during the lockdown Christmas of 2020, parties had been held at Downing Street, some of which had been attended by the Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
• The report into the investigation into parties held at Downing Street was published in January 2022 by senior civil servant Sue Gray.
• On the date this edition of The Times was published, Boris Johnson was due to give a statement to the Commons about what had happened.
• The Daily Mirror is a British daily national tabloid newspaper established in 1903, targeted at a predominantly working-class readership and adopting a traditional left-wing political stance.
• The Times reflects the social and cultural contexts of the time in which it was produced, largely targeting a ABC1 demographic with cultural capital and an interest in news and analysis in detail.
• One of the Mirror’s main competitors is The Sun newspaper which targets a similar socio- economic demographic but usually adopts a more traditional right-wing stance.
• The choice to focus on this particular story also reinforces a common theme for The Times – to accurately present the news and its effect on society.
• The Daily Mirror is one of the only newspapers that consistently supports the Labour Party and their policies.
• The Daily Mirror actively supported footballer Marcus Rashford’s campaign to force the government to give extra help for struggling families: ‘Marcus: Don’t Abandon Hungry Kids’ (May 2021).
• The Daily Mirror is a left-wing publication and a tabloid, which is openly critical of the Conservative government and supportive of Labour.
• The Daily Mirror aims to raise awareness of the effect of the Conservative policies on their working-class readers.
• The Times’s plug also reflects a cultural context with a lifestyle focus intended to broaden the appeal of the newspaper.
• The newspaper’s slogan ‘The Heart of Britain’ suggests that the newspaper stands up for the ordinary person and is a key part of the social and cultural life of the UK.
• The set edition for Section A was published on February 1st, 2022.
• As a mostly left-wing newspaper, the Daily Mirror has been critical of the way the Conservative government has been handling the Coronavirus pandemic.
• The plug on The Times is constructed differently, using a bright colour palette to differentiate between the serious and lighter elements of the newspaper’s content.
• The fact that the slogan has remained unchanged by The Times suggests that they intend to reinforce their longevity and traditional values.
• The typography chosen for The Times is strong and commands the front page and is placed either side of the crest and logo.
• The central image on The Times is a close-up photograph of Boris Johnson with an indirect mode of address.
• The caption on The Times is long and gives information based on facts, placing the photograph in a context rather than taking an active stance.
• Newspapers, like other media products, create meaning through the way in which they are structured.
• The way in which the conventions are employed across newspapers will communicate different meanings; for example, the use of headlines, language and mode of address differs between popular and quality newspapers.
• The same is true of the sub-heading ‘Gray criticises leadership and drinking culture’ on The Times.
• The headline ‘Police investigate PM’s four lockdown parties’ on The Times is informative rather than dramatic and enigmatic.
• The language and mode of address used for the stories on the front page of The Times are formal.
• The masthead of The Times is bold and recognisable and effectively signifies the ideology of the paper, suggesting that it reports and reflects upon the issues of the time.
• The resolution of oppositions may only be evident and more explicit in something such as an editorial or an opinion piece, where the political allegiance of the paper may be more obvious.
• Meaning is dependent on pairs of oppositions; the way these oppositions are used and resolved reflects the ideology of the newspaper.
• The Times usually has an image, which may be a standalone, a main story, a secondary story (usually in a right-hand column) and a plug.
• The lion and the unicorn are symbols appearing on heraldic crests, and the slogan Dieu et Mon Droit – God and My Right – dates to King Richard 1 st.