Henry Jenkins - fandom blog tasks

Factsheet #107 - Fandom

1) What is the definition of a fan?

Fans do more than just like or even love a particular media text, ‘true fans’ have a devotion that goes beyond simply consuming media texts, and is, as Matt Hills argues, part of a person’s identity in much the same way as gender, class and age define who we are.

2) What the different types of fan identified in the factsheet?

Hardcore Fans - Hard core fans identify themselves as the ‘insiders’ within any given fandom and consider themselves to be aficionados of their chosen media text. They spend a lot of time and often money in becoming hard core fans. They take pride in how long they have been a fan and also the quantity and quality of the knowledge they have amassed whilst being a fan.

Newbie Fans - Newbies, as the name suggests, are new fans of any given text and do not have the longevity of devotion or depth of knowledge that hard core fans have and are initially viewed as the ‘outgroup’ within fandoms.

Anti-Fans - Those which identify themselves with media texts but negatively so; they loathe or hate the text but unlike ‘true’ fans they do not form their relationship with a text through close readings, they develop their emotional attachment ‘at a distance’.

3) What makes a ‘fandom’?

Fandoms can be described as ‘passion that binds enthusiasts in the manner of people who share a secret — this secret just happens to be shared with millions of others.’ Fandoms can be narrowly defined and can focus on something like an individual celebrity, or be more widely defined, encompassing entire hobbies, genres or fashions.

4) What is Bordieu’s argument regarding the ‘cultural capital’ of fandom?

Bordieu argues a kind of ‘cultural capital’ which confers a symbolic power and status for the fan, especially within the realm of their fandom.

5) What examples of fandom are provided on pages 2 and 3 of the factsheet?

Ritual and Participation - True fans watch the texts over and over again and they also participate in cosplay, (dressing up as characters) and attend conventions and specialist screenings of their texts

Ironic Readings - Ironic readings and multiple readings of texts are also prevalent within fan cultures. Fandoms engage in philosophical debates around the texts and impose meanings which other fans can engage with.

Defying Critics and Institutions - Fan behaviour, especially their buying power behaviour has the ability to challenge media institutions and opinion leaders such as critics. Producers say they pay close attention to comments to gauge audience response in real time, but when it comes to script and plot decisions, creative teams are cautious about giving fans outright control.

Imaginative Extension and Text Creation - Fans use the original media texts and get creative and innovative with the material. Crawford suggests that it is this which distinguishes fans from ordinary consumers. They engage in diverse activities such as ‘the production of websites, mods and hacks, private servers, game guides, walkthroughs and FAQs, fan fiction and forms of fan art, fan vids’ all of which have been aided by digital technology. 

Tomb Raider and Metroid fandom research

Look at this Tomb Raider fansite and answer the following questions: 

1) What types of content are on offer in this fansite?

This fansite is an index of other Tomb Raider fansites which breaks down each website into categories based around what that website provides to fans. E.g websites are broken down into categories which are then ticketed off based if the website provides that feature.

2) What does the number of links and content suggest about the size of the online fan community for Tomb Raider and Lara Croft? Pick out some examples from this page.

The amount of lints and content on the websites suggests that the Lara Croft fanbase online is extremely large with people creating fansites in order to benefit from audience pleasures such as nostalgia. 

3) Scroll to the bottom of the page and look at the short ‘About me’ bio and social media updates. Is this a typical example of ‘fandom’ in the digital age? Why?

This would be an example of a hardcore fan as this person is the 'webmaster' of three other fan pages and also runs social media pages for the website which provide daily updates and posts to their audience. Their devotion goes beyond just consuming the product, "it is now apart of their identity much the same way as gender, class or race."

Now look at this Metroid fansite and answer the following: 

1) What does the site offer?

This website is Metroid fansite which provides it's audience with information about Metroid Character Changes as well as providing interviews and q&as for their audience to interact with. The website is similar to the Lara Croft website besides featuring other fansites were they have an active social media page with content being uploaded daily.

2) Look at the Community Spotlight page. What does this suggest about the types of people who enjoy and participate in fan culture?

The Community Spotlight page is a page for the hardcore fans which go beyond just consuming the media product and go out their way to further engage themselves with the product, e.g. through cosplay, art and music. These people can also be identified as true fans.

3) There is a specific feature on Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. What do the questions from fans tell you about the level of engagement and interest in the game and franchise from the fan community?

