Front Page Analysis
1) What are the front page stories on the 21 September edition of the Daily Mail?
2) From your analysis in class, what other stories and topics are covered in this edition of the Daily Mail?
Other stories and topics covered in this edition include:
3) Media language: Write an analysis of the construction of the Daily Mail homepage: Page design, font, text, images, conventions, hard news/soft news, news values etc.
5) Representations: Are any stereotypes reinforced? Is the audience positioned to respond to the stories in a certain way? You should focus on the Brexit and NHS stories (front page, p6-7, p10) as a minimum here.
Explicitly reflected of The Daily Mail's conventionally conservative/right-wing views and bias. Their reflection of Theresa May is quite positive; during a time where news coverage surrounding her efforts is usually negative, this article highlights their support of the Conservative party and what they stand for.
This news article reinforces the stereotype of the NHS being quite disorganised and lacking in sympathy towards the needs of their patients. The fact that this article is quite brief, yet taps into the topic of surgery, is likely to appeal to the older demographic of The Daily Mail's audience.The concept of healthcare is something that all (if not, the majority) of The Daily Mail's readership would be able to relate to/would be interested in.
Factsheet 175 - Case Study: The Daily Mail (Part 1)
1) What is the history of the Daily Mail?
The Daily Mail was established by Alfred Harmsworth. He is seen as responsible for the rise of popular press, as he wanted to introduce a new style of journalism that could appeal to the working classes. This style of journalism is still prominent today, and is said to have "shaped the modern press" while being fundamental to the popular press.
2) What news content features in the Daily Mail?
The content of the Daily Mail is a mix of hard and soft news. This includes hard news such as politics including the Brexit campaign and comments against the Labour party. The hard news that is reported reflects the partisan views of the Daily Mail and how they are typically viewed as quite a conservative newspaper. However, they also cover soft news such as updates on health and fashion.
3) What is the Daily Mail’s mode of address?
The main thing that Daily Mail are acknowledged for is their use of direct mode of address. This establishes a relationship between the reader and the institution. Thye Daily Mail's mode of address is aimed at women; therefore, the language used is more liekly to appeal to the preferred/targeted female audience.
4) What techniques of persuasion does the Daily Mail use to attract and retain readers?
Techniques fall under three main areas. These are: practical, emotional and associations.
Practical Techniques:
5) What is the Daily Mail’s editorial stance?
The editorial stance is conventionally Conservative. This is reinforced through the results of the recent YouGov poll where approximately 81% of participants believed that The DailyMail was right-wing; 44% considered it to be "very right-wing."
6) Read this YouGov article on British newspapers and their political stance. Where does the Daily Mail fit in the overall picture of UK newspapers?
The Daily Mail is clearly identified as a newspaper that is predominantly right-wing. Over 88% of readers are right wing, meaning that The Daily Mail is considered to be Britain's most right-wing newspaper.
7) What is the Daily Mail’s view of the BBC? What are the possible reasons for this?
The Daily Mail is very supportive of the BBC. This is because the BBC is very popular with the readership and fans of the Daily Mail newspaper. However, the BBC has been viewed as a very left-wing/centred broadcaster, meaning that the Daily Mail are not completely in favour of it.
8) What controversies have followed Mail columnist Richard Littlejohn? You will need to research this beyond the factsheet.
Richard Littlejohn has always been viewed as a controversial columnist. He is primarily known for his extremist right-wing viewpoints and perspectives. For example, his arguments that transgender people should not be teachers and his homophobic views towards the LGBT community. At one point, over 240,000 people signed a petition campaigning for Littlejohn to be removed from the Daily Mail.
Factsheet 177 - Case Study: The Daily Mail (Part 2)
1) How did the launch of the Daily Mail change the UK newspaper industry?
The Daily Mail impacted the newspaper industry in terms of the layouts/presentation of the newspapers. The Daily Mail created the idea of having "shorter, bite-sized" articles in magazine-style digests. This allowed articles to remain shorter and be more spaced out on the entire page; thus making them easier to read.
2) What is the inverted pyramid of journalism and why was it important in the way the Daily Mail presented news?
The inverted pyramid of journalism was a concept designed to ensure that the most important/compelling news stories were included in the newspaper. This was odne in order to ensure that the popular stories were covered, so that members of the public would be more likely to reader the newspaper on a regular basis.
