Case Study Work

 News:

Daily Mail:

Curran & Seaton - media industries:

The Daily Mail has been owned by the Rothemere family since 1896 - this shows the increasing concentration of ownership in the news industry as it is only large, rich family owning teh newspaper. the ownership controls the opinions of the paper.

Current market share of DMG reinforces right wing political agenda to a large audience

Daily Mail's news values support populist reporting that relies on sensationalised and personalised stories.

criticising labour/left wing politicians

Philip Schofield - celebrity gossip

Daily Male Online:

revenue of £93 mil in 2017 - from celebrity & entertainment ( reinforces values of sensationalise & personalised news)

247 mil in 2023

leading news outlet - share of 20.1% in the industry

Guardian:

curran & seaton:

print-

historical ownership of the Scott trust - the ownership does not control the journalistic values - 

Provides a voice from different perspectives - allows for plurality

trust format guards against commercial pressure.

online -

needs to make a profit to survive.

Hesmondhalgh:

Daily Mail:

DMGT as a parent company

increasing outlet and reducing printing plants reduces risk

Guardian:

Struggled to survive in the competitive market

circulation dropped by 13.1% in 2018

Developed digital outlets and moved to compact form & identifying other revenue streams reduces risk:

Livingstone & Lunt - regulation:

Daily Mail:

Member of IPSO - because of Leveson inquiry

Had 17 cases brought against them in respect of claims of inaccuracy, invasion of privacy and intrusion.

online:

individuals need protection from celebrity driven gossipy news

The guardian:

Self-regulation as they believe that both regulatory bodies are unethical & ineffective.They will, for example, protect whistle blowers and run the stories if in public interest.

Online:

self regulates

editors deal with all complaints subject to a criteria

Q4.

Curran & Seaton's theory states that the pattern's in ownership and control are important in how the media functions. It also states that industries are run on capitalism and so will increase the concentration of ownership, therefore narrowing the range of representations/opinions in the media. These industries will place profit as more important then quality or creativity.

We can see the pattern's of ownership and control in the Daily Mail. The Daily mail has been historically owned by DMGT/Lord Rothemere, a rich media baron, and then passed down to his family (his son). This controls how the media functions, as we can see the family's right wing opinions heavily influencing the articles found in the paper. In contrast, we cannot see the ownership in The Guardian. This is because the guardian is owned by the 'Scott Trust'. This means that the opinions will not get in the way of the journalism, allowing for news to be told from different perspectives. A problem with the ownership in the media, is that the DMGT holds a large share in the media industry (20.1%). whilst the Guardian has barely any. This means that the majority of opinions seen in the news are held by DMGT and Lord Rothemere's family. Because of this, regulatory laws have been put in place which means that media conglomerates can only hold approximately 20% of the industry. This allows for plurality and a wider range of news opinions. This contrast between these papers shows that Curran & Seaton's theoy is effective for helping to understand regulation in news.

We can see the increasing concentration of ownership and the narrowing of opinions/representations in the Daily Mail 's Ownership. Due to DMGT holding the largest portion of the industry, the majority of opinions found in the news follow a right wing allegiance. Furthermore, due to the Daily Mail being tabloid, the industry also holds a large amount of celebrity culture and gossipy news. The guardian contrasts this, as it is owned by a trust. This means that political opinions have less control over the news that they put out. The content in the guardian follows the opinions of the left-wing groups, therefore representation is less narrow in the industry. Because of DMGT's hold over the industry, regulatory rules have been made that mean the owners can only hold a certain amount in the industry. This allows for other newspapers to share their opinions which allows for plurality.

To conclude, Curran & Seaton are very effective in helping us understand regulation in news, due to their focus on ownership in the media and the regulatory rules that have been put in place because of it.

