THE GUARDIAN

• QUALITY PRINT NEWSPAPER

  The Guardian is a highly respected British daily print broadsheet newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as The Manchester Guardian, and changed its name in 1959. Its sister papers are The Guardian Weekly and the Observer.

  The Guardian newspaper is considered to be part of the “quality press” a group of national quality UK newspapers. 
• N E W S P A P E R   O F  R E C O R D

  Quality newspapers focus on hard news stories and are trusted to be 'honest' and 'factual' as well as being unbiased in their news coverage.The Guardian is considered a newspaper of record in the UK.
• I N V E S T I N G    I N    J O U R N A L I S M

  Any profits made by the Guardian newspaper are reinvested into its journalism eg paying the salaries of independent journalists. These profits are not distributed to owners or shareholders (unlike The Daily Mail). 
• S C O T T  T R U S T

  The Guardian is part of the Guardian Media Group owned by the Scott Trust. The Scott Trust was created in 1936 to "secure the financial and editorial independence of The Guardian in perpetuity and to safeguard the journalistic freedom and liberal values of The Guardian free from commercial or political interference"
• LIMITED COMPANY

  The trust was converted into a limited company in 2008, with a constitution written so as to maintain for The Guardian the same protections as were built into the structure of the Scott Trust by its creators. Profits are reinvested in its journalism rather than distributed to owners or shareholders. (The Daily Mail shares its profits with its owners...the giant media conglomerate DMGT)
• UK'S MOST TRUSTED NEWSPAPER

  A poll by the 'Publishers Audience Measurement Company' stated that the paper's print newspaper edition was found to be the most trusted newspaper in the UK in the period from October 2017 to September 2018.
• PROGRESSIVE VIEWS

  The Guardian readers tend to hold “progressive views”. They are “motivated by new ideas and innovation”, and have a strong desire to drive change.
• The Guardian scored highest for digital-content news, with 84% of readers agreeing that they "trust what they see in it". 

  It is also the only British national daily newspaper to employ an internal ombudsman (called the "readers' editor") to handle complaints and corrections.
• The phrase “Guardian reader” is often used to describe a left-wing and liberal point of view. 
• SUPPORTED LABOUR & LIBERAL DEMOCRAT PARTIES

  The paper declared its support for the Liberal Democrats in the 2010 general election and their desire for electoral reform. It then switched back to the Labour Party for the 2015 election. That endorsement continued for the elections in 2017 and 2019 when Jeremy Corbin was leader of the party.
• R  E  A  D  E  R     F  U  N  D  I  N  G   =   I  N  D  E  P  E  N  D  E  N  C  E    &   A  U  T  O  N  O  M  Y  
• POLITICAL IDEOLOGY

  This political ideology promotes individual rights but also demands government intervention into important social and cultural issues, such as poverty, education, climate change, and welfare.The Guardian targets this modern and progressive audience by drawing attention to social injustice and “championing the voices of those less heard”. 
• The Guardian ultimately did not agree that BREXIT was good for the UK and endorsed the vote to remain in the European Union throughout the divisive Brexit referendum.
• 3.1 million print readership, 86% ABC1 readers, 28k annual income, average age 54, 54% male, 23.4 million monthly digital readership.
• G M G

  The Guardian is part of the Guardian Media group (GMG) of newspapers, radio stations and print media. GMG components include The Observer,Guardian Weekly and theguardian.com. All were owned by The Scott Trust a charitable foundation existing between 1936 and 2008, which aimed to ensure the paper's editorial independence in perpetuity, maintaining its financial health to ensure it did not become vulnerable to takeovers by commercial media groups. 
• Leveson Enquiry:

  Tackled the culture, practices and ethics of the press

  Sparked by the News Of The World scandal where a phone hacking scandal emerged.

  NOTW Hacked the phone of Milly Dowler - a missing school girl - where they played voicemails from the parents to Millie in an attempt to gather information on the case.
• EDWARD SNOWDON

  In June 2013, The Guardian broke news of the secret collection by the Obama Administration of  Verizon telephone records,and subsequently revealed the existence of the surveillance program PRISM after knowledge of it was leaked to the paper by the whistleblower and former National security Agency contractor Edward Snowdon. 
• DAVID CAMERON

