Tuesday, 19 December 2017

Assessment 1B-News


Assessment 1B-News

Identify a strength or strengths in your assessment?
I feel I have given a lot of detail in Q1 and 2 by analysing the front covers (font, writing, pictures) and I have given varied analysis by making lots of different points.

What are the areas you need to improve?
I need to improve Q1 and 2 by including theorists to help display my points. I can improve Q3 by referring to the screencasting task and mention morning/afternoon news and how it changes- gives you updated news). For Q4 I needed to understand either theorists in order to answer the question in detail. I also needed to use my time efficiently in my other questions because I ran out of time in Q4.

What do you need to focus on for your next assessment?
For the next assessment I need to know my theorists better so I can confidently refer to them.

A-level Marksheet

AO1: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the theoretical framework of media and contexts of media and their influence

AO2 Apply knowledge and understanding of the theoretical framework of media to:
Analyse media products/Evaluate academic theories/ Make judgements and draw conclusions

Level 3
·         A comprehensive response to the set question
·         Comprehensive and accurate knowledge and understanding
·         Convincing, perceptive and accurate analysis
·         Convincing, perceptive and accurate evaluation
·         Highly developed and accomplished judgements and conclusions
The response demonstrates a highly developed and detailed line of reasoning which is coherent and logically structured. The information presented is entirely relevant and substantiated.
Level 2
·         An adequate response to the set question
·         Adequate and generally accurate knowledge and understanding
·         Adequate and generally successful analysis
·         Adequate and generally successful evaluation
·         Adequate and generally well-reasoned judgements and conclusions
The response demonstrates a line of reasoning with some structure. The information presented is in the most part relevant and supported by some evidence.
Level 1
·         A minimal response to the set question
·         Minimal application of knowledge and understanding
·         Analysis is minimal and/or largely descriptive and may not be relevant
·         Evaluation is minimal or brief, and is likely to be largely descriptive
·         Judgements and conclusions, if present, are minimal with limited support
·          
Information presented is basic and may be ambiguous or unstructured. The information is supported by limited evidence.







































Thursday, 14 December 2017

Evaluation for Daily Mail News Cover


Evaluation for Daily Mail Front Cover Task

1) What was the task you were given and who was the target audience?
The task was for us to write and formulate a newspaper article for the breaking story we were introduced to in a press conference. The news article was that the engagement between Megan Markle and Prince Harry was off because Harry found out that Megan was having an affair with a man called Brett Carpenter. The target audience was anyone who would read the Daily Mail and their social demographic is B,C1,C2 and people who support the Conservatives.

2) What research did you undertake and what did you find were some of the typical conventions of a Daily Mail front cover- layout, types of stories, fonts etc.
To research for this task, I looked at other Daily Mail newspaper covers for the December month, this helped me determine what type of advert I should create or use as a guide. I decided to use an advert from a December newspaper which was an offer on wine which I thought was festive and appropriate. To decide what layout I should use, I looked at a range of Daily Mail front covers to see the way in which they present their news. Daily Mail news seem to present their news by using around 2-3 articles per cover. One of the articles seems to have a picture alongside it on the right side of the page; this article is usually celebrity gossip news (soft news), the main headline doesn't normally have a picture with it and is normally news on health, politics or any other hard news.

3) Which Daily Mail cover did you use as your main source? What are your observations from this source?            
Image result for december issue of daily mail;I used this newspaper cover as my main source for the advert because the offer is Christmas related and as the newspaper is issued in December I thought it would be appropriate to have a Christmas theme. I also thought this layout of advert would be reasonably easy to fit on the page and assemble myself.
Image result for daily mail immigration covers- migrant numbers hit record                                           I used this as my second main source because I like the layout it displays. I like the way the article on the right side of the page focusses on celebrity/soft news and on the left side it highlights big/hard news issues (politics, health etc.) as it breaks up the newspaper for the readers. It is also an easy layout to understand because you can easily tell the mini article on the bottom of the page is linked to the main headline and the picture correlates with the mini headline positioned underneath.

4) What areas did you find most challenging?
I feel the most difficult part of this task was making sure the front cover was as accurate as the real thing. It was challenging getting the writing font/size to fit the page and fill out the cover because newspapers don't often have much blank space on the cover. One of the trickiest factors of this task was matching the font with the real Daily Mail fonts, it was a long case of trial and error. Another difficult part to this was writing an article which linked to the main headline and had relevance to todays news.