The questions the fans ask go beyond the normal 'gamer' questions as they are more focused on specific parts of the game which only a handful of fans would understand and find interesting. Some questions also include asking for statues of Samus to be made and puton sale which reflects the hardcore fan behaviour.

Henry Jenkins: degree-level reading

Read the final chapter of ‘Fandom’ – written by Henry Jenkins. This will give you an excellent introduction to the level of reading required for seminars and essays at university as well as degree-level insight into our current work on fandom and participatory culture. Answer the following questions:

1) There is an important quote on the first page: “It’s not an audience, it’s a community”. What does this mean?

"It's not an audience, it's a community" suggests that media services transform the relationships between media producers and consumers. Media conglomerates are now "harnessing collective intelligence, supporting user-generated content" meaning that they are now taking ideas from the audience to improve their products.

2) Jenkins quotes Clay Shirky in the second page of the chapter. Pick out a single sentence of the extended quote that you think is particularly relevant to our work on participatory culture and the ‘end of audience’ (clue – look towards the end!)

"Some are calling them “prosumers,” suggesting that as consumers produce and circulate media, they are blurring the line between amateur and professional".

3) What are the different names Jenkins discusses for these active consumers that are replacing the traditional audience?

He calls these active consumers: “loyals,” stressing the value of consumer commitment in an era of channel zapping; “media-actives,” suggesting that they are much more likely to demand the right to participate within the media franchise than previous generations; “prosumers,” suggesting that as consumers produce and circulate media, they are blurring the line between amateur and professional; “inspirational consumers” or “connectors” or “influencers,” suggesting that some people play a more active role than others in shaping media flows and creating new values

4) On the third page of the chapter, what does Wired editor Chris Anderson suggest regarding the economic argument in favour of fan communities?

Anderson argues that investing in niche properties with small but committed consumer bases may make economic sense if you can lower costs of production and replace marketing costs by building a much stronger network with your desired consumers.

6) Look at the quote from Andrew Blau in which he discusses the importance of grassroots creativity. Pick out a sentence from the longer quote and decide whether you agree that audiences will ‘reshape the media landscape from the bottom up’.

"The media landscape will be reshaped by the bottom-up energy of media created by amateurs and hobbyists as a matter of course." I agree with this quote and consumers are can now create and publish their own products online and create profit. This can be linked to Clay Shirky's end of audience theory.

7) What does Jenkins suggest the new ideal consumer is?

When he’s talking about consumers of manufactured products, management professor Eric Von Hippel (2005) talks about “lead users,” that is, early adopters and early adapters of emerging technologies and services. Understand how these lead users retrofit your products to suit their needs and you understand important new directions for innovation. In a sense, fans can be seen as lead users of media content—consider for example the ways that the concept of the fan metatext (Jenkins 1992), linking together the back stories of series characters.

8) Why is fandom 'the future'?

Fandom is the future. I use the word “fandom” and not “fans” here for good reason. To me, it seems a little paradoxical that the rest of the people involved in this conversation are more and more focused on consumption as a social, networked, collaborative process (“harnessing collective intelligence,” “the wisdom of crowds,” and all of that), whereas so much of the recent work in fan studies has returned to a focus on the individual fan.

9) What does it mean when Jenkins says we shouldn’t celebrate ‘a process that commodifies fan cultural production’?

He says that we shouldn't celebrate this production as they 'sell it back at us with a considerable mark up'.

10) Read through to the end of the chapter. What do you think the future of fandom is? Are we all fans now? Is fandom mainstream or are real fan communities still an example of a niche media audience?

I think fandom will slowly grow during a long period of time and more and more people will become apart of fandom which will cause it to influence their lives.Factsheet #107 - Fandom

Metroid Prime 2: Echoes - blog tasks

Language

Analyse the game cover for Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (above).

1) How does the cover communicate the genre of the game?

The cover of MP2E communicates he genre through the colurs scheme of black and blue, which generates this sci-fi and action adventure genre. In addition to this, the use of a gun in the central image of Samus Aran portrays an image of violence, which the audience can expect from the game when they play it, cllearly communicating a genre to the audience. In addition to this, the use of foreign character on the back cover further portrays a sci-fi genre.

2) What does the cover suggest regarding gameplay and audience pleasures?

Some of the audience pleasures suggested by the cover are: killing enemieis as suggested by the hostile tone of the characters. Another pleasure suggested is the nostalgia as Metroid is a long running series that fans of the series will be happy to see get a sequel. 

3) Does the cover sexualise the character of Samus Aran? Why/why not?

