Newspapers

• The Daily Mirror is a British daily national tabloid newspaper. Established in 1903, it is targeted at a predominantly working-class

  readership and adopts a traditional left-wing political stance.
• 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 Daily Mirror is one of the only newspapers that consistently supports the Labour Party and their policies.
• The Daily Mirror largely targets a lower middle class/ working class readership and does so through the news values of the paper, the selection of stories and how particular social groups are represented.
• Front Page

  The masthead is bold and recognisable as a red top, tabloid newspaper.
• Front page

  The typography chosen is strong, and the name of

  the newspaper conveys messages about how the paper may ‘hold a mirror’ up to what is taking place in society.
• Front page

  The headline is brief and dramatic, typical of the paper’s style, and uses emotive language such as ‘Zero Shame’. The strapline ‘Gray Report Fallout’ sums up the context of the story with negative connotations.
• Front page

  The image of Boris Johnson dominates the front page and anchors the headline – he appears unconcerned. The newspaper reinforces this viewpoint with the inclusion of the caption ‘I’M NOT GOING’ suggesting his failure to take responsibility for what has happened.
• Front page

  The language used is emotive and reflects the values and attitudes of the newspaper and their political allegiance, referring to Boris Johnson as ‘shameless’.
• Double page spread

  The double page spread is busy and eye-catching; it incorporates a range of different newspaper features including the editorial, a letter, personal direct quotations, a cartoon, and large images, as well as the central story. It is relatively unusual to have all these features on the same page, suggesting the story’s

  importance.
• Double page spread

  The headline is large and emotive echoing the front-page headline with the repetition of the word ‘shame’ conveying the values and beliefs of the newspaper and its opinion of what has happened.
• Double page spread

  The central images are emotive and dramatic, juxtaposing the scene from the hospital ward with one of the prime minister smirking, looking furtive and holding a glass of champagne. The selection of these particular images further reinforces the point that members of the

  government broke the rules while people were suffering.
• Levi-Strauss: Binary opposition


  There is a binary opposition between the government, Boris Johnson and ‘the people’ which feeds into the ‘us VS them’ ideology of ‘populism’.
• Front page

  The sub-heading uses numbers to highlight the

  misdemeanours that Johnson was said to be involved in along with the evidence to support this – ‘300 pictures handed over’.
• Double page spread

  The language and mode of address used also contributes to the construction of representations; the use of emotive and declamatory language constructs a negative representation of Boris Johnson – ‘disgraced country’s highest office,’, ‘fiasco’ and ‘stain on our great nation’. The use of ‘our’ encourages the audience to join with the newspaper in condemning these actions.
• Stuart Hall: representation

  The Daily Mirror uses stereotypical representations of the prime minister and other members of the government to convey its left-wing agenda and to raise awareness of inequalities in society.
• Who owns the daily mirror?

  Reach Plc
• David Hesmondhalgh: cultural industries 


  Reach plc is one of the UK’s largest newspaper

  publishers and has become a horizontally integrated

  company with a wide range of titles in order to

  maximise audiences and minimise risks.
• Clay Shirky: Audience

  The concept of audience members as passive

  consumers is no longer tenable in the age of digital

  technologies. This is because they have enabled

  the rise of the prosumer who can create their own

  content submitting stories as a citizen journalist,

  offering an immediate perspective on news stories.
• Stuart Hall: 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. 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/read a publication that does not reflect their ideas and opinions.
• Social and Cultural

  Newspapers reflect the society and culture in which they are produced. The Daily Mirror is a left- wing publication in a largely right-wing press. The newspaper is known for its support of the ordinary working-class person and regularly runs stories and campaigns related to social issues and inequalities.
• Political

  Daily Mirror will be openly critical of the Conservative

  government and supportive of Labour. It will also raise awareness of the effect of the Conservative policies on their working-class readers.
• newspapers reflect their political context through the representation of individuals, social groups, issues and events
• The Daily Mirror is a tabloid newspaper with a traditionally left-wing bias, with a target audience of working class readers
• the newspaper has distanced itself from its rival The Sun and now seeks to produce more serious political content and less celebrity gossip
• the name of the newspaper suggests that it 'holds a mirror' up to society and as such reflects contemporary issues and events from a left of centre perspective
• the Daily Mirror has responded to declining patterns of traditional print consumption by launching ‘Mirror Online’ and having a presence on social media sites to maximise circulation and reach of their audience
• rather than seeing digital media as a threat, the company has embraced its digital expansion and offers digital marketing as well as digital classified ads, generating additional income so that access to digital services for their audience remains free, widening consumption and satisfaction
• audiences are encouraged to subscribe / register to the ‘Mirror Online’ to access exclusive content
• being a horizontally integrated company with a wide range of online newspapers has allowed Reach (formally Trinity Mirror) to maximise their audience and their consumption, minimising risks
• news often appears on social media first so audiences can stay up to date with social and political events, meeting their needs and encouraging further consumption