Inverted pyramid of journalism can also be referred to as "Front-Loading." which reflects the idea of putting the important information etc at the front of the newspaper. This allows readers to quickly skim content and consider whether or not they want to read the newspaper in its entirety.
3) What company owns the Daily Mail? What other newspapers, websites and brands do they own?
The Daily Mail is owned by the DMGT (Daily Mail and General Trust PLC). They operate in over forty countries globally, and they also own brands such as:
The extract from Dacre's speech on the freedom of press reflects his right-wing ideological position. He is strongly in favour of the idea of "publicly shaming" those who have behaved wrongly and/or are a threat to society. His right-wing position is reflected through his disregard for the idea that the content of newspapers could potentially damage/affect the democracy in society.
5) What is Dacre’s view on BBC news?
Although Dacre was previously very supportive of the BBC and still enjoys the role it plays in providing news, he does believe that the corporation is too powerful. Dacre has expressed that "lines must be drawn in the sand" and that their power and dominance is reducing the concept of media plurality. Rather than creating a non-partisan news-spread, they are imposing a homogeneous, left-wing culture. As a result, it has destroyed the sense of debate in Britain.
6) Look at the right-hand side of page 4. Why is the editor of a newspaper so important?
The editor of a newspaper is important because the selection of information and how it is presented will have a huge impact on the readership and circulation. The opinions of the editor (in their editorial column) will effect how people view the newspaper and its values; therefore, it is important to ensure that the editor's opinions also match those of the newspaper, so that they are not contrasting or going against them.
7) Why did Guardian journalist Tim Adams describe Dacre as the most dangerous man in Britain? What example stories does Adams refer to?
He refers to Dacre as the most dangerous man in Britain due to the impact that The Daily Mail had during the Brexit campaigns. The media coverage and news stories published by The Daily Mail reflected the idea that leaving the EU would be beneficial etc; this persuaded more of the readership to vote Leave compared to the amount that voted remain. They played upon the fear of mass immigration, expressing the impact that Brexit would have as more immigrants would enter Britain if people voted Remain.
8) How does the Daily Mail cover the issue of immigration? What representations are created in this coverage?
The Daily Mail reports on the issue of immigration in a negative way. For the 4 headlines shown in the article, all four of them portray immigrants/foreigners as the anti-heroes and antagonists. They are said to have "sparked" the housing crisis and the coastlines being a "shambles" due to the migrants moving into the country. The Daily Mail adopt an unsympathetic attitude towards the migrant crisis, and encourage their readership to truly believe that immigration is the sole cause of the issues present in Britain.
9) How did the Daily Mail cover the murder of MP Jo Cox?
They downplayed the murderer's motives for the crime and downplayed Jo Cox's death itself. The fact that it was a shocking and major news story suggests that The Daily Mail did not value the story as much as the other news in that edition - thus leaving it to page 29.
10) What was Dacre’s position on Brexit?
He appears to be pro-leave as he expresses that he was not in favour of federal Europe. Also, he stated that those voting remain would be an "obstruction" to leaving the EU - which could ultimately benefit Britain.
1) What are the front page stories on the 21 September edition of the Daily Mail?
- Theresa May headline - "We're ready to walk away"
Highlights the difficulty that Theresa May is facing whilst attempting to create a beneficial deal for the UK as we continue preparations to leave the EU. The focus on Theresa May's actions as the main headline again reflects that The Daily Mail is a very political newspaper. The fact that they appear supportive of Theresa May in this article highlights the fact that The Daily Mail is typical a conservative newspaper, and that they will side with the Prime Minister in an attempt to remain strong during this difficult transition period for the UK.
- Hard and soft news
The front page includes a combination of hard and soft news. Hard news focuses on the political side of current fairs, particularly on Theresa May and her struggles dealing with other politicians in an attempt to create a deal with the EU as we prepare to leave. Soft news includes the story of Meghan Markle and her trip to Grenfell alongside her Mother. Both stories have been included on the front page in order to appeal to a wider audience - perhaps the lower-working class would enjoy the diversion of following the royal family, whilst the upper-working class would want to learn more about what's happening in the UK in terms of their government.
2) From your analysis in class, what other stories and topics are covered in this edition of the Daily Mail?
Other stories and topics covered in this edition include:
- Keeley and her former job as a model and magazine cover girl
- Will Self's "bizarre divorce"
- Geordie Greig's editorial
- Littlejohn on the MI5 conspiracy
- Campaign: Saving the High Streets
3) Media language: Write an analysis of the construction of the Daily Mail homepage: Page design, font, text, images, conventions, hard news/soft news, news values etc.
