Website
1) What are the top five stories? Are they examples of soft news or hard news?
The information is arranged in smaller, more bitesize chunks of text rather than overly long, bulks/columns of text. This fits with the idea that the website will be consumed by those who are familiar with reading/consuming information from the internet - they have matched the conventional style of 'less info and more pictures' to keep the audience engaged. This is similar to the print version as the print seems to adopt a similar layout - i.e. the Opinion Matrix where all of the articles are summarised into more condensed versions of the story.
3) Are there examples of ‘clickbait’? What are they?
The soft news stories act as clickbait - they soften the serious tone created by the typical hard news on the homepage. For example: "I thought polyamory would be fun, now I'm in three relationships."
4) To what extent do the stories you have found on inews.co.uk reflect the values and ideologies of the i newspaper?
I think that the news stories are quite reflective of the values and ideologies of the i newspaper. The hard news reflects the fact that the i is typically up to date with the current affairs, while the layout of the hard news ensures that the most important facts are relayed to the audience effectively.
5) What similarities and differences are there between MailOnline and the i newspaper website?
Similarities
Differences
Now read this Business Insider feature on the launch of the i newspaper website (which coincided with the purchase of the newspaper by Johnston Press). Answer the following questions:
1) The interview with Johnston Press CEO Ashley Highfield features the claim there will be "no clickbait". Does your analysis of inews.co.uk support this claim?
I think that my analysis of the inews website does support this to some extent. There is no celebrity-based clickbait or any news stories that are gossip based (much like the Mail Online is). Rather, there are some soft news stories which may act as clickbait as they are less relevant to the hard news stories, but ultimately I think that there's just a variety of news.
2) He states the website will "stick very closely to the brand values of the i". What are these?
5 key brand values:
3) How does he claim inews.co.uk will differ from online rival Buzzfeed?
4) What audience does Highfield want the website to target?
She wants the i to target a more wealthy, affluent audience who are slightly older. This is because she feels like millennials will not be reached as easily due to their ability to simply block any information that they don't necessarily think is relevant to them.
5) Why is the millennial audience less attractive?
Because they have less money to spend on average compared to older readers. This is due to the fact that many of them would have left university and would have student loans/debts to repay; therefore, they are unlikely to be willing to pay for the i newspaper or view content on the adverts on the i website because they can just ad block them.
1) What are the front page stories on the 21 September edition of the i?
Headline:
2) From your analysis in class, what other stories and topics are covered in this edition of the i? You should address the following pages:
Page 2-3: The News Matrix
Pages 5: Tigers, Rhinos etc
Pages 11: Meghan Markle story & University articles
1) What are the top five stories? Are they examples of soft news or hard news?
- Bombs addressed to Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton intercepted (Hard News)
- Why fracking might have caused an earthquake (Hard News)
- Daily Telegraph injunction - what are they & when do they get used (Hard News)
- 1 in 5 Gourmet Burger King restaurants to close (Soft News)
- Julia Davis on 'simulations violent lesbian sex' in her new Sky series (Soft News)
The information is arranged in smaller, more bitesize chunks of text rather than overly long, bulks/columns of text. This fits with the idea that the website will be consumed by those who are familiar with reading/consuming information from the internet - they have matched the conventional style of 'less info and more pictures' to keep the audience engaged. This is similar to the print version as the print seems to adopt a similar layout - i.e. the Opinion Matrix where all of the articles are summarised into more condensed versions of the story.
3) Are there examples of ‘clickbait’? What are they?
The soft news stories act as clickbait - they soften the serious tone created by the typical hard news on the homepage. For example: "I thought polyamory would be fun, now I'm in three relationships."
4) To what extent do the stories you have found on inews.co.uk reflect the values and ideologies of the i newspaper?
I think that the news stories are quite reflective of the values and ideologies of the i newspaper. The hard news reflects the fact that the i is typically up to date with the current affairs, while the layout of the hard news ensures that the most important facts are relayed to the audience effectively.
5) What similarities and differences are there between MailOnline and the i newspaper website?