5) What was your initial feedback?  What did others say about the production? How successful do you think it is?
People have said the positioning of all the components to the newspaper are accurate and realistic. I feel the most successful part to my newspaper cover is the advert/offer section, I feel I managed to match the writing font and size to the original newspaper. I feel I have also stuck to the layout that Daily Mail actually use which makes it quite accurate. I think I have managed to associate this December newspaper with Christmas by using the advert I have because alcohol is a big part of some peoples Christmas holiday.


6) Identify what went well and with hindsight what you do to improve/do it differently?
I feel the advert/offer went well because the writing font and colour matched to the source I was using making it look accurate and real. I also feel I chose a good picture because it shows that Megan is the one being presented badly and making Prince Harry shine and make everyone feel sorry for him (as the Daily Mail adore the royals). I also feel the headline for the Megan Markle story was appropriate for the Daily Mail because it captures Megan appear like the villain in this situation, which she is because she had an affair with a man named Brett Carpenter. To improve I feel like need to change the colour of the gradient on the advert banner because it doesn't quite match the source I used. I also feel like I could have improved my newspaper by filling up the blank space a bit more by making the writing font bigger or use more words. Overall I feel I need to change a lot of the fonts to make the paper look like a real Daily Mail front cover. Another part I could improve is the article itself, I feel the article has too many points about immigration, I think it should focus on 2 or 3 points linking to the main headline instead.

7) In the exam you will be analysing newspaper front covers. In producing this cover, are there any areas that you hadn't  noticed before? What have you learnt from completing this task?
I have never really focussed so much on an advert so much before, and I hadn't really noticed that the adverts link with the month or a particular time of year. I hadn't noticed that there are so many different variations of layouts for the Daily Mail. From this task, I have learnt that it is very difficult to position everything on a newspaper correctly to make it look realistic.
















Wednesday, 6 December 2017

Planning for Daily Mail newspaper cover

Plan for 'Engagement off because harry found out about the affair between Brett and Megan'

Article: engagement break off
Who- Megan Markel, Brett Carpenter, Indianna Savhannah, Prince Harry
What- Megan was instigating an affair with Brett whilst harry found out about it from text messages. Friend of Megan, Indianna, provides information and background of Brett Carpenter. 
Where- Affair happened somewhere in LA.
When- Indiana told us the news on 4th December after midnight.
How- Megan was having an affair with Brett Carpenter.
Why- Indianna says that Megan was only engaged with Prince Harry for publicity, now she's got that she has broken it off.

Brett Carpenter:

- 32
- "Nice guy"
- "outgoing"
- Didn't know about the engagement
- Met Megan on a set in New York in 2005

Indianna Savhannah:

- Known Megan since 2005
- Feels "Megan has behaved appallingly"


This is a Daily Mail news cover for a December edition. 






This newspaper cover shows me the type of layout need to follow to produce a cover which will look very similar to a real one. 

Saturday, 2 December 2017

Representations on Front Pages



1.Who is being represented in this image?

 British, male, black, poor, teenagers are being represented in this cover.

2.Are you being given the stereotypical or countertypical image of the person/group? Describe the representation.

In this cover, it stereotypically shows a thug/chav, the baggy tracksuit with a mask covering his face and black gloves on. As his face is covered, it is quite threatening and scary because we cannot see what he looks like, the unknown scares people.

3.HOW is this representation being constructed by the media language? – consider camera angles, choice of images, colours, size, mise en scene, etc.

With the fire and explosion in the background, the image carries the connotation of a villainous character in a blockbuster film, appearing in front of the damage he has just caused. The long shot used gives the reader a view of the whole length of his body, the distance emphasises the public's fear for these youths; even the camera person won't get too close. The camera angle also does not show his face, suggesting that it is too frightening to see.  the liquid on the tarmac has a reflection of the roaring fire behind and it takes on the colour red from it, this makes the liquid appear red, making it look like blood. This shows a prediction of what these youths are capable of.

4.How is the representation being constructed by the text? – consider word choices, size of text, tone, etc.

