THE TIMES

• The Times


  A British national 'quality' newspaper, first published in 1785
• Broadsheets


  Newspapers derived from their original larger size
• Times Newspapers


  Subsidiary of News UK which is wholly owned by News Corp, Rupert Murdoch's company
• The Times has a right-wing allegiance and supports the Conservative party at key times, such as when there is a general election
• 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. It is authoritative, credible, responsible, trusted and a part of the nation's cultural heritage. A premium British brand, recognised the world over
• The set edition was published

  February 1st, 2022
• The set edition focuses on the report into the investigation into parties held at Downing Street while the country was under lockdown restrictions
• Political context


  • The story 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 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
  • On the date this edition was published, Boris Johnson was due to give a statement to the Commons about what had happened, and Sue Gray had revealed that the Metropolitan Police were investigating several possible breaches of lockdown by No 10 and Boris Johnson had refused calls for his resignation
• Social and cultural contexts

  • The Times largely targets a ABC1 demographic with cultural capital and an interest in news and analysis in detail
  • The choice to focus on this particular story reinforces a common theme for this newspaper - to accurately present the news and its effect on society
  • The newspaper's plug also reflects a cultural context with a lifestyle focus intended to broaden the appeal of the newspaper
• Front page layout and design

  • Split between political stories and a plug promoting Times2, the lifestyle supplement
  • Conventional of a broadsheet, quality newspaper, text led rather than image led
  • Masthead is bold and recognisable, effectively signifying the ideology of the paper
  • Headline is informative rather than dramatic and enigmatic
  • Pull quotes from Sue Gray's report are given prominence
  • Central image of Boris Johnson shows trepidation
  • Caption is long and gives information based on facts
  • 'In the News' section offers a brief summary of other content
  • Language and mode of address are formal, with compact and detailed text
• Plug


  Constructed differently, using a bright colour palette to differentiate between the serious and lighter elements of the newspaper's content
• Newspapers, like other media products, create meaning through the way in which they are structured
• Structuralism - Levi-Strauss


  • Meaning is dependent on pairs of oppositions; the way these oppositions are used and resolved reflects the ideology of the newspaper
  • The Times demonstrates less explicit political allegiance compared to a tabloid publication and therefore may offer more than one viewpoint on an issue
• Representation


  • The construction of the representation of the event and Boris Johnson is dominated by the central image, anchored by headline, sub-headings and pull quotes
  • The choice of image, language and selection of information constructs a subtly negative representation of the event and Boris Johnson's role in it
  • The construction of the representation positions the audience to consider the facts and make their own decision about the event
• Representation - Stuart Hall


  • The front page produces meaning through the language used, by using recognisable signs that will be interpreted by the audience
  • These choices contribute to the construction of the event and encode meanings that are to be decoded by the audience
• The Times was first published in 1785 and is part of The Times newspaper group which is a subsidiary of News UK
• News UK is a British-based, American-owned media company that owns a number of newspapers and media outlets in the UK
• Binary oppositions


  Contrasting ideas that may be resolved by the newspaper's opinion
• Representation


  • The front page of The Times produces meaning through the language used, by using recognisable signs that will be interpreted by the audience, for example, headlines, image choices, language, and mode of address
• Representation


  • These choices contribute to the construction of the event and encode meanings that are to be decoded by the audience
• News UK is a British-based, American-owned newspaper publisher, and a subsidiary of the American mass media conglomerate News Corp
• News Corp is a newly formed company that concentrates on newspapers and publishing
• The company also produces The Sun newspaper and previously the News of the World, which ceased production following the phone hacking scandal of 2011
• The company has demonstrated a predominantly right-wing political allegiance with The Sun newspaper, backing the Conservative government in recent elections
• The Times has maintained a more neutral stance, particularly in its coverage of the Brexit debate as its readers are comprised of 'Remainers' and 'Leavers'
• The Times website