Similarities
- Both have the most relevant news stories towards the top of the page - draws attention to key aspects of the current affairs
- Both have a combination of both hard and soft news
Differences
- Mail Online seems to have a lot more clickbait - all of the stories on the right hand side of the page (in the column) appear to all be celebrity/gossip related
- Mail Online has a very 'text-heavy' feel to the website - a lot more words are used on average and it makes the layout of the website seem more 'cluttered' (less organised)
Now read this Business Insider feature on the launch of the i newspaper website (which coincided with the purchase of the newspaper by Johnston Press). Answer the following questions:
1) The interview with Johnston Press CEO Ashley Highfield features the claim there will be "no clickbait". Does your analysis of inews.co.uk support this claim?
I think that my analysis of the inews website does support this to some extent. There is no celebrity-based clickbait or any news stories that are gossip based (much like the Mail Online is). Rather, there are some soft news stories which may act as clickbait as they are less relevant to the hard news stories, but ultimately I think that there's just a variety of news.
2) He states the website will "stick very closely to the brand values of the i". What are these?
5 key brand values:
- High quality content
- Pleasing design
- Manageable layout
- Affordable price
- Balanced comments/opinions
3) How does he claim inews.co.uk will differ from online rival Buzzfeed?
- Will not be aimed at millenials - targeted towards an older audience.
- No clickbait - will feature the matric-style format from the magazine
- Will mainly feature sponsorship rather than randomised traffic and content
4) What audience does Highfield want the website to target?
She wants the i to target a more wealthy, affluent audience who are slightly older. This is because she feels like millennials will not be reached as easily due to their ability to simply block any information that they don't necessarily think is relevant to them.
5) Why is the millennial audience less attractive?
Because they have less money to spend on average compared to older readers. This is due to the fact that many of them would have left university and would have student loans/debts to repay; therefore, they are unlikely to be willing to pay for the i newspaper or view content on the adverts on the i website because they can just ad block them.
Newspaper
1) What are the front page stories on the 21 September edition of the i?
Headline:
- The Salzburg Disaster - relating to Theresa May's ongoing attempts to secure a deal with other EU leaders that will be of benefit to the UK
Other stories:
- Interviews with M.I.A, Emma Stone and information on new albums
- Croydon cat killer revealed
- What happens when an octopus takes ecstasy
- Aubameyang at the double in Arsenal win
Page 2-3: The News Matrix
- Interestingly, the layout of this page makes it a lot easier to navigate and consume information compared to traditional newspapers.
- The news stories are concise and are summarised to allow the "time-poor" commuter to gain a wide range of info in a short space of time
- Wide variety of news stories - appeals to the various demographics
- The subject of this article is reflective of the socially aware and conscious nature of the audience
- Demonstrates the concerns and the viewpoints of the audience - environmentalists etc
- Younger audience is more likely to campaign against injustices etc
Page 6-7: The Chequers Plan & Jaguar Car advert
- Reflective of the older audience demographic - older readers are likely to have more disposable income, and therefore be able to afford the new Jaguar
- The Chequers Plan - highlights the importance of politics; being aware of what's happening around us and how it could affect us
Page 9: The Ecstasy octopus
- Positive representation of drug use
- Highlights the dangers of overusing the drug, but also shows the positive impact that ecstasy could have in small doses (i.e. happiness, could be used for medicinal purposes)
Pages 11: Meghan Markle story & University articles
- Interestingly, the Meghan Markle story is on page 11 of the newspaper, and is given a small section of the page in comparison to the over stories - contrasts to The Daily Mail, who had this story as a front page article.
- Reiterates that what The Daily Mail views as newsworthy/immediately relevant is different to what the i Newspaper finds newsworthy.
- Relegation of the royal news and info on the monarchy
- Appeals to millenials - the progressive idea of hyper-diversity
Page 15: Technology and The Mercury Award
- Niche bands and musicians - creating opportunities for the audience to open themselves up to new music
- New technology - reflective of the audience's constant progression and somewhat liberal mindset.
Page 16: The Opinion Matrix
- Sense of pluarlism - diversity of opinions, not a biased or one-sided account of stories.
