Tuesday, 18 December 2018

Weekly news Teen Vogue

2018 Midterm Congressional Election Results: Which Party Is Winning the House and the Senate?





The 2018 midterm projections reported on election night, November 6, have held. On Wednesday, November 7, Democrats appear to have passed the 218-seat threshold needed to take control of the House of Representatives after gaining at least 26 seats. Meanwhile, Republicans kept the Senate after gaining three seats, in North Dakota, Indiana, and Montana. Democrats were able to flip a Senate seat in Nevada, but the marquee matchup between Democratic challenger Beto O'Rourke and Republican incumbent Ted Cruz in Texas ended with O'Rourke's loss late Tuesday night. It appears to be a record-setting election year for women winners, including a number of historic firsts for women of color and LGBTQ+ candidates. This is an example of hard news as it talks about the state of the country of america and the midterms.

weekly story The Voice

Usain Bolt: 'I Don't Think London Has Proper Jamaican Food'




THE WORLD’S fastest man may have hung up his spikes but he is now excited about his next move. Usain Bolt hosted a multitude of celebrity friends recently at the official launch party for Tracks & Records – his first London restaurant. Tracks & Records UK will be the first of the brand’s eateries launched outside of Jamaica, where sites in Kingston, Ocho Rios and Montego Bay have been delighting customers for seven years. The Jamaican-inspired restaurant, bar and lounge welcomed the likes of Idris Elba, Leon Bailey and Emeli Sandé, below, to name a few, who partied well into the night, sipping on rum cocktails and enjoying the unique party atmosphere with the sprint icon to celebrate his latest venture. This is an example of soft news as they are talking about what an celb has said and what hes doing.

Weekly story Teen Vogue

Offset Interrupts Cardi B's Set at Rolling Loud Festival

offset cardi b rolling loud festival
Cardi B was in the middle of performing at the Rolling Loud Festival in Los Angeles on Saturday, December 15, when Offset appeared on stage, equipped with flowers and cake, attempting to get back together with the rapper. He did this because of recent the two rappers spilt apart from each other mainly due to the behaviour of migos rapper offset. Cardi has even said she had wanted a divorce before this. There was even before this where 21 savage had offset on stage and getting the crowd to chant take offset back. This is an example of soft news as its about celebrities private affairs. This an example of surveillance as we are looking into the lives of the two rappers cardi B and offset.


Monday, 10 December 2018

weekly news The Voice


Media To Blame For Targeting Of Black Players, Says Sterling



In the wake of the recent visibly vile and reported racist abuse Sterling received at Chelsea where City succumbed to their first defeat of the season, the former QPR and Liverpool player took to social media to address what he saw as the root cause to vitriol spouted from the terraces.  He blames the media for the hate he has been reviving.This is an example of soft news.
“For example, you have two young players starting out their careers, both play for the same team, both have done the right thing. Which is buy a new house for their mothers who have put in a lot of time and love into helping them get where they are. But look how the newspapers get their message across for the young black player and then for the young white player,” Sterling said in an unprecedented statement on Instagram.

OSP: Paul Gilroy - Diasporic identity

Read the Factsheet and complete the following questions/tasks:

1) How does Gilroy suggest racial identities are constructed?


He has consistently argued that racial identities are historically constructed – formed by colonialization, slavery, nationalist philosophies and consumer capitalism.

2) What does Gilroy suggest regarding the causes and history of racism?


Gilroy states that Racism is not caused by the clash of two or more races – racism is not a natural phenomenon. Instead, Gilroy states that racial difference and racial identities are the product of racial oppression. Racial identities are caused by historical conflicts that have brought different groups into opposition.

3) What is ethnic absolutism and why is Gilroy opposed to it?



Ethnic absolutism is a line of thinking which sees humans are part of different ethnic compartments, with race as the basis of human differentiation. Gilroy is opposed to ethnic absolutism as it is counter to his argument that racism causes race.
4) How does Gilroy view diasporic identity?


Gilroy’s work focuses on the concept of the African diaspora.The classic diaspora considers the originating place for those displaced as the original source of unity and permanence for the diasporic identity. The means that the country a group have been forced to leave will always be the place that defines the cultural or ethnic identity for those individuals. Furthermore, despite the geographical dispersion, people will still feel connected to their origins via history and ancestry.


5) What did Gilroy suggest was the dominant representation of black Britons in the 1980s (when the Voice newspaper was first launched)?Gilroy suggested that thee dominant representation of black britons in the 80s' was that they were "external and estranged from the imaged community that is the nation.
6) Gilroy argues diaspora challenges national ideologies. What are some of the negative effects of this?
Some of the negatives are that it can create cultural tension between classes and ethnicities. This also includes exclusion, returning to the state we were in previously which can lead to marginalisation.
7) Complete the first activity on page 3: How might diasporic communities use the media to stay connected to their cultural identity? E.g. digital media - offer specific examples.
One way diasporic communities may use the media is through things like twitter and other social media to stay relevant/spread awareness, one example of this is through the "Black Lives Matter." People would protest and post videos where people were in the wrong in order to spread awareness.