It can be argued that the cover doesn;t really sexualise Samus Aran due to he fact that there is no skin being displayed on the cover, in addition to this, the suit that she is wearing clearly covers up her breasts, instead of accentuating them/ putting them on display.

Although, it can be said that the gun on her arm is a phallic symbol, therefore sexualising, but empowering almost, Samus Aran. 
Trailer analysis

Watch the trailer for the game:

1) What do you notice about genre?

The genre is quite clearly action adventure with sci-fi elements to it, e.g. the ominous thunder and lightning, and the alien characters. There is a clear mixup of genre which may have been done to keep the game refreshing for players who have already olayed the Metroid Prime series.

2) How is the character introduced? Is Samus Aran obviously female?

To an extent it can be said that Samus Aran is obviously female as she has an hourglass figure of sorts, which is traditionally utilised to sexualise female characters. There are also some low angle shots which again are traditionally used to seuxalise female characters.

3) How can we apply Steve Neale’s genre theory that discusses “repetition and difference”?

There is some repetition in the game in the shoot-em up aspect of the game, although, it can be said that there is not enough difference as it plays just like any other action adventure game. Some of the difference however, comes in the Dark side of Samus, as this kind of enemy had not been seen beofre, as it is a copy of the protagonist.

Gameplay analysis

Watch the following gameplay clips again:





1) What does the gameplay for Metroid Prime 2: Echoes involve?
Some of the gameplay in MP2E involves: adventuring through different stages and finding new information abiut your current situation. Shooting enemies and the rolling mechanic are quite prominent in the gameplay and have been brought back in order keep the series what it is known as.

2) Write an analysis of the media language choices in the construction of the game: e.g. genre, narrative, mise-en-scene, camera shots etc.
Genre: The genre of MP2E is science fiction and, shoot em up and action adventure.

Narrative: The narrative for this game is that the bounty hunter "Samus Aran" needs to find nad rescue Galactic Marines, whilst fighting against an evil version of herself as welll as the "Ing"

Mise-en-scene: There is mainly low-key lighting, in order to create that science fiction atmosphere, which may have been inspired by Ridley Scott's Alien, which released in 1979.

Camera Shots: In normal gameplay, the game gives us a first person view of Samus Aran in the armour for a more immersive experience. This may be a reason as to why users play Metroid as this is considered personal identity in Blumler and Katz' uses and gratifications theory, due to the fact that the first person view makes it seem as if we really are Samus Aran.

3) Analyse the clips for audience pleasures, applying audience theory and considering media effects.



Audience

Research the audience for Nintendo and specifically the Metroid franchise, including Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. You may wish to start with the following pages:

Reddit discussion of why people play Metroid
Giant Bomb forum: Who exactly is Nintendo’s demographics?
Reset Era: Nintendo’s audience getting older

1) Who might the target audience be for Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, based on your research? Discuss demographics and psychographics.
I would say that the target audience for MP2E would be anywhere from 16-40 due to the nostalgia value the game has, as well as the fact that it is naturally a more gritty and serious game compared to that of Nintendo other successful franchises, like Mario/Zelda. For psycographic groups, I would say the standard Metroid player is an Explorer or an Aspirer.

2) How has Nintendo’s audience changed since the original Metroid game in 1986?
The audience may have naturally gotten older, due to the fact that fans of the original game may still be fans to this day.

3) What audience pleasures are offered by Metroid Prime 2: Echoes or the wider Metroid franchise?
Some of the audience pleasures include: shooting enemies, exploring new areas and learning about them.

4) What effects might Metroid have on audiences? Apply media effects theories (e.g. Bandura’s social learning theory, Gerbner’s cultivation theory). 
In relation to Gerbners theory, Metroid may paint the idea in the minds of players that all women are skilled mercenaries who can be considered hostile. Or, they may actually believe in a post apocalyptic world. 

Read this Gamesparks feature on gaming demographics and answer the following questions:

1) Who is considered to be the stereotypical gamer?
The stereotypical gamer is a heterosexual adolescent male.

2) What has changed this?
Smartphones has changed this dramatically as now 50% of the gaming audience is made up of women.

3) What role do women play in the videogames market? Quote statistics from the article here.
Women play the role of the casual mobile gamer as despite not being considered real gaming, it still rakes in $36.9 billion in revenue.

4) Why are older gamers becoming a particularly important market for videogames producers? How can you link this to the Metroid franchise?
Older gamers are a particularly important market due to the fact that you can appeal to the create the sense of nostalgia when they are playing your games, which is a huge audience pleasure for some. This links to the metroid franchise as it first debuted in 1986, meaning there will be a lot more older fans of the seies than younger.