- More liberal - presenting various opinions and allowing the reader to form their own rather than attempting to influence their viewpoints.
3) Media language: Write an analysis of the construction of the i front page: 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? What contrasts can you find with the Daily Mail here?
The i: introductory reading
Look at the following articles to give you the background on the i newspaper:
BBC News website: Independent launches new 20p newspaper called i
Campaign magazine: Independent to launch first quality daily newspaper for 25 years
BBC News website: Johnston Press to buy i newspaper for £24m
The i launch campaign and success
Read this Marketing Society case study on the launch of the i newspaper and answer the following questions:
1) What was the research that led to the launch of the i newspaper?
Research showed that consumers still wanted quality news information; however, their lack of time prevented them from doing so.
2) How did i target readers and lapsed readers of quality newspapers?
They combined their strong design with high quality content to ensure that people could digest the information easily without hassle. They also formatted their newspaper into a smaller size, meaning that commuters could manage the newspaper during their journey easier.
3) What was the target audience and why was this attractive to advertisers?
The target audience for the i newspaper was a professional ABC1 audience, as this demographic often proves to be the most time-poor. It was attractive to advertisers because it meant that advertisers would be able to target their products to the right audience - i.e. expensive cars to the AB demographic, holiday deals to the C1 demographic etc.
4) What were the statistics that proved the i newspaper was a success - and that it hadn't 'cannibalised' (taken readers from) other newspapers?
The circulation of the i newspaper was 170,436 by the end of 2011, and there were no signs of cannibalisation of the Independent newspaper. Also, no other newspapers reported a significant decline after the introduction of the i newspaper; thus proving that the i hadn't cannibalised other newspapers, rather it added to the industry.
5) What was the background to the i newspaper's launch?
The newspaper market was in decline - the UK market declined 21% in just 2 years (between 2007 and 2009), and the competition for readers was becoming increasingly intense.
6) What were the objectives for the i newspaper launch?
When it launched, the i newspaper set itself objectives in order to be able to identify its success. It needed to:
7) The Independent saw an opportunity in the print newspaper market. How did potential i readers view other newspapers and what product did they want?
The typical i newspaper reader expressed that:
Phase One - Involved highly-focused national outdoor campaigns, worked alongside LBC. The Independent's teams also visited 12,000 retail outlets as part of a focused distribution times.
Phase Two - explained exactly what the paper was and why the target audience would love it. They spelt out the benefits of the newspaper, and allowed different people to express why they loved the paper.
10) List three statistics quoted in the final section 'Achievements' to demonstrate the success of the i newspaper's launch.
Read this collection of quotes and messages in the Independent to celebrate the i newspaper's fifth birthday. Answer the following questions:
1) Read Nigel Farage's message ("thoughtful, independent-minded and liberal (with a small 'l')...") What does this tell us about the values and ideologies behind the i newspaper?
Tells us that the newspaper successfully balances the demand for hard news (like politics and current affairs) with soft news like entertainment based news/interviews. It also highlights how well the newspaper has flourished in a marketplace which is in an apparent decline. Shows us that the ideologies are a lot more central/left-wing compared to other newspapers.
2) Why might one of the readers suggest that switching from the Daily Mail to the i has meant their "blood pressure has returned to normal"?
Barbara Williams made this comment that The i Newspaper "returned their blood pressure to normal" to imply that the Independent's approach to reporting and their ideologies are more sensitive and informative compared to other newspapers.
3) Choose three other messages from readers. What do they suggest about the audience pleasures provided by the i newspaper - why do readers love it?
"Farewell to the gloomsters who said i wouldn't work - here's to the power of print." - Jeremy Corbyn
Suggests that the readers enjoy the versatility of the i newspaper, and that although it was considered a difficult endeavour, the i has scucessfully continued to grow. The growth of the i demosntrates that the audiences have responded positively to the viewpoints reflected by the newspaper
"The newspaper has been innovative, informative and entertaining in its first five years..." - Nick Clegg
Suggests that the audience are able to experience both surveillance (by learning about various topics), as well as diversion as they would enjoy the entertainment-related articles etc.