Thursday 3rd October 2024

The Daily Mail:

History:

The Daily Mail history begins when the newspaper was founded by Alfred Harmsworth and his brother Harold Harmsworth, who would later become Lord Northcliffe and Lord Rothermere, respectively. The first edition of the newspaper was printed in broadsheet format on 4th May 1896. The paper had enormous success in its early years, particularly since it embraced Britain’s entry into a new technological era. It also emphasised fast delivery of news, using new technology such as mechanical typesetting on a linotype machine and rotary printing machines, to deliver news stories quicker than other newspapers of the time. 
When Lord Northcliffe died in 1922, Lord Rothermere took full control of the paper and it would subsequently pass down through the generations of his family. His son Esmond Harmsworth (2nd Viscount Rothermere) was appointed Chairman of Associated Newspapers in 1932. During the 1930s, Esmond Harmsworth had depicted the regimes of Hitler and Mussolini in a positive light due to his admiration of the two men. In turn, the paper encouraged the expansion of the fascist movement. This makes reading back issues of the newspaper from the 1930s particularly interesting.

summary - owned by lord northcliffe & Lord Rothermere since 1896

Owners/Trusts & funding model used:

Owner: DMGT

Commercial funding

Circulation figures:

Advertising costs

colour display advert costs £181

sales figures for last 5 years:

alternative revenue options:

Circulation & advertising

Tech Developments:

Online - apps, websote

The Guardian:

History:

The Manchester Guardian was founded by John Edward Taylor in 1821 and first published on 5 May of that year. The paper was intended to promote the liberal interest in the aftermath of the Peterloo Massacre, in the context of the growing anti-Corn Laws campaign flourishing in Manchester during this period.
It was published weekly on Saturdays until 1836, when a Wednesday edition was added. In 1855 the abolition of Stamp Duty on newspapers finally made it possible to publish the paper daily, at a reduced cover price of 2d.

Owners/Trusts & funding model used:

The Scotts Trust

not-for-profit

Circulation figures:

The Guardian: 105,134 (July 2021)

Advertising costs:

Alternative revenue options:

trust- non profit

circulation, advertising

Tech Developments:

online issues- app website

DM:

mission statement & principles:

We can identify three main themes in the Mail's interventions in public life: a consistent opposition to socialist or left–wing politics; support for a strong and internationally respected Britain, Empire and Commonwealth; and a social and cultural defence of 'family values', decency, and community spirit.

news values:

Right wing, traditional

negativity, threshold, personalisation, references t o elites, meaningfulness, consonance

Political bias:

right wing

Conveyed ideologies:

right-wing ideologies

Reporting style:

informal

Regulatory body:

IPSO

recent complaints/breaches:

https://www.ipso.co.uk/rulings/20233-23/ 

IPSO investigated 17 complaints, 2 upheld

G:

mission statement & principles:

the mission of the Guardian has been to use clarity and imagination to build hope.

news values:

reflect liberal, progressive and balanced

Political bias:

left wing

Conveyed ideologies:

equality & freedom

Reporting style:

formal

Regulatory body:

self-regulated

recent complaints/breaches:

faced government persecution in the past

Wednesday 9th October 2024:
continued

Ownership:

'The Guardian' masthead - white text on blue background, sans serif font - stands out. 

C & S: narrowing of opinions not seen as negative view of tories. Tories removing Tugendhat from office.

Not pursuing profit as sharing important news rather than celebrity gossip - Hurricane Milton

L & L: self regulated

H: drop in circulation in 2018, combatted by creating digital outlets.

'Daily Mail' - Black, serif text - stands out. Coat of arms in the middle.

C & S: Pursuing profit over quality - alcohol, philip schofield - sensationalised news

Owned by Rothemere family for 100+ years

L & L: regulated by IPSO, paying IPSO member

H: repetition of genres - Celebrity gossip.

Funding & Revenue

Advertising at the top of the front cover

large full page advertisement on the back - rolex = expensive brand - gains revenue from it 

Full Page - some colour - costs money

on the back so costs less than front cover.

advertisements on the top and bottom - small but colourful & eye-catching, multiple advertisement = revenue

On the back page & doesn't take up as much space so doesn't cost as much for the ink

Tech Developments

including a QR code to scan - takes them to the website to subscribe

including a QR code to scan - takes them to the website to subscribe

News Values & Bias:

Serious news

left wing

Celebrity gossip - 

right wing - against labour

C & S: celebroty gossip - no serious news, narrowing of opinions.

Thursday 10th October 2024:

Theory notes on previous papers & these two covers:

Curran & Seaton: Large media conglomerates, right wing allegiance. Narrowing of opinions as DMG owns 25%

L & L: Regulated by IPSO

H: Celebrity gossip - reducing risk.

C & S: workers right - serious news, broadening of representations

L & L: Self regulated 

H: reducing risk by redusing size of papers - costs less