- Serif font - creates the impression of The Daily Mail being a traditional, well established newspaper
- Conventional layout and format - Masthead at the top of the newspaper, no cover model obscuring the newspaper's name.
- Images - Meghan Markle is positioned as the focus of the story - the only image on the front draws attention to her
- Large, capitalised Headline - quickly conveys the narrative/focus of the Theresa May article to the reader, whilst also creating a sense of urgency - the idea that the story should be read immediately.
- Meghan Markle
Perhaps reflective of The Daily Mail's attempts to become more progressive - i.e. showing a young black female in the newspaper in a positive light. Highlighting their support of the royal family despite the hate that they have received due to bringing a black female into the monarchy. This article also acts as an ongoing narrative as most newspapers have followed Meghan Markle on her journey and integration into the royal family, after her wedding to Prince Harry.
- Theresa May story
5) Representations: Are any stereotypes reinforced? Is the audience positioned to respond to the stories in a certain way? You should focus on the Brexit and NHS stories (front page, p6-7, p10) as a minimum here.
- Brexit
Explicitly reflected of The Daily Mail's conventionally conservative/right-wing views and bias. Their reflection of Theresa May is quite positive; during a time where news coverage surrounding her efforts is usually negative, this article highlights their support of the Conservative party and what they stand for.
- NHS Stories
This news article reinforces the stereotype of the NHS being quite disorganised and lacking in sympathy towards the needs of their patients. The fact that this article is quite brief, yet taps into the topic of surgery, is likely to appeal to the older demographic of The Daily Mail's audience.The concept of healthcare is something that all (if not, the majority) of The Daily Mail's readership would be able to relate to/would be interested in.
Factsheet 175 - Case Study: The Daily Mail (Part 1)
1) What is the history of the Daily Mail?
The Daily Mail was established by Alfred Harmsworth. He is seen as responsible for the rise of popular press, as he wanted to introduce a new style of journalism that could appeal to the working classes. This style of journalism is still prominent today, and is said to have "shaped the modern press" while being fundamental to the popular press.
2) What news content features in the Daily Mail?
The content of the Daily Mail is a mix of hard and soft news. This includes hard news such as politics including the Brexit campaign and comments against the Labour party. The hard news that is reported reflects the partisan views of the Daily Mail and how they are typically viewed as quite a conservative newspaper. However, they also cover soft news such as updates on health and fashion.
3) What is the Daily Mail’s mode of address?
The main thing that Daily Mail are acknowledged for is their use of direct mode of address. This establishes a relationship between the reader and the institution. Thye Daily Mail's mode of address is aimed at women; therefore, the language used is more liekly to appeal to the preferred/targeted female audience.
4) What techniques of persuasion does the Daily Mail use to attract and retain readers?
Techniques fall under three main areas. These are: practical, emotional and associations.
Practical Techniques:
- Bribery - offering coupons or rewards, competitions where prizes can be won
- Newness - being new or recently improved
- Longevity - creating a sense of nostalgia for long-time readers of the newspapers
Emotional Techniques:
- Hyperbole - Blowing things out of proportion in order to make them seem more dramatic
- Repetition - Reinforcing certain ideas/ideologies
- Comforting - Aspects of human-interest, images and nostalgia provide them with comfort
Association Techniques:
- Humour - comedic aspect
- Celebrity endorsements - Including celebs/expert opinions can often make stories appear more logical; this convinces the readers.
The editorial stance is conventionally Conservative. This is reinforced through the results of the recent YouGov poll where approximately 81% of participants believed that The DailyMail was right-wing; 44% considered it to be "very right-wing."
6) Read this YouGov article on British newspapers and their political stance. Where does the Daily Mail fit in the overall picture of UK newspapers?
The Daily Mail is clearly identified as a newspaper that is predominantly right-wing. Over 88% of readers are right wing, meaning that The Daily Mail is considered to be Britain's most right-wing newspaper.
7) What is the Daily Mail’s view of the BBC? What are the possible reasons for this?
The Daily Mail is very supportive of the BBC. This is because the BBC is very popular with the readership and fans of the Daily Mail newspaper. However, the BBC has been viewed as a very left-wing/centred broadcaster, meaning that the Daily Mail are not completely in favour of it.