"The paper’s focus on the NHS financial crisis, staffing shortage and the ongoing A&E crisis has been relentless and the paper is to be commended for that." - Nicola Sturgeon
Highlights the newspaper's sense of responsibility and the duty that it has to raise awareness of any crises/issues that could affect society. Covering topics like the NHS financial crisis etc makes people more aware of what is happening around them; thus, making it more likely that people will attempt to push for changes.
4) Scroll down towards the bottom of the article. What are the campaigns that i have run since their launch in 2010?
5) What do these campaigns tell you about the values and ideologies behind the i newspaper? Do they also tell you something about the readership of the i?
They are very community focused and are progressive. This is reflective of the liberal, optimistic nature of the newspaper - they are willing to work hard to combat any injustices and do their part to better society.
6) What did the critics say when the paper was first launched? Why did many think the paper would fail?
Many people believed that the newspaper would fail as the newspaper industry as a whole was suffering a major decline. Readerships and circulation was decreasing for the majority of print publications, so it was expected that the i would suffer decline rather than growth.
7) Choose three quotes from the critics' reviews and discuss whether these viewpoints remain valid today.
"Not only will i fail, it will leave The Independent in even worse shape." - Mark Ritson
This criticism is invalid as it does not take the audience into consideration. The i aims to allow time-poor individuals to gain an insight into the world around them, in a short space of time, and the i actually does just that. With its smaller physical size as well as more image-based, user-friendly layout, the news stories are a lot easier to digest and a lot more beneficial to the reader.
"i lives up to its name – it’s a digest of its big brother" - Roy Greenslade
I think that this quotation is still relevant today - even 8 years after the creation of the i Newspaper. It has the same vibe and feel of the Independent, but just on a smaller scale.
8) Look at the bestselling front page stories from 2011-2015. What do these tell us about the i's values and ideologies - and what do we learn about i readers?
From the bestselling front page stories, we learn that whilst the targeted demographic is fairly young, readers of the i tend to enjoy hard news stories - relating to the economy and politics. The content seems to be more left-wing than in favour of the Conservative government - thus reinforcing the liberal-minded ideologies of the i newspaper.
Johnston Press background and research
Read this history of Johnston Press and the news of its impending break-up from veteran Guardian media correspondent Roy Greenslade.
1) How did the company begin?
The company began in the mid-19th century when the newspapers were the main form of mass communication., The Farlkirk Herald was soon acquired by A. Johnston.
2) What did Johnston Press do in the 1980s and 1990s?
F. Johnston the Third joined the business in 1962, and in 1988, he floated the company on the stock market - achieving a value of £22m. It was then assumed that the company would continue to grow. Johnston Press then employed Tim Bowdler, then went about developing Johnston Press into a larger company.
3) List some of the regional newspapers owned by Johnston Press in its history (you may need to research this separately beyond Greenslade's article).
4) What happened to Johnston Press in the 2000s to the present day?
Johnston Press bought newspapers for large sums of money, e.g. the Scotsman for £160m. This spending led to the Johnston Press being under a huge financial strain. The company found themselves in more and more debt, and with falling profits, it is unlikely that they will be able to recover from this decline.
5) How does Greenslade see the future of Johnston Press - and what might happen to the i newspaper?
He suggests that Johnston Press will eventually split up, with the subsidiaries and different newspapers being bought by other rival companies. Some newspapers may even be cancelled all together. The i newspaper was successful, but not profitable enough to pay off the £220m bonds that the company owes.
Johnston Press buys the i
Read this article from the website Hold The Front Page on the announcement of the Johnston Press purchase of the i newspaper - and the closure of the Independent. Answer the following questions:
1) How much did regional published Johnston Press buy the i for?
They bought the i for £24m.
2) Who did Johnston Press buy the i from?
ESI Media - controlled by Evgeny Lebedev.
3) What did the sale signal for the Independent newspaper?
It signalled that there would be some redundancies, as fewer people would be needed to edit the content for the single print newspaper. It also signalled the end of The Independent's sister publications like The Independent on Sunday.
4) What reasons were provided by Johnston Press CEO Ashley Highfield for buying the i?
