Newspapers: Daily Mirror - Audience and Industries

 Audience

1) What is the Daily Mirror's audience? List the key statistics here.

The Daily Mirror audience is older with almost half the audience aged 65+. In terms of social class, most are in the C1, C2 DE social classes. They are likely to be in the Struggler, Resigned or Mainstream psychographic groups. 

2) Why do the Mirror stories on the CSP pages appeal to the Daily Mirror audience?

they provide entertainment for audiences and appeal to most people because of their informal writing.

3) Why might a reader enjoy the Daily Mirror? Use Blumler & Katz Uses and Gratifications theory to add detail to your answer.

they offer surveillance and entertainment allowing people to read about good or bad stories without experiencing it themselves

4) Why are print newspapers generally read by older audiences?

because they're used to it and might not use devices as often as the younger generations

5) How are the CSP pages constructed to appeal to Daily Mirror readers? Think about text and selection of images.

big images and mastheads and slogans.

Industries

1) What company owns the Daily Mirror and why are they struggling? 

reach plc

not many people buy physical newspapers so they're losing money.

2) Who was the Daily Mirror editor between 2018 and 2024 and what was the Partygate scandal that the Daily Mirror exposed?  

Alison Phillips exposed Boris Johnson for going to a party during covid.

3) What is the Daily Mirror's circulation? How many papers did the Daily Mirror used to sell back in the 1990s?

5 million to 200,000

4) How has the Daily Mirror reacted to the decline in print sales and the growth of the internet?

they made an app to widen their audience.

5) List five of Galtung & Ruge's News Values and explain how they link to the stories in our CSP edition of the Daily Mirror.

• Surprise: Is it a rare or unexpected event?
• Continuity: Has this story already been defined as news?
• Elite nations and people: Which country has the event happened in? Does the story concern well-known people?
• Negativity: Is it bad news? Bad news tends to get more focus as it’s more sensational/ attention grabbing. 
• Balance: The story may be selected to balance other news, such as a human survival story to balance a number of stories concerning death

Daily mirror language and representation

 Language

1) Write the definition of the following key language for newspaper front pages (you may want to add an example for each from our Daily Mirror CSP):

Masthead: title

Pug: something to catch the readers eye

Splash Head: the lead story

Slogan: sums up ethos of newspaper

Dateline: date newspaper was published

Byline: name of journalist/ writer

Standfirst: intro para usually in bold

2) What is the main story on the CSP edition of the Daily Mirror (see above)? Make sure you learn the headline and what the story is about.

its about the post office fujitsu scandal 

3) What is the 'pug' or smaller celebrity story on the front cover? Why might it appeal to Daily Mirror readers?

the CEO of post office

4) Why is the choice of news stories, content and page design on the Mirror CSP front page typical of a tabloid newspaper?

it is informal and uses multiple images

5) What is the balance on the Daily Mirror front page between images, headlines and text?

they favoured images to make sure it still has a gossip undertone

Representations

1) What political party does the Daily Mirror support? Is there any evidence to support this in the CSP pages we have studied?

left wing, labour party. thyey refer to conservatives as tories

2) How does the Daily Mirror represent the Post Office in the CSP pages? Why do you think they present them in this way?

they represent the post office owners as the victims because it highlights how their lives were ruined by a big co-orperation

3) How is Fujitsu represented in the Daily Mirror CSP pages? Look particularly at the use of images on the front cover and the section on Fujitsu on the inside page. Give detailed answers with evidence from the CSP pages.

it is represented as the "bad guy" since they ruined many post office owners lives

4) How are the Conservative Party represented in the Daily Mirror? Again, provide evidence from the CSP pages to support your answers.

the conservative party are represented as unreliable as they keep paying off big co-operations

Introduction to Newspapers

1) What type of news can you typically find in a tabloid newspaper?

celebrity gossip, entertainment

2) What type of news can you typically find in a broadsheet newspaper?

information and news.

3) If someone is left-wing, which political party in the UK are they most likely to support? Which newspapers would they be likely to read?

labour party, the daily mirror

4) If someone is right-wing, which political party in the UK are they most likely to support? Which newspaper would they be most likely to read?

reform, the daily mail

5) Why has there been a decline in newspaper sales in the last 50 years?

people use apps and online platforms 

6) Why is a free press important in a democracy like the UK?

provides information and allows people to express their opinions

Newspaper index

 1. introduction to newspapers

2. Daily Mirror

3.Daily mirror audience

4. The Times intro

December Mock Exam: Learner Response

1) Type up any feedback on your paper (you don't need to write the mark and grade if you want to keep this confidential). If you only have marks and a grade on the paper, write a WWW/Next Steps yourself based on your scores.

