Question 3

Explain the impact of technological developments and changing economic contexts on the cost for audiences of consuming news. Refer to The Guardian and the Daily Mail to support your answer. [10 marks]

Both The Guardian and The Daily Mail rely on the price of the newspaper and adverts for their print paper. Online again they both use advertising. However, the Guardian also offers an opportunity for its readers to pay for a membership. This membership includes ad-free content for the members. Neither of these newspapers uses a paywall, unlike some other newspapers.

A decline in sales of print newspapers could be a result of them also being available online. People most likely find it easier to access the news on the internet via their mobile phones rather than going out and buying a newspaper. This is because the online version of these newspapers are constantly on hand to people and can be easily accessed anywhere at any time. The result of this for The Guardian and the Daily Mail is that they lose a lot of money as readers are not forced to pay for the online version of either newspaper. The Guardian may lose less money as readers are given the option for pay for a membership. However, the result of losing money from online readers may be that the newspapers implement a paywall where readers are made to pay before reading online.

As I said before, one of the main appeals of online newspapers is how easily accessible they are. However, another appeal may be that new stories online can be constantly updated. This is different from print as people who read print have to wait for the next day to read an update whereas online the story can be updated in hours or minutes. 

Online news from both The Guardian and The Daily Mail is available from more than just their websites, it is also available on social media. For example Snapchat and Instagram. The news here is often more targeted to a younger audience who are more likely to use social media. For example, on Snapchat the news The Daily Mail posts are often based around celebrity gossip. 

Prosumer activity is often made possible by these technological developments. An example of this would be a story on The Guardian website about an estate where poorer children were made to play separately from the richer children. This story started with audiences complaining about the problem online. The guardian then picked up the story and it quickly became one of their most read stories. This then caused change to be made to the playing area a matter of days later.

Question 1 + 2

Q1. Analyse the different representations of gender, social class and / or ethnicity in Sources A and B. Apply one appropriate theory of representation in your answer. [10 marks]

Source A, The Sun, is a popular newspaper. Source B, The Times, is a quality newspaper. Both sources A and B provide stories on Prince Harry marrying Meghan Markle as well as their families (Harry's dad and Meghan's mum).

Gauntlett's Theory of identity not being fixed is clear with these stories. This is obvious and Megan Markle is clearly represented as very different in each other the newspaper covers. In Source A they use a picture of her in very revealing clothes with a quote from her sister calling her a 'pushy princess' this suggests that The Sun does not belive that Megan is good enough to be in the Royal family as she is 'shallow'. However, in source B Megan is shown in classy clothes along side her mother. This picture presents a very different view of Megan. She is shown as being perfect for the royal family as she is modest and family orientated. This shows that Megan's identity is not fixed as there are clearly two very different representations of her in the front covers. 

Butler/Van Zoon's theories that gender is not natural and is performative are also clear in there stories. This is shown as the newspapers both present very different ideas of femininity. In source A Megan is presented as hyper feminine and is clearly sexualised. She is also clearly subject to the male gaze as she is looking directing into the camera while wearing quite revealing clothes. This is clearly aimed at the enjoyment of males. While this is a stereotypically feminine idea, source A also presents feminine ideas but in a very different way. Megan is seen in more modest clothing but still has feminine features such as her long hair, makeup, and smiling. This suggests that gender is performative and Megan is performing her gender to fit different situation (being an actress, then being part of the royal family). 

Hooks theory of intersectonality may also be clear. This is because Megan's class and ethnicity may come into play. Source B comes from before Megan married into the Royal family so was still seen as a 'commoner'. This may make it more acceptable for source A to publish more objectifying images of her. However, source B is after the wedding meaning Megan is a member of the Royal family. This means the newspaper may want to present her in a better light. Her ethnicity may come into play as she is mixed race (her mum is African-American). A white woman, such as Kate Middleton, may not have been treated the same and called 'shallow' and 'pushy' while being objectified. 

To conclude it is clear that the two different newspapers present different representations of Megan based on her class, ethnicity, and gender. This is more obvious through gender as in source A she is objectified whereas in source B she is presented as a perfect model in the Royal family. 

Q2. Sources A and B cover the same news event but are from two different newspapers. How far has the combination of elements of media language influenced meaning in the sources? In your answer you must:

• explain how the combination of elements of media language influences meaning in newspapers

• analyse how media language has been used to construct meaning in the sources

• make judgements and reach conclusions about how far the combination of elements of media language has influenced meaning in the sources. [15 marks]

Source A, The Sun, is a popular newspaper with right wing beliefs owned by newscorp. Source B, The Times, is a quality newspaper with more left wing views. Both sources A and B provide stories on Prince Harry marrying Meghan Markle as well as their families (Harry's dad and Meghan's mum).  