Ashley Highfield explained that the purchase of the i newspaper would be a transformational acquisition, as it would be a great step forward in adding to the print industry as a whole.
5) The comments below the article are overwhelmingly negative. Choose three comments and explain how they criticise Johnston Press and the purchase of the i newspaper.
"A complete kick in the teeth for myself and other JP workers facing redundancy."
"What does another £24m. extra debt matter anyway? So, you’ve run a company into the ground, ruined thousands of lives, thrown away tons of experience and knowledge, and here you are, doing it all again."
- General lifestyle features - a focus on soft news as well as hard news
- The hard news is the headline - focus on politics and the ongoing news stories
- Bitesize introductions to the other articles available - almost acts as clickbait and mimics the layout of a website
- Lack of capitalisation: more user-friendly and calming rather than creating a sense of urgency
- Headline - bold, heavy font establishes the importance of the story
- Copy has been regulated to the inside of the newspaper - cover relies on images and colour to relay the story.
- The headline appears far less sympathetic towards Theresa May: "vulnerable PM"
- Sense of continuity - the stories are introduced briefly on the cover and then develop/continue on the inside of the newspaper
- Range of stories and narratives - from politics (which everyone will be familiar with) to more soft news like Croydon cat killer
5) Representations: Are any stereotypes reinforced? Is the audience positioned to respond to the stories in a certain way? What contrasts can you find with the Daily Mail here?
- Reinforces the common belief that Theresa May is struggling with her role of leading the UK through this difficult time of change
- Contrasts to the Daily Mail's approach where they portray Theresa May as "furious" and a more courageous, strong-willed female.
The i: introductory reading
Look at the following articles to give you the background on the i newspaper:
BBC News website: Independent launches new 20p newspaper called i
Campaign magazine: Independent to launch first quality daily newspaper for 25 years
BBC News website: Johnston Press to buy i newspaper for £24m
The i launch campaign and success
Read this Marketing Society case study on the launch of the i newspaper and answer the following questions:
1) What was the research that led to the launch of the i newspaper?
Research showed that consumers still wanted quality news information; however, their lack of time prevented them from doing so.
2) How did i target readers and lapsed readers of quality newspapers?
They combined their strong design with high quality content to ensure that people could digest the information easily without hassle. They also formatted their newspaper into a smaller size, meaning that commuters could manage the newspaper during their journey easier.
3) What was the target audience and why was this attractive to advertisers?
The target audience for the i newspaper was a professional ABC1 audience, as this demographic often proves to be the most time-poor. It was attractive to advertisers because it meant that advertisers would be able to target their products to the right audience - i.e. expensive cars to the AB demographic, holiday deals to the C1 demographic etc.
4) What were the statistics that proved the i newspaper was a success - and that it hadn't 'cannibalised' (taken readers from) other newspapers?
The circulation of the i newspaper was 170,436 by the end of 2011, and there were no signs of cannibalisation of the Independent newspaper. Also, no other newspapers reported a significant decline after the introduction of the i newspaper; thus proving that the i hadn't cannibalised other newspapers, rather it added to the industry.
5) What was the background to the i newspaper's launch?
The newspaper market was in decline - the UK market declined 21% in just 2 years (between 2007 and 2009), and the competition for readers was becoming increasingly intense.
6) What were the objectives for the i newspaper launch?
When it launched, the i newspaper set itself objectives in order to be able to identify its success. It needed to:
- Reach a circulation of 150,000
- Avoid cannibalisation of The Independent
- Reach a combined Independent and i circulation of 340,00
- Increase the ad revenue growth for the business
- Achieve majority ad volume in the marketplace
7) The Independent saw an opportunity in the print newspaper market. How did potential i readers view other newspapers and what product did they want?
The typical i newspaper reader expressed that:
- The Metro was the ideal size, but the editorial content was too simplistic, slow and celebrity-focused
- The Daily Mail and The Express (midmarket titles) were the right size, but too opinionated and biased.
- Upper market newspapers were highly regarded for content, but has too many pages and is too expensive.