8) What controversies have followed Mail columnist Richard Littlejohn? You will need to research this beyond the factsheet.
Richard Littlejohn has always been viewed as a controversial columnist. He is primarily known for his extremist right-wing viewpoints and perspectives. For example, his arguments that transgender people should not be teachers and his homophobic views towards the LGBT community. At one point, over 240,000 people signed a petition campaigning for Littlejohn to be removed from the Daily Mail.
Factsheet 177 - Case Study: The Daily Mail (Part 2)
1) How did the launch of the Daily Mail change the UK newspaper industry?
The Daily Mail impacted the newspaper industry in terms of the layouts/presentation of the newspapers. The Daily Mail created the idea of having "shorter, bite-sized" articles in magazine-style digests. This allowed articles to remain shorter and be more spaced out on the entire page; thus making them easier to read.
2) What is the inverted pyramid of journalism and why was it important in the way the Daily Mail presented news?
The inverted pyramid of journalism was a concept designed to ensure that the most important/compelling news stories were included in the newspaper. This was odne in order to ensure that the popular stories were covered, so that members of the public would be more likely to reader the newspaper on a regular basis.
Inverted pyramid of journalism can also be referred to as "Front-Loading." which reflects the idea of putting the important information etc at the front of the newspaper. This allows readers to quickly skim content and consider whether or not they want to read the newspaper in its entirety.
3) What company owns the Daily Mail? What other newspapers, websites and brands do they own?
The Daily Mail is owned by the DMGT (Daily Mail and General Trust PLC). They operate in over forty countries globally, and they also own brands such as:
- The Daily Mail
- Mail on Sunday
- Mail Online & Mail Plus
- Metro & metro.co.uk
- Mail Today & Mail Travel
- Wowcher
- Jobsite
- This is Money
The extract from Dacre's speech on the freedom of press reflects his right-wing ideological position. He is strongly in favour of the idea of "publicly shaming" those who have behaved wrongly and/or are a threat to society. His right-wing position is reflected through his disregard for the idea that the content of newspapers could potentially damage/affect the democracy in society.
5) What is Dacre’s view on BBC news?
Although Dacre was previously very supportive of the BBC and still enjoys the role it plays in providing news, he does believe that the corporation is too powerful. Dacre has expressed that "lines must be drawn in the sand" and that their power and dominance is reducing the concept of media plurality. Rather than creating a non-partisan news-spread, they are imposing a homogeneous, left-wing culture. As a result, it has destroyed the sense of debate in Britain.
6) Look at the right-hand side of page 4. Why is the editor of a newspaper so important?
The editor of a newspaper is important because the selection of information and how it is presented will have a huge impact on the readership and circulation. The opinions of the editor (in their editorial column) will effect how people view the newspaper and its values; therefore, it is important to ensure that the editor's opinions also match those of the newspaper, so that they are not contrasting or going against them.
7) Why did Guardian journalist Tim Adams describe Dacre as the most dangerous man in Britain? What example stories does Adams refer to?
He refers to Dacre as the most dangerous man in Britain due to the impact that The Daily Mail had during the Brexit campaigns. The media coverage and news stories published by The Daily Mail reflected the idea that leaving the EU would be beneficial etc; this persuaded more of the readership to vote Leave compared to the amount that voted remain. They played upon the fear of mass immigration, expressing the impact that Brexit would have as more immigrants would enter Britain if people voted Remain.
8) How does the Daily Mail cover the issue of immigration? What representations are created in this coverage?
The Daily Mail reports on the issue of immigration in a negative way. For the 4 headlines shown in the article, all four of them portray immigrants/foreigners as the anti-heroes and antagonists. They are said to have "sparked" the housing crisis and the coastlines being a "shambles" due to the migrants moving into the country. The Daily Mail adopt an unsympathetic attitude towards the migrant crisis, and encourage their readership to truly believe that immigration is the sole cause of the issues present in Britain.
9) How did the Daily Mail cover the murder of MP Jo Cox?
They downplayed the murderer's motives for the crime and downplayed Jo Cox's death itself. The fact that it was a shocking and major news story suggests that The Daily Mail did not value the story as much as the other news in that edition - thus leaving it to page 29.
10) What was Dacre’s position on Brexit?
He appears to be pro-leave as he expresses that he was not in favour of federal Europe. Also, he stated that those voting remain would be an "obstruction" to leaving the EU - which could ultimately benefit Britain.
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