1.3, consider how lyras dominance is later established/maintained

1.4: also comment on tv dramas overall. is this the norm or expectations?

2.0: focus on the contrast between adult and teen presentation in both shows/time periods

4.0: can you reference any specific brands or stats?

5.0: can you consider the other side? link to freedom of speech/expression.

2) Use the mark scheme for this Paper 2 mock (posted on GC) to read the answers AQA were looking for. First, write down a definition and example of non-diegetic sound (Q1.1 and 1.2). 

all sounds generated within the world of the drama

dialogue

3) Next, identify three points you could have made in Q1.3 - camerawork and the extract. Look for the indicative content in the mark scheme - these are the suggested answers from AQA.

-The opening shot in the extract focuses on the omelette in Will’s hand – almost a  close-up – with handheld camera movement following the plate to the table. This focus on the food Will has cooked seems to establish him as the less dominant person in the relationship.

-The wide shot and slow dolly/tracking through the open doors shows both characters together sitting at the table. This deliberately places both characters in the same frame as the conversation becomes more friendly and less guarded. The camerawork is communicating the growing friendship between Lyra and Will and helps to foreshadow the suggestion (in the very next shot) from Will that they team up and work together.

-Will’s suggestion that they work together is made while Lyra is shown in a medium close-up over-the-shoulder shot. This allows the audience to see her reaction – a slight smile that suggests she is in favour of the suggestion and grateful to have an ally after a lot of time alone.

4) Now look at Q1.4 in the mark scheme - pick out two points from the mark scheme that you could have included in your answer.

Non-verbal communication

• Will’s expression and body language is very timid which subverts masculine stereotypes. In contrast, Lyra’s movements and expressions exude confidence. This can be seen in the extract both outside at the table and later when discussing which beds they will take.

Mise-en-scene

• Lyra’s costume subverts feminine stereotypes. It is blue, practical and does not emphasise her figure or draw attention. It helps to establish Lyra as a practical, confident character who is used to surviving on her own.

5) Look at Q2 - the 20-mark essay on representations of age and social and cultural contexts. Pick out three points from the mark scheme that you didn't include in your answer.

-Although the idea of ‘teenage’ was not new, teenagers as a distinct category developed rapidly in the post-war years and was well established by 1963. The idea of the ‘generation gap’ as a social issue was still new and much-discussed.

-Susan is clearly in touch with popular culture. As a stereotypical teenager, she is engrossed in pop music on her radio and her modern clothes differentiate her from the teachers. In spite of her intellectual superiority, she is polite and deferential to her teachers. She is not afraid, though, to challenge her ‘grandfather’, the Doctor, in order to defend Barbara and Ian.

-Many of the Doctor’s characteristics are stereotypical features of old age: eccentricity, grumpiness and short temper.

6) Turning your attention to Section B, write a definition and example of user-generated content - use the mark scheme to check it.

• material contributed to media or posted on websites by non-professionals.

• a website I made about my favourite band

7) Look at Q4 - the 20-mark essay on the power of influencers. Pick out three points from the mark scheme that you didn't include in your own answer. 

-Marcus Rashford demonstrates this with his commercial partnerships with Burberry, Nike, Coca-Cola and more. The fact he appeals to such mainstream brands is evidence of his power in the digital age.

- Kim Kardashian's engagement rate is lower than Rashford at 0.33% but she has over 350

million followers so can still reach and engage with huge audiences.

8) Now look at Q5 - the 20-mark essay on regulation and the internet. Again, pick out three points from the mark scheme that you didn't include in your own answer.

education is more important than regulation, children need to be taught how to use social media

and the internet safely in order to benefit from the huge advantages

distribution of ‘fake news’ or false stories

diminished attention span and problems of addiction (especially in relation to social media)

9) On a scale of 1-10 (1 = low, 10 = high), how much revision and preparation did you do for your Media mock exam? Be honest here - it's a good chance to think about how to approach the next set of mock exams.

4

10) List three key things you want to revise before the next mock exams in February (e.g. particular CSPs, terminology, exam technique etc.)

CSP

terminology

technique