- High quality content
- Aesthetically pleasing design
- Balanced comments/opinions
- Manageable pagination
- Affordable price
Phase One - Involved highly-focused national outdoor campaigns, worked alongside LBC. The Independent's teams also visited 12,000 retail outlets as part of a focused distribution times.
Phase Two - explained exactly what the paper was and why the target audience would love it. They spelt out the benefits of the newspaper, and allowed different people to express why they loved the paper.
10) List three statistics quoted in the final section 'Achievements' to demonstrate the success of the i newspaper's launch.
- In paid for sales The Independents content is now nearly 3 times greater than last year and has secured a fresh audience of ABC1 quality daily readers for its advertisers.
- 73% ABC1 readers confirmed the i as a quality newspaper with a quality audience.
- December ABC figures were impressive at 170,436
Read this collection of quotes and messages in the Independent to celebrate the i newspaper's fifth birthday. Answer the following questions:
1) Read Nigel Farage's message ("thoughtful, independent-minded and liberal (with a small 'l')...") What does this tell us about the values and ideologies behind the i newspaper?
Tells us that the newspaper successfully balances the demand for hard news (like politics and current affairs) with soft news like entertainment based news/interviews. It also highlights how well the newspaper has flourished in a marketplace which is in an apparent decline. Shows us that the ideologies are a lot more central/left-wing compared to other newspapers.
2) Why might one of the readers suggest that switching from the Daily Mail to the i has meant their "blood pressure has returned to normal"?
Barbara Williams made this comment that The i Newspaper "returned their blood pressure to normal" to imply that the Independent's approach to reporting and their ideologies are more sensitive and informative compared to other newspapers.
3) Choose three other messages from readers. What do they suggest about the audience pleasures provided by the i newspaper - why do readers love it?
"Farewell to the gloomsters who said i wouldn't work - here's to the power of print." - Jeremy Corbyn
Suggests that the readers enjoy the versatility of the i newspaper, and that although it was considered a difficult endeavour, the i has scucessfully continued to grow. The growth of the i demosntrates that the audiences have responded positively to the viewpoints reflected by the newspaper
"The newspaper has been innovative, informative and entertaining in its first five years..." - Nick Clegg
Suggests that the audience are able to experience both surveillance (by learning about various topics), as well as diversion as they would enjoy the entertainment-related articles etc.
"The paper’s focus on the NHS financial crisis, staffing shortage and the ongoing A&E crisis has been relentless and the paper is to be commended for that." - Nicola Sturgeon
Highlights the newspaper's sense of responsibility and the duty that it has to raise awareness of any crises/issues that could affect society. Covering topics like the NHS financial crisis etc makes people more aware of what is happening around them; thus, making it more likely that people will attempt to push for changes.
4) Scroll down towards the bottom of the article. What are the campaigns that i have run since their launch in 2010?
- iVote - encourages mass voter registration and hosts iDebates around the country
- Back to School - encoruaging people to return to their old state schools and provide students with inspiration and advice on careers
- Homeless Veterans appeal - supports ex-servicemen and women who are struggling
- Elephant Appeal - working with Space for Giants to combat the poaching of elephants
5) What do these campaigns tell you about the values and ideologies behind the i newspaper? Do they also tell you something about the readership of the i?
They are very community focused and are progressive. This is reflective of the liberal, optimistic nature of the newspaper - they are willing to work hard to combat any injustices and do their part to better society.
6) What did the critics say when the paper was first launched? Why did many think the paper would fail?
Many people believed that the newspaper would fail as the newspaper industry as a whole was suffering a major decline. Readerships and circulation was decreasing for the majority of print publications, so it was expected that the i would suffer decline rather than growth.
7) Choose three quotes from the critics' reviews and discuss whether these viewpoints remain valid today.
"Not only will i fail, it will leave The Independent in even worse shape." - Mark Ritson
This criticism is invalid as it does not take the audience into consideration. The i aims to allow time-poor individuals to gain an insight into the world around them, in a short space of time, and the i actually does just that. With its smaller physical size as well as more image-based, user-friendly layout, the news stories are a lot easier to digest and a lot more beneficial to the reader.