  In 2016, The Guardian led an investigation into the Panama Papers exposing then–Prime Minister David Cameron's links to offshore bank accounts.. It has been named "newspaper of the year" four times at the annual British Press Awards most recently in 2014, for its reporting on government surveillance.
• Selection Criteria Print – The Guardian is a centre-left, compact broadsheet, national UK newspaper. Key Questions and Issues This newspaper product relates to the theoretical framework by providing a focus for the study of: Media Industries The study of the position of The Guardian in the news industry will include the study of its development of digital technologies (websites, apps, podcasts) as ways of developing its brand and increasing readership.
• Things to know: Industry issues to be studied include: • How processes of production and circulation shape The Guardian • The impact and effects of technological change including digital convergence and the relationship between the print product and digital platforms • The effect of the Trust ownership on editorial position and the influence of the editor (the effect of individual producers on media industries)
• Things to know: • The significance of economic factors – how does The Guardian survive in a declining print market? • The regulation of the newspaper industry through the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) post-Leveson debates re Impress, Royal Charter, etc
• "Membership" subscription scheme

  In 2014, The Guardian launched a membership scheme.The scheme aims to reduce the financial losses incurred by The Guardian without introducing a paywall, thus maintaining open access to the website. Website readers can pay a monthly subscription, with three tiers available.As of 2018 this approach was considered successful, having brought more than 1 million subscriptions or donations, with the paper hoping to break even by April 2019.
• Audience: • Demographics and Psychographics of target audience • How The Guardian reaches, addresses and positions its audience • How the content of individual news stories attracts the audience • The effect that newspapers such as The Guardian have on audiences (media effects theory, reception theory) – how does this relate to political affiliation? • The uses made by audiences of a daily newspaper including aspects of identity and cultural capital.
• FINANCIAL LOSS

  The Guardian was consistently loss-making until 2019.The National Newspaper division of GMG, which also includes The Observer, reported operating losses of £49.9 million in 2006, up from £18.6 million in 2005.The paper was therefore heavily dependent on cross-subsidisation from profitable companies within the group. (Membership scheme revived financial state to break even in 2019)
• In June 2011 Guardian News and Media revealed increased annual losses of £33 million and announced that it was looking to focus on its online edition for news coverage, leaving the print edition to contain more comments and features. It was also speculated that The Guardian might become the first British national daily paper to be fully online. 
• GUARDIAN MEDIA GROUP 

  The Guardian is part of an independent organisation called the Guardian Media Group.
• SCOTT TRUST

  The Guardian Media Group is owned by the big charitable company called the Scott Trust. The Scott Trust was created in 1936 to:- 

  "secure the financial and editorial independence of The Guardian in perpetuity and to safeguard the journalistic freedom and liberal values of The Guardian free from commercial or political interference"
• FREE FROM COMMERCIAL PRESSURES

  Maintaining GMG's financial health ensures it does not become vulnerable to takeovers by big commercial conglomerate media groups like NEWS CORP who own The Times or DMGT Media who own the Daily Mail both of whom have links or loyalty to to the Conservative Party and its values. 

  Profits are reinvested in its journalism rather than distributed to owners or shareholders (unlike DMGT and The Daily Mail). It is considered a newspaper of record in the UK.
• LEFT WING POLITICAL IDEOLOGY

  This political ideology promotes individual rights but also demands government intervention into important social and cultural issues, such as:-

  POVERTY

  EDUCATION

  CLIMATE CHANGE

  WELFARE

  The Guardian targets this modern and progressive audience by drawing attention to:- SOCIAL INJUSTICE and  “championing the voices of those less heard”.  ANTI BREXIT PRO EUROPE PRO-REFUGEE
• UNIVERSITY DEGREE EDUCATED

  40% of The Guardian’s UK readers have been identified as being highly educated and having university degrees.
• Digital advancements: PressReader allows viewers to read newspapers in print edition on a digital device on the day of publication and have access to a number of back issues aka. past publications for all newspapers including The Guardian.
• PressReader also allows consumers to comment and engage with the content online and reply, upvote, downvote, and share with others. 
• Whilst still popular, since the 1950s, there has been a gradual decline in newspaper sales due to the rise of TV ownership (and news programmes) and, more recently, the growth of digital news through websites and social media.
• Regulatory Bodies:

  1. Film = British Board of Film Classification (BBFC)
  2. TV and Radio = Office of Communications (OFCOM)
  3. Video Games = Pan European Game Information (PEGI)
  4. Newspapers/Magazines = (Independent Press Standards Organisation) IPSO
  5. Adverts = The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA)
• The role of IPSO is to:

  • Regulate 1500 print and 1100 online titles.
  • Listen to complaints about press behaviour.
  • Help with unwanted press attention.
  • Advise publication editors .
• The Trust is a unique ownership model in the media industry, as it is not designed to maximize profits for shareholders or owners, but to ensure the long-term sustainability of the newspaper and its journalistic values.
• The Trust has also expanded the Guardian's reach and influence, launching a number of new publications and digital platforms, and investing in investigative journalism and international reporting.