The sun clearly uses informal language in the heading. They use a quote from Megan Markle sister calling her a "pushy princess" and "shallow". This suggests they do not like Megan and do not belive she deserves to be part of the Royal family by marrying Prince Harry. On the other hand, source B uses more formal language and clearly had very different views of Megan. They use the headline "welcome to the family" which suggests they like Megan and feel she is now part of British culture as she is part of our Royal family. 

The use of images is also very different in both newspapers. Source A uses an objectifying image of Megan in a revealing red outfit. On the other hand the source B uses a more modest picture of her. Both images are the centre of attention which helps portray how the newspapers feel about Megan. The sun clearly thinks little of megan as they are not respectful in the way the present her. However, the times clearly respects her and the royal family.

Source B dedicates most of the page to the story suggesting the Royal family is important to them. However, source A dedicates a lot less space to the Megan markle story for other stories. This suggests that Megan and the Royal family are not as important to them

Overall it is clear that source A does not respect Megan in the same way that source B does. This may be because they care less for the royal family and want to make this clear with their use of headline, image, and space dedicated to the story. 

with reference to Emeli Sande's "Heaven", how realistic are the representations offered by the video?

"Heaven" is a song and music video by British artists Emeli Sande. The main themes in the music video are religion/spirituality, street life, and gender representation. 

In the video Emeli Sande is not sexualised. This is shown through the way she is dressed as she wears all black clothing (almost nun like - relates to religion) that covers her completely.Throughout the video Emili Sande gives very little direct address. It is unclear why this is but it could be that it is not the audience she is singing to. 

Religion is represented in many ways throughout the music video. This is especially clear through the use of obvious connotations to christianity such as crosses, angels/wings, and a symbol of the virgin Mary. It is also shown through Emeli Sande, as well as a few others, constantly looking up to the sky. This could suggest they are looking at or signing to God. The diversity of people looking to the sky could show they are looking at different God's that they identify with. The use of natural looking bright lighting gives a heavenly feel to the video which reflects the title of the video. The lyrics also have religious connotations to them such as "I wait with good intentions" suggesting Sande's faith. The lyrics also show sins and redemption in the line "something's gone inside me and I cant get it back". 

Gender is showed in a wide range of ways. Males and Females are depicted in the video with some defying gender stereotypes and others following their gender stereotypes. In the video we can see that women are not sexualised and ovjectified in the music video. Even the woman in the red dress, who might be typically objectified, is walking away with her back to the camera which suggests she is refusing to be sexualised. However, one of the males in the video is slightly sexualised as we see him lying naked while looking up, possibly seeking guidance which would suggest he is not meeting typical masculine stereotypes. However, there is a woman who is seen looking after a baby which clearly fits with typical feminine gender roles of nurturing.  

How is media language including intertextuality used in "burn the witch" to construct representations of group messages and values

'Burn the witch' is a song and music video released in 2016 by the British band Radiohead. The song is about a witch hunt while the video is a stop motion video about an inspector who is given a tour of the seemingly perfect town. However, the residents of the town start to act strange as they do creepy a violent things to each other and eventually the inspector. 

At the start and the end of the music video we see a bird chirping on a branch. This is a link to companies that the band formed called 'dawn chorus LLP' and 'Dawnnchoruss ltd'. the band have often used the method of setting up new companies before the release of an album in order to minimize the effects its success or failure has on any of their previous albums. The bird could also be a link to the bands social media shut down on 'dawn chorus day' which takes place on the first sunday in May. The band have also spoken of an unfinished song called down chorus. Therefore the video could be a hint that the song is soon to be released. 

The music video also clearly has similarities to the 1970's childrens programme Trumpton in the way it looks and animation style. Trumpton was about life in an idyllic town and taught children about community values. This music video could be a postmodern parody of the show as the values shown in the music video are twisted. There is a possibility that the use of intertextuality to Trumpton could also be a link to Donald Trump who had just been elected as president when the music video came out and shares many of the morals that Radiohead state that they are against which link to the video.

'Burn the witch' was released just before the referendum about whether Britain should leave the EU and the video critiques the leave propaganda that took place surrounding the refugee crisis. The inspector in the music video could represent a refugee while the town represents Britain. At first the town seems welcoming and nice however, the longer the inspector is there the worst things appear until eventually he is forced out. The song is also about a witch hunt which suggesting that refugees coming to Britain are seen as witches that need to be burnt. Therefore the song and video are clear critique of modern politics. 

There are many links to medieval practices in the video. for example drawing red crosses on the door so signify that the people inside have the plague. This could be seen as an early example of discrimination against the sick . It also reflects the lyric "red crosses on wooden doors". Another medieval practice shown in the video is the witch dunking chair. This was used to find out whether someone was a witch or not. If they downed it meant that they were not a witch however, if they survived the dunking then they were declared a witch and burnt alive. This also reflects a lyric "and if you float you burn". These references could be further critique of modern day politics as it could be references to the discrimination that many people still face and comparing them to medieval times. 