5) What does the article suggest regarding audience pleasures and expectations for different generations of gamer?
The article suggests that for people who play videogames on mobile, the games should be quick, easy, fun and accessible, meaning that the audience pleasures for that of different platforms may be different, as well as for different generations/genders.
Industries

Read this Destructoid blog on the Metroid franchise. Answer the following:

1) Why has Metroid never quite fitted with the Nintendo brand?
This is partly because of the genre as Nintendo has never been great at science fiction, and their most successful franchise, e.g. Mario/Zelda, don't really fall into this genre, making it weird for Nintendo to make a game like this. 

2) What franchises have overtaken Metroid in the sci-fi hyper-realism genre in recent years?
Some other Sci-Fi games that have overtaken Metroid include: Mss Effect, Halo, Destiny and No Man's Sky.

3) Why does the writer link old boy bands from the music industry to the Metroid franchise? Do you agree with this reading of the brand?
This is because some old boy bands will elongate their careers instead of just retire their boy band. Thngs like touring and releasing music that nobody asked for is not foreign to that of old boy bands, and the writer of this blog links the two because nobody is asking for the new Metroid, yet we get it anyway, maybe both are just cash grabs.

4) What is an ‘AAA’ or ‘triple-A game’ in the videogames industry?
Triple A games are games that have high budgets and high levels of promotion.

5) Do you think there will be further Metroid games featuring Samus Aran? Should there be?
I think that there will be another Metroid game with Samus Aran or a successor of sorts. Although i don't think that Nintendo releasing a new Metroid game is the best move for the franchise.
Representation

Read this BBC3 feature on Samus Aran and answer the questions below:

1) What was notable about the original Metroid game in 1986?
The notable thing about Metroid in 1986 was the fact that Samus was actually a female, when players were led to believe that she was a male in the armour.

2) What were the inspirations behind the gameplay and construction of Metroid?
Some of the inspirations include: Ridley Scott's Alien, possibly things like Sonic in the later games in the franchise, Star Wars

3) Why are the endings to the original Metroid considered controversial?
This is due to the fact that if you beat the game in a certain amount of time, accomplished by "speedrunning" the game, you would be greeted by Samus Aran, who takes off the armour and is in just less and less clothes, the quicker your time=less clothes on Samus.

4) What reaction do you think the reveal of Samus Aran in a bikini would have got when the game was first released in 1986? Have attitudes towards women changed?
I think that the reactions would be the same today as they would've been in 1986, as long as the people who care enough to change something are the ones to see it.

5) How have later versions of the Metroid franchise sexualised the character of Samus Aran?
Newer versions of Samus Aran have given her an hourglass figue and in games where she is not in her suit, e.g. Super Smash Brothers, it is clear that the developers designed Samus with the male gaze.

6) How can we apply Liesbet van Zoonen’s work to Samus Aran and Metroid?
Liesbit van Zoonen would say that the sexualisation of the female body is westernised culture, which is strange as Nintendo is a Japanese company, although this may have been done to appeal to Americans more.

7) What did Brianna Wu suggest regarding the character of Samus Aran?
Brianna Wu has even gone as far to suggeststhat Samus might be transgender.

8) Do you see Samus Aran as a feminist icon or simply another exploited female character?
I think of Samus as not an icon, but a very influential female figue as she empowered a lot of women to play games to opened them up to playing them to this day.
Read this Houston Press feature on Samus Aran and entitled male gamers. Answer the following questions:

1) What does Anita Sarkeesian suggest regarding Samus Aran?
Sarkeesian suggests that Samus' body was used as a reward for male gamers skill, objectifying Samus.

2) Why does Brianna Wu (and others) suggest Samus Aran may be transgender?
This was because the designers had pointed her out to be 6' 3" and quite muscly in appearence.

3) Why is Samus Aran useful for male gamers trying to argue videogames are not sexist?
Samus is a good example video games not being sexist as she is a very powerful figure in gaming history who happens to be female.

4) Why are Lara Croft, Zelda and Peach not ideal examples to argue for female equality in videogames?
This is beacuse in most cases hey are the ones being saved, and therefore not equal. This means that using them as an example of female quality in video games is not particularly useful.

5) What does the ‘SJW’ in ‘SJW-gender politics’ refer to?
Social Justice Warrior, someone who believes in promoting socially progressive views.