"i lives up to its name – it’s a digest of its big brother" - Roy Greenslade
I think that this quotation is still relevant today - even 8 years after the creation of the i Newspaper. It has the same vibe and feel of the Independent, but just on a smaller scale.
8) Look at the bestselling front page stories from 2011-2015. What do these tell us about the i's values and ideologies - and what do we learn about i readers?
From the bestselling front page stories, we learn that whilst the targeted demographic is fairly young, readers of the i tend to enjoy hard news stories - relating to the economy and politics. The content seems to be more left-wing than in favour of the Conservative government - thus reinforcing the liberal-minded ideologies of the i newspaper.
Johnston Press background and research
Read this history of Johnston Press and the news of its impending break-up from veteran Guardian media correspondent Roy Greenslade.
1) How did the company begin?
The company began in the mid-19th century when the newspapers were the main form of mass communication., The Farlkirk Herald was soon acquired by A. Johnston.
2) What did Johnston Press do in the 1980s and 1990s?
F. Johnston the Third joined the business in 1962, and in 1988, he floated the company on the stock market - achieving a value of £22m. It was then assumed that the company would continue to grow. Johnston Press then employed Tim Bowdler, then went about developing Johnston Press into a larger company.
3) List some of the regional newspapers owned by Johnston Press in its history (you may need to research this separately beyond Greenslade's article).
- Brighton & Hove Independent
- Yorkshire Post Newspapers
- Lancashire Evening Post Ltd
- Sussex Newspapers Ltd.
- Iconic Newspapers
4) What happened to Johnston Press in the 2000s to the present day?
Johnston Press bought newspapers for large sums of money, e.g. the Scotsman for £160m. This spending led to the Johnston Press being under a huge financial strain. The company found themselves in more and more debt, and with falling profits, it is unlikely that they will be able to recover from this decline.
5) How does Greenslade see the future of Johnston Press - and what might happen to the i newspaper?
He suggests that Johnston Press will eventually split up, with the subsidiaries and different newspapers being bought by other rival companies. Some newspapers may even be cancelled all together. The i newspaper was successful, but not profitable enough to pay off the £220m bonds that the company owes.
Johnston Press buys the i
Read this article from the website Hold The Front Page on the announcement of the Johnston Press purchase of the i newspaper - and the closure of the Independent. Answer the following questions:
1) How much did regional published Johnston Press buy the i for?
They bought the i for £24m.
2) Who did Johnston Press buy the i from?
ESI Media - controlled by Evgeny Lebedev.
3) What did the sale signal for the Independent newspaper?
It signalled that there would be some redundancies, as fewer people would be needed to edit the content for the single print newspaper. It also signalled the end of The Independent's sister publications like The Independent on Sunday.
4) What reasons were provided by Johnston Press CEO Ashley Highfield for buying the i?
Ashley Highfield explained that the purchase of the i newspaper would be a transformational acquisition, as it would be a great step forward in adding to the print industry as a whole.
5) The comments below the article are overwhelmingly negative. Choose three comments and explain how they criticise Johnston Press and the purchase of the i newspaper.
"A complete kick in the teeth for myself and other JP workers facing redundancy."
- This is a criticism of how the company seemingly acts without considering the trade-off and costs that the workers at JP/the i newspaper will suffer from, and how it could impact the lives of them and their families almost indefinitely.
"What does another £24m. extra debt matter anyway? So, you’ve run a company into the ground, ruined thousands of lives, thrown away tons of experience and knowledge, and here you are, doing it all again."
- This comment focuses on the impact that the company's incessant spending has had on employees and journalists at JP. Due to their debt and lack of funds, they have had to make many people redundant; thus, leading to many talented journalists and workers being unemployed and struggling.
"Don’t see much evidence of digital experience in any other JP titles. With 24k to spend by Ashley, my redundancy, and the hundreds more, was worthwhile though; so that’s all good!"
- This quote criticises Ashley Highfield's decision to purchase the i and attempt to recover from the severe debts that Johnston Press have accumulated. Johnston Press have no real experience of working with online digital content, so there is no guarantee of the profits remaining higher than the losses.
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