The last intertextual link shown in the video is to the 1973 film The Wicker Man. In the film a devout Christian detective goes to an island to investigate a disappearance. On the island finds a community of pagans and he is sacrificed in and effigy they built. There is a clear link to this at the end of the music video when the inspector is told to unveil what turns out to be a sacrificial effigy identical to the one in the film. The mayor then ecorages him to climb up into it before it is set alight. However, unlike the film the inspector escapes the sacrifice. Another link to the film could be the tomato farms seen in the music video as in the film the pagans depend on rituals for their fruit farms success.

shelter analysis

Shelter is a charity aimed at helping people facing homelessness/ at risk of becoming homeless but unlike The Big Issue is not aimed at those who are already homeless. These adverts followed after a government cut on social housing in 2010. This cut meant that social housing (counsel homes) were cut by 60% which greatly increased the number of people who became homeless. 

The clear message in this advert is for people to seek help from shelter before they lose their homes. For example, it encourages people in debt, people with difficult landlords, and people who have lost their job to reach out and get help. This is shown by the writing under the slogans that say 'losing your job doesn't have to mean losing your home.' , 'as a tenant, it can be hard to know where you stand.' , and ' debt can seem to hard to face, but left alone can threaten your home'. All of these are followed by ' we can help' which encourages people in difficult situations to get help early before it comes to them being homeless. These are all powerful messages that show how desperate the people who need to go to shelter are. 

The use of close-ups helps us see the people's facial expressions of worry and fear. This shows their vulnerability. The use of both male and females that do not have a clear age, class, or ethnicity helps to show that anyone can be affected not just stereotypical homeless people. 

The search bar at the baseline reinforces the idea of searching for help as well as telling people where they should go to get that help. The red colour scheme enforces the idea of fear that people face when homelessness could become an issue in their lives.

Old Spice analysis

Old Spice is an American brand of male grooming products introduced in 1937 that sells deodorants and antiperspirants, shampoos, body washes, and soaps. This advert is for their Bahamas scent antiperspirant. The advert features Isaiah Mustafa an American actor and former football wide receiver.

The advert shows a mid shot of Isaiah with his head edited to be a volcano and his body to be an island. On the island is cartoon like pictures of a man fishing, a woman sunbathing, a man buried in the sand, a man on a boat, and animals such as crabs and a monkey.

This old spice advert is self mocking in many ways. The first way it is self referential is that it acknowledges that adverts lie. This is shown in by the words “old spice Bahamas scent comes from an antiperspirant mine in the Bahamas. This fact has not been fact checked.” this adds humour to the advert as people obviously know there are no such things as ‘antiperspirant mines’

Another way this advert is self mocking is through the use of hyper masculinity through the man (Isaiah Mustafa) in the advert. His facial expression shows confidence however it is clearly in a mocking, non-serious way. This could be enforcing butler's idea of gender performativity. Butler suggests that we learn our gender and act in a way according to what we have learned. Barthes Mythical masculinity is also used in this advert as Isaiah Mustafa is a very 'typical' man in the sense that he is muscular and 'attractive'.The use of exaggerated masculinity in this advert suggests that people know what it is to be masculine and can play on it.  

The advert is also post modern. This is shown through the mix and match aesthetic of a picture of Isaiah Mustafa and the cartoonish pictures. Another postmodern technique is the use of Baudrillard's idea of hyperreality through things such as the man fishing who caught a shark. This is a clear exaggeration of the truth. 

This advert also links to another famous television advert by Old spice. This is because it uses the same concepts of hyper masculinity, self mocking, and exaggerating the truth.

lucozade 'in a different league' analysis

The lucozade 'in a different league' advert features Gareth Bale. Gareth Bale is a Welsh football player who currently plays for Real Madrid.

'In a different league' suggests that the product, lucozade, is above the rest and better than other products on the market. This relates to Gareth Bale who is seen as a good player but is also literally in a different league as he plays in la liga rather than premiere league.

Gareth Bale also has a 'squeaky clean' reputation which is shown in the way he is styled (neat hair and clean shaven). This helps to represent the brand in a positive light.

Mythical masculinity is also portrayed in the advert as Gareth Bale is clearly a typical male. This is shown through the mid shot of Bale. This means we get to see both his facial expression and the upper half of his body. As a football player he has an athletic body and is standing with confidence. Also is facial expression is quite serious. Both of these portray a typically masculine appearance.

The advert also uses the persuasive technique of facts by saying 'scientifically proven' next to a close up of the product. This is backed up by Bales statistics on his performance being in the top corner as it shows that lucozade is 'scientifically proven' to make people better athletes like Bale.

The blue and yellow colour scheme is reinforced in the advert as they represent the product