The Times case study

Language

1) What is the main story on the front cover of the Times CSP edition (5 May 2018) and why does it appeal to Times readers?
The main story on the front cover is about politics, the failure of Corbyn and how hes anti jew.This appeals to times readers as it highlights the labour party as not serious as they are supporting the Tories and want them to win in very election. 

2) What are the main stories on the inside pages of the Times CSP edition (5 May 2018)? List the headlines here.
-The main stories on the inside pages are:
-"Kay Burley- Don't mess with me "
-"40 best country house hotels"
-"MPs call for inquest as Corbyn fails election test"

3) What is the balance on the Times front page between images, headlines and text? How does this contrast with The Mirror?
The headline for THE DAILY MIRROR is in san serif whereas The TIMES is in serif which suggests how THE TIMES is more traditional and more authoritative than the mirror. THE MIRROR covers soft news and has more basic language whereas the times covers more hard news as well as including advanced language.

4) Which of Galtung and Ruge's News Values apply to the Times's front page stories? Write about both the politics main story and the Sir Paul McCartney picture story.
-Continuity; this is because the writer mentions political debates that have been going on for the last 3 years. In this case, Brexit and mentioning MP Boris Johnson.


5) What does a close analysis of the news stories in the Times CSP edition suggest about the Times's political beliefs?
It suggest how the times are supporters of the conservatives, this is obvious through the use of the royal crest which suggests royalty and the historic of BRITAIN.

Audience

1) What is the main readership demographic for The Times newspaper?
Middle-Upper class (AB demographic)

2) Why do the Times front page stories/features appeal to the Times audience?
The Times front page stories and features appeal to the audience as it favours Sir Paul McCartney who was a prior Beatles celeb and most of the readers are 65+. Also they mention their main article about the labour party failing which appeals conservative supports which is what predominately takes up.

3) Why might the election coverage be enjoyable to Times readers?

The times readers are extremely pro conservatives and the times assume that the their readers are extremely educated and aware about what going on within their country   

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

• Surveillance: the main reason we read newspapers is to find out what is going on in the world around us. News, different opinions, information about current affairs. 
• Information about elections ("Results show that voters want hard Brexit, ministers tell May"); information about establishment figures such as Sir Paul McCartney; information about country house hotels and barbecue recipes.
• Entertainment: One of the main reasons we read newspapers is for entertainment.  Whether it’s enjoying reading the opinions of others, reading the cartoons or completing crosswords. In the Times, we can see information about a celebrity (Sir Paul McCartney) and also access to holidays and leisure activities ("country house hotels" and "fire up the grill"). This targets people with disposable income and leisure time - older, wealthy or retired people. 
• Personal Identity: the newspaper you read what type of person are. A Daily Mirror reader will probably think very differently from a Times reader. Even if a reader does not always agree with a viewpoint the newspaper puts forward, they may still be agreeing with the values being shared and thus reinforcing their own values.
• The Times paper seems to endorse traditional ideals, focusing on criticising the Labour Party and favouring the Conservative Party. Labour "scandals" are referenced ("Birmingham remains red despite scandals") and a very right-wing "hard-Brexit" perspective is offered. This will appeal to older, largely male Conservative voters.  
• Social interaction and integration: People will use many of the articles in The Times as a focus of discussion with friends.  It helps people feel that they are part of a common traditional culture. This is arguably less evident in The Times than the Mirror since the Times seeks to be a source of information rather than a ‘friend’ or confidante. Here, the Times offers an interview with Kay Burley plus recipe ideas and barbecue and holiday tips. 
• Becoming an active participant: increasingly newspapers, especially online editions, encourage audience input through comments and email. In the Times, the audience are not targeted with informal language or direct address as often, leading to a distance between journalist and reader. This encourages less dissent and comment and therefore more passive audience members. 

5) Times readers are mostly over 55 years old. Why is this and how is this reflected in the CSP edition?  
The Times target audience is older with over half the audience aged 55+. In terms of social class, they are overwhelmingly in the ABC1 social classes - and largely the A or B groups within that group. This means Times readers are likely to be professionals, managers or company owners. They are likely to be in the Succeeder psychographic group.

Representation

1) What representation of the Labour Party can be found on the front page of the Times?
The Times paper seems to endorse traditional ideals, focusing on criticising the Labour Party and favouring the Conservative Party. Labour "scandals" are referenced ("Birmingham remains red despite scandals") and a very right-wing "hard-Brexit" perspective is offered. This will appeal to older, largely male Conservative voters.  


2) What representation of the Conservative Party can be found in The Times newspaper. Give examples from the CSP. 
The Times supports the Conservative Party and is against the leftwing Labour Party. Generally, the newspaper will act as a voice for the establishment (the wealthy and powerful) and will not support anything that threatens major changes to the status quo. Here, multiple articles criticise Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party and promote Conservative viewpoints.


3) What representations of gender can be found in The Times CSP pages? 
 The Times employs a formal style with advanced language to reflect the needs/education level of the audience.

4) How does the Times reinforce British social and cultural values in their front page? Look at the kicker, pug and sidebar stories to give you a clue here.

• Construction: The Times uses some layout design techniques to attract its audience (sell lines, kickers, pugs).  There are usually not as many as The Mirror, though.
• Technical Codes: Whilst The Times employs colour, it is much more understated than the tabloid Mirror.  More traditional fonts, styles and sizes reinforce this traditional symbolism.
• Conventions: The Times observes more traditional codes and conventions than the Daily Mirror, with less direct address and a more formal, authoritative tone as if giving the reader less active participation and more passive access to information.

5) How are the pages constructed to encourage the audience to take a negative view of the Labour Party?
The Times tends to attract an audience that is older and more traditional (Conservative politics), so the stories are targeted towards these values and beliefs to target their specific audience. 
Industries

1) Who owns the Times?
The Times is owned by News UK (a subsidiary of News Corporation). News Corporation is a conglomerate mostly owned by Rupert Murdoch, an Australian media mogul with many business interests worldwide such as the Fox network in the USA.  


2) What was the The Times's circulation in 2019? How many papers did the Times used to sell back in the 1990s?
The Times circulation in 2019 was 376,000, down 12% in a year and much lower than the high point of over 800,000 in the 1990s. 

3) How has the Times reacted to the decline in print sales and the growth of the internet?

• Moved towards a multi-platform landscape.  This means that it publishes and synchronises across its print, desktop and mobile platforms.  Some newspapers (e.g. The Times) have a paywall on their online content. The Times has had a hard paywall since 2010, but it often experiments with making content available for free. Last summer, it began free registrations and has been adding around 30,000 a week.
• Created a social media strategy in collaboration with the digital team to drive growth of their Twitter and Facebook profiles. 
• In 2018, Times and Sunday Times hit 500,000 subscribers as digital outnumbered print for first time at an initial cost of £1 per week for a digital subscription.

4) What does IPSO stand for and what is IPSO's job?
Independent Press Standards Organisation. ... IPSO handles complaints and conducts its own investigations into editorial standards and compliance. It also undertakes monitoring work, including by requiring publications to submit annual compliance reports.

5) Why do some people want stronger regulation of British newspapers?

• Fake news is a common thing that can circulate the internet giving false hope or information