A large font is used to write 'ANARCHY' representing a massive lack of authority suggesting that the young teenagers are roaming wild and unpredictable. They say 'Riots spread' the verb 'spread' carries the connotation of a disease wiping out a place, making the reader think of the capabilities of these youngsters. The newspaper has written 'jets back' but this also sounds like jet black, it gives the reader a subtle hint that these youths are of black ethnicities. The sub-heading used says 'mindless violence', this portrays the young people committing these crimes as idiots and they don't even give a reason as to why they are rioting therefore the readers have no chance to sympathise or understand them.

5.Does this representation fit with the institutional codes and conventions? Explain your answer. – think about institution, audience, tabloid/broadsheet, etc.


This newspaper cover completely fits in with the tabloid newspaper because they use a very large picture covering the page and lacking in writing from intros to articles etc. The Sun also use a large typeface which is a typical convention for tabloids. This newspaper cover also use lots of offers at the top which is typical for tabloids.


Immigrants 

Related image1.Who is being represented in this image?

Immigrants are being represented in this image. Along with immigrants is the prime minister, David Cameron, he is being represented as the hero, flying in from another country.

2.Are you being given the stereotypical or countertypical image of the person/group? Describe the representation.

This image does not really show immigrants specifically but they are represented as a problem and a nuisance. Immigrants are stereotypically represented as a problem because they are allegedly taking all our jobs, housing etc.


3.HOW is this representation being constructed by the media language? – consider camera angles, choice of images, colours, size, mise en scene, etc.

The use of the red line represents slashing and violence, the colour red also carries the connotation of blood which suggests threatening consequences if the immigration problem increases.

4.How is the representation being constructed by the text? – consider word choices, size of text, tone, etc.

The use of the phrase 'or else!' is very threatening, making readers feel worried for the effect on migrants. It almost sounds like a teacher telling off a student for acting childishly. The word immigration has been put in a different font (black) to make it stand out from the crowd.

5.Does this representation fit with the institutional codes and conventions? Explain your answer. – think about institution, audience, tabloid/broadsheet, etc.

The Sun along with many other tabloid newspapers is very biased, they do not have a neutral headline talking about immigrants, they clearly do not want any immigrants.This very opinionated attitude either brings in a readership who feel the same way or put of many people who disagree greatly.

Disability


1.Who is being represented in this image?

Disabled people are being represented in this image, primarily people with mental health illness.

2. Are you being given the stereotypical or counter typical image of the person/group? Describe the representation.

The Sun are representing 'mental patients' as lethal killers. They are being stereotypical because mental people are usually associated with being murderous characters in horror films, this article strengthens this stereotypical view; feeding false information into readers.

3. HOW is this representation being constructed by the media language? - consider camera angles, choice of images, colour, size, wise en scene, etc.

This headline emphasises this representation of killer mental patients because they have written the statistic '1200' in large typeface, bold and red writing. The colour red suggests blood and gore, allowing the reader to have an imagination and think of the graphic details of the killing.

4. Does this representation fit with the institutional codes and conventions? Explain your answer.- think about institution, audience, tabloid/broadsheet, etc.

The Sun's readers are usually people who want to read shocking and dramatic stories, this headline correlates with this because they have used a staggering statistics to make the article very dramatic and therefore making people buy the newspaper to read the article.


Related image


1. Who is being represented in this image?

Theresa May seems to be represented in this image and her political party: Conservative.

2. Are you being given the stereotypical or counter typical image of the person/group? Describe the representation.


3.   HOW is this representation being constructed by the media language? - consider camera angles, choice of images, colour, size, wise en scene, etc.

The choice of image of Theresa May is very unflattering due to the camera angle which is very low, it shows the undesirable part of herself, not usually a picture used to show off someone. This clearly shows the Daily Mirror's views because they are very left wing, unlike May who is conservative which is right-wing. 

4. How is the representation being constructed by the text? – consider word choices, size of text, tone, etc.

The use of the text is very sarcastic because obviously you cannot have a new prime minister for a Christmas present, therefore they say something impossible to highlight Theresa May's unlikeable ways. The newspaper has even said 'Oust May' which suggests that is what the Daily Mirror's opinions are. Thee biased views will be read by their audience and this will act like the hypodermic needle theory; it will feed opinions to the readers.

5. Does this representation fit with the institutional codes and conventions? Explain your answer. – think about institution, audience, tabloid/broadsheet, etc.