  Addressed the changes in technology and audience consumption of news by introducing paywalls requiring readers to pay a subscription to use the site
• In 2016, The Times and Sunday Times launched a combined website and made the decision to move from a rolling news to an edition-based digital format, updated three times a day to match the reading patterns of their audience more effectively
• In 2020, News UK launched Times Radio in an attempt to increase the take-up of digital subscriptions for the newspaper
• The Times continues to have a higher reach in print sales than online
• The Times is part of a regulatory framework known as the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) – an independent body which is not backed by the government and is fully funded by the industry itself
• Power and media industries

  • The newspaper industry is dominated by a small number of powerful companies
  • The Times is part of a horizontally and vertically integrated company and subsequently a large conglomerate
  • Being part of a huge press organisation could limit or inhibit creativity and journalists' freedom
  • Rupert Murdoch is often accused of controlling his newspaper content and editorial teams
• Regulation


  • The Times Newspaper Group and News Corp are facing increased pressure alongside the rest of the UK press industry to adhere to strict rules and regulations on industry practice
  • There is an underlying issue of protecting citizens from harmful, or more recently, 'fake' material while maintaining choice and the freedom of the press to expose wrongdoing and injustice through responsible journalism
  • The increasing power of companies like News Corp and their expansion into digital media has also placed traditional approaches to regulation at risk
• Cultural industries


  • The Times Newspaper group is part of a vertically and horizontally integrated company with a wide range of titles on offer in order to maximise audiences and minimise risks
  • The reach of News Corps spans a range of different cultural industries enhancing their global power
  • By association, The Times benefits from access to other cultural industries and is therefore financially protected
  • Rather than seeing digital media as a threat, the company has embraced its digital expansion and introduced paywalls to allow for online content to be viewed while still generating income
• The Times' target audience

  • Predominantly ABC1, over 35 and has a liberal/right-wing political stance
  • Well-educated and middle-class audience who take an interest in national and global affairs and can understand and engage with detailed political reporting
• How newspaper producers target audiences

  • The front page of the newspaper is important in targeting the audience
  • The choice and style of the main headline and central image are important in attracting the reader and in communicating the view the newspaper is taking on the particular story featured
  • The newspaper appeals to the audience through its content and the inclusion of hard and soft news items, for example the lifestyle supplement 'times2'
  • The launch of the edition-based digital format addressed both the need to target a broader audience and understanding that readers of The Times preferred a digital edition that, whilst having some daily updates, closely resembled the print format
  • Distributing the publication across digital platforms allows it to be updated, which will appeal to younger audiences, as will the launch of Times Radio
  • Whilst the front page of the newspaper may be less explicit in its political allegiance, other pages in the newspaper and on digital platforms reinforce the right-wing ideology of the newspaper, for example the editorial and opinion pieces and political cartoons
  • The Times letters page is culturally iconic and offers readers an opportunity to air their views and interact with the community of the newspaper
  • The values, attitudes and beliefs of the newspaper and the way in which they represent particular stories will resonate with like-minded readers who may have chosen this newspaper because of its right-wing stance
• Cultivation theory


  • Audience exposure to repeated patterns of representation, such as that of Brexit, the economy, or the government in power, by newspapers may shape and influence their views and opinions of the world around them
  • Newspapers function as opinion leaders and mediate the news for the readers with their political allegiance in mind
  • These views will therefore be cultivated and reinforced by the newspaper and its content
• Reception theory


  • Active audiences who agree with the ideology of the newspaper will accept the viewpoint of the newspaper that is evident in its approach to stories and editorial and opinion pieces
  • Those readers who have a different political allegiance will have an oppositional response, disagreeing with the messages constructed by the newspaper and will not buy nor read a publication that does not reflect their ideas and opinions
• End of audience


  • The concept of audience members as passive consumers is no longer tenable in the age of digital technologies
  • Consumers can also actively engage and 'speak back' to the news media
  • The Times newspaper and website offers interactive opportunities for readers to comment on stories and features, thus giving them a voice as part of the newspaper's community
• Newspapers reflect the society and culture in which they are produced, but they are not windows into the world