6) How can we apply Gerbner’s Cultivation theory to representations of women in videogames as discussed in the article? How might this lead to ‘entitled male gamers’? 
If men see wpmen portrayed in a certain light their entire lives in videogames, they are going to think that is how all women should be, and that is the essense of cultivation theory, mass consumption of media will lead you to believe those views. This in turn will lead to male gamers expecting a certain behaviour from women in the real world.

7) Does the videogame industry have a problem with gender? Provide evidence for your argument.
It can be argued that he video game industry does have a problem with gender as it is still not evenly balanced, in terms of developers, as it is likely that there will be more males in the industry than females. Some easy evidence is the fact that there were characters like Lara Croft with sexualisation issues that were only addressed in the 2013 reboot.

Tomb Raider Anniversary: CSP blog task

Tomb Raider Anniversary: blog tasks

Language and Audience

Analyse the game cover for Tomb Raider Anniversary (above).

1) How does the cover communicate the genre of the game?

The action adventure genre is communicated through mise-en-scene, e.g. props, such as the guns to communicate violence and "gunplay" which is commonly seen in games and films of these genres. In addition to this, the colour scheme looks ancient, similar to that of an Indiana Jones film, which has a similar plot and theme, in that the protagonist is trying to acquire an artifact of sorts. Also, the revealing clothing displays a cler indication as to who the audience is for the game, as the developers/designer are clearly trying to attract a straight male core audience.

2) How does the pose and costume of the character appeal to primarily male audiences?
The pose of Lara Croft communicates a clear male audience due to the fact that the way Croft is positioned makes it so that you can see her breasts and behind, a position in which would evidently be difficult for anyone to stand in this position with such posture. This therefore communicates a straight male audience as Crofts assets are made such an evident feature in the game cover. The guns can be seen as phallic objects of sorts, suggesting male dominance.

3) How might the cover be read as empowering for female gamers?

This cover may be read as empowering as it is a female character claiming her femininity. In addition to this, the use of guns can portray her ina position of power and dominance as she has the power to take lives.

Gameplay analysis

Watch the following gameplay clips again:





1) What does the gameplay for Tomb Raider Anniversary involve?
Some of the gameplay in TMA includes, gunplay, puzzles, platforming and problem solving.

2) Write an analysis of the media language choices in the construction of the game: e.g. genre, narrative, mise-en-scene, camera shots etc.
Genre: The genre is created in tomb raider through the coloursand ambience, which adds to the overall atmosphere of the gameplay. In addition to this, the gun holster and profusely large pistols suggest that she is always ready for action and is trained to kill. 

Narrative: The narrative is displayed through the advancing of eddierent levels in order to progress the storyline.

Camera Shots: The use of camera shots in the construction realy help portray a male centred core audience as the camera angles accentuate her breasts and behind quite largley, suggesting a straight male core audience.

3) Analyse the clips for audience pleasures, applying audience theory and considering media effects.
Some of the audience pleasures in this game are: overcoming puzzles, achieving checkpoints with a feeling of progression in the game, shooting and killing enemies and feeling as if you are getting better at the game, improving your skill level.

Audiences may play the game for diversion reasons, in order to escape their lives as live that of someone else, for personal identity, maybe the player is a female and wants to see herslef represented in a video game.

The media effect theory, "Cultivation Theory," suggets that when you surround yourself in media, you will behave in certain ways related to the media products being consumes. So some viewers therefore seeing Lara Croft in such an oversexualised manor may make men think that this is anormal way for women to dress and act, making it a norm for them, which can be potentially very damaging.
Representations

Read this NME feature on the evolution of the character of Lara Croft. Answer the following questions:

1) Note the statistics in the opening paragraph.

• More than 1,100 magazine covers
• 58,000,000 copies worldwide

2) How does the article describe the cultural change in society and the media since the early 00s?
The article desribes a more equal world where women seem more comfortable to call out sexism and sexual harrassment and the focus in the game is on her athleticism and intelligence, rather than her body.

3) How was the original 1996 Lara Croft received by audiences and critics?
The '96 game was recieved well, as a lot of young girls had a role model as she was somone that young girls could look upto, as she was an intelligent and strong women doing the tasks at hand by herself.

4) What did the 2013 re-launch do differently – and how successful was it?
For starters the creators gave croft actual trousers, in an attempt to avoid sexualising her body and focusing on gameplay. In addition to this, there was more of an emotional connection made between the player and Croft. On top of that, there was more deptth added to the character as she was given a best friend, giving her someone else to communicate with, All of this culminated into Tomb Raiders best selling iteration of the game.