The Daily Mirror is a tabloid newspaper, we can tell this from the front cover because they have lots of pictures and biased views. They also have celebrity gossip which is classed as a soft news and is a typical convention of tabloid newspapers.























Friday, 1 December 2017

Comparison of Daily Mail for Car Crash

Comparison of Daily Mail and The Telegraph article of the car crash including 5 victims

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5118189/Five-people-killed-stolen-car-crashes-tree.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/11/26/five-killed-including-three-children-stolen-car-crashes-leeds/

Daily Mail
The Telegraph
Who was involved?
Brothers aged 12 and 14, a 15 year old friend, a 24 year old man and a 28 year old father.
Two brothers (Ellis and Elliot aged 12 and 15), A third boy named Darnelle Hart (15) and two men aged 24 and 28.
What happened?
Two 15-year-old boys were arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving, they were involved in stealing a Renault Clio. Two victims in the car died at the scene and 3 died later in hospital.
Two brothers (Ellis and Elliot aged 12 and 15) were killed due to one of the boys stealing a car and driving it dangerously. Two men aged 24 and 28 also died.
Where did it happen?
Stonegate Road in Leeds
Stonegate Road, Leeds
When did it happen?
25th November at 10pm
Saturday night 25th November at 10pm
How did it happen?
One of the boys smashed the stolen car into a tree
One of the boys stole a Renault Clio car and crashed it into a tree.
Why did it happen?
This happened because they stole the car which is illegal and then crashed into a tree due to lack of driving ability.
People died due to dangerous driving because they stole a car.


What do you notice about the difference in content and how the articles convey this information?

The Daily Mail definitely include more detail about the families and witnesses of the incident. They show individual images of all the victims involved allowing the reader to form a view on them. They show close up photographs of where the accident happened and the crowds of people mourning about the event which has just happened. They even include images of the notes people have written on bunches of flowers placed at the scene; this seems very invasive because these messages are private and personal, not to be seen by all the Daily Mail online viewers. Extending the invasive journalism are videos which have been taken following the fatal  crash (participatory media). However the layout of this newspaper is clear because they have a list of bullet points right at the start of the article summarising what has happened.

In contrast, the Telegraph article of the same event seems to be a lot shorter but more simplistic. This newspaper use a lot less invasive pictures and a lot less of them. They use a shot of the street where the crash happened to let the readers know little information, this could be because they are respectful of the families.






Newspaper Historical Context


Licensing Act of 1662
The long title is “An Act for preventing the frequent Abuses in printing seditious treasonable and unlicensed Books and Pamphlets and for regulating of Printing and Printing Presses”
Tax on newspaper 1711
This occurred due to the increasing popularity and influence of newspapers because it was problematic for the government. This was a halfpenny on papers of half a sheet or less and a penny on newspapers that ranged from a half a sheet to a single sheet in size.
The Observer
This is a British newspaper only published on Sundays. It was first published in 1791 and it is the world’s oldest Sunday newspaper.
Reduction of the stamp tax in 1836
This was first imposed in 1712 for British newspapers The tax gradually increased until 1836 when the 4d tax on newspapers was reduced to 1d.
‘Golden age’ of newspaper publication
  79 years ago, the newspaper industry was a very competitive business, the leading newspaper would do very well, numbers 2 and 3 would do okay and every other newspaper suffered. By the time we got to the sixties, newspapers no longer had 2 or 3 sections, they had gardening sections, food sections, life-style sections etc. and ad sales really came through; the industry was plummeting. Now the dilemma for newspapers is being able to sell the most paper copies and having a large readership, newspapers are turning to online news now as that is the way the society is progressing.                                            
Profits from advertising
Adverts are the only thing that pay for newspapers to be distributed. The Times profits near £11 million etc.
The press Council
This was a voluntary press organisation which was founded by General Council in 1953 with a non-binding regulatory framework. This was funded by newspaper proprietors. The aim was maintaining high standards of ethics in journalism.
The Independent
This is a British online newspaper. The last printed newspaper was published on Saturday 20 March 2016. Currently, the newspaper is online due to lack of circulation.
Phone Hacking Scandal
The phone hacking scandal was that there were allegations that News of the World editor and other world news journalists were involved in hacking people’s phones leading to the closure of the 168 year old News of the World tabloid in 2011.
Decline in the newspaper circulation
 

Media Revision