5) How is ‘woke Lara’ defined in the conclusion of the feature?
Lara is defined by the lessons we can learn from her being: determinated, courageous as well as her portrayal of her physical ability.

Now read this feature – Tomb Raider’s Lara Croft: feminist or femme fatale? 

1) Why is Lara Croft considered a “polarising figure among gamers”?
Croft is considered a polarising figure due to the fact that it has been unclear for years wether she is a role model or just another projection of the male gaze.

2) How did the limitations of game construction in the 1990s help to establish the way female characters were animated?
The technology available in the times where the initial game was created created a limitation that meant that in order to etablish the fact that Croft was a femalle, the easy option was to oversexualise her, even if it was subconsciously done, which helped portray Croft in the way we know today.

3) Why were Lara Croft’s physical attributes emphasised in the original games?
A video game designer who worked on the original Tomb Raider game, said Lara Croft's physical attributes were originally played up to market the franchise.


4) How does Anita Sarkeesian describe Lara Croft?
Sarkeesian describes Croft as, "one of the most iconic representations of women in gaming." She says that this is due to the hyper sexualisation of her character, which promotes a deep objectification of women overall.

5) Why has Lara Croft’s appearance and characterisation changed over time?

Lara Crofts appearance has changes overtime to not only seem more realistic, but more achievable to the players, as if young and impressionable player are continuously seeing this image of Lara Croft with large breasts, it can create the idea that all women should look like this in the eyes of the younger players.

Industries

1) Why is Lara Croft such an iconic figure in the gaming industry?
Lara Croft is one of the most influential and iconic figures in the gaming industry due to the fact that she was one of the only female protagonists at the time, automatically giving her a lot of attention, partially leading to her worldwide success.

2) What products and spin-offs have featured Lara Croft or the Tomb Raider brand?
Some of the products include, sequels, feature films with Hollywood actors, mobile spin off games.

3) Why might Lara Croft be considered a postmodern icon?
This is due to the fact that there are people doing cosplays and going to events dressed up as Lara Croft, therefore blurring the lines between fiction and reality, which is one way to look at what post modernism is.

4) Why is Tomb Raider Anniversary a 'case study in conglomerate ownership'?
This is due to the fact that the company that now created and owns the rights to Tomb Raider, Square Enix, is involvedin multiple things, other than Tomb Raider, some of which including anime on the Japanese Film industry.

LR of the Assessment

1) Type up your feedback in full (you don't need to write the mark and grade if you want to keep this confidential).

EBI: Learn the CSPS more and the theorists 
WWW: both cps were talk were about 

2) Read the whole mark scheme for this assessment carefully. Identify three potential points that you could have made in your Question 3 answer - the i newspaper standing for "quality, clarity and independence".

Q3:

• Launched by Russian billionaire Alexander Lebedev so question marks over true independence.
• Selection of stories, despite the main story on 21 September, still contains a lot of weak, Metro-style soft news (e.g. animal stories, celebrity or Royal news). The Independent famously refused to cover Royal stories but the i does cover Meghan Markle in this edition so therefore has a softer line.

3) Now use the mark scheme to identify three potential points that you could have made in your Question 4 answer - arguments against statutory regulation of the newspaper industry.

Q4:

• Newspapers must be free to pursue investigative journalism – Clay Shirky describes news as a “social good” that is so vital to democracy.
• The i already stands for “quality, clarity and independence” – if it is failing to do this, the pluralist media marketplace will see audiences go elsewhere. Government regulation should not be required.
• IPSO is more powerful than the PCC and can fine newspapers and order them to print corrections or apologies on the front page. The Daily Mail has been forced to do this on several occasions, for example following a story regarding an Iraqi man’s compensation claim.

4) Now use the mark scheme to identify three potential points that you could have made in your Question 5 answer - whether the pluralist model allows the newspaper industry to operate effectively.

Q5:

• In terms of ‘a variety of values and ideologies’, the Daily Mail promotes a strongly rightwing, anti-immigration, pro-Brexit line (although this has softened somewhat recently with the appointment of Geordie Greig to replace Paul Dacre)... 
• This decline in quality threatens the future of the newspaper industry – in no way could it be argued to be ‘operating effectively’. We are now in the era of ‘fake news’ with trust in journalism falling and audiences largely unwilling to pay for news.
• In terms of ‘a variety of values and ideologies’, the Daily Mail promotes a strongly rightwing,...