8) Why does Gilroy suggest slavery is important in diasporic identity?
This is because the history cannot be "unwound" as has moulded the identity of black people.

9) How might representations in the media reinforce the idea of ‘double consciousness’ for black people in the UK or US?
This may be due to the fact that presenting groups in a specific light can add to the many things that people may feel make up their identity, which is the general idea of "Double consciousness."

10) Finally, complete the second activity on page 3: Watch the trailer for Hidden Figures and discuss how the film attempts to challenge ‘double consciousness’ and the stereotypical representation of black American women.
This film attempts to challenge double consciousness due to the women in the film being displayed as tired of the oppression they face, not only as black people but as women, which in a way doesn't challenge this idea, but the fact that they have very respected jobs, e.g. Taraji P. Henson being a mathematician, which is really outstanding in her identity.

Tuesday, 4 December 2018

daily mail online news

Pregnant teacher's agony after a sick feeling during a game of tennis turned out to be E.Coli, which was killing her unborn baby and nearly claimed her life too



Nicole Galipeault has revealed her heartbreak after an E.coli infection killed her unborn baby – and almost took her life as well




A teacher has revealed her heartbreak after an E.coli infection killed her unborn baby – and almost took her life as well.Nicole Galipeault and her husband Matt were overjoyed when they found out she was pregnant in April.Three months later, she knew something was wrong when she had blurred vision while on her way to play tennis.That evening in July, she had to undergo emergency surgery – and was told an E.coli infection in her uterus had killed her baby.

This is an exampe of soft news although tragic. It's devastating to carry a child for half a pregnancy and to be excited for the due date and a new life, and then to have it taken away from you in a matter of hours,' she said. 'When I came out of the surgery, my family was all waiting for me and the doctors warned them not to be shocked or afraid but the infection I had was in my uterus, so it killed the baby.

Weekly news teen vogue




This article is about a famous Artist called Ariana Grande who took out a new song called "Thank u, next". The music video was referencing 4 films in Bring It On, Mean Girls, 13 Going on 30, and Legally Blonde.And, whew, she packs a lot into a song that's originally only three minutes and 26 seconds long (the video itself is more than five minutes). She says that the films that she was referring to was one of her favourite films. One of the scenes in the background and making of the video a fan saw the burnt book which contained her Ex boyfriend who was Big Sean.

This is an example of soft news because it is to do with celebrity and music. This type of article will appeal to an audience because it is to do with a famous people and people want to know all the information about her and when the new music video is out. People want to know what is going on behind the scenes and want to know what the celebrities are getting up to and what is happening behind the scenes of the music video being filmed and what to follow what their celebrities are doing and how successful the music video will be.

The voice weekly news


This article is about a man called Daniel Kaluuya who will chair a jury at the 2018 British Independent Film Awards (BIFA), it has been announced. The Get Out star has been appointed as the chair of the New Talent Jury, which decides on the winners of the debut director, debut screenwriter, breakthrough producer and most promising newcomer awards. Also serving on the BIFA juries are actors Chiwetel Ejiofor and Ashley Walters.
Both Ejiofor, winner of the 2015 Richard Harris award, and Walters, who received the most promising newcomer award in 2004, will serve on the main jury. The winners of this years awards, which are in their 21st year, will be announced at a ceremony on Sunday December 2 at Old Billingsgate.

This is an example of Soft news because it is to do with a film and awards. This type of article will appeal to an audience because it is to do with films and people want to see who will be the judges of picking the films which are great over the others and people want to see their favourite actors win because they like them and they are one of their admires and role models. People want to also know when the awards will be.

Monday, 3 December 2018

The voice weekly news

Golliwog 'Mo Farah' Doll Banned From Kent Market


http://www.voice-online.co.uk/article/golliwog-%E2%80%98mo-farah%E2%80%99-doll-banned-kent-market




The doll was descried as 'racist', it was aimed to be marketed to Rastafarians, including one names Bob Marley. There were several complaints and the Medley council intervened and banned these dolls. But a pole from Kent Online 85pc of the 1809 people said they didn't find the doll offensive.

I think this is an example of hard news, it shows the continuous story of racism in the UK, but also the history of black caricatures. So it appeals to an audience as 'Surveillance'.

Teen vogue weekly news

8 Gift Perfect for the Person Who Prefers to Make Their Own Gift


https://www.teenvogue.com/story/gift-ideas-for-people-who-love-diy




The article features a list of gifts a person can buy for someone who is very creative and making things for themselves. You have Jewellery kits, Google Home Hub, knitting kit, coffee machine etc. 

This is an example of soft news and is using personal relationships, the relationships with some friends they know are creative driven. This is an example of clickbait, as it uses the word 'perfect', this will be exactly what they want which provides a sense of immediacy.

Teen Vogue - Audience and Representation

Audience

1) Analyse the Conde Nast media pack for Teen Vogue. What is the Teen Vogue mission statement and what does this tell us about the target audience and audience pleasures?

"We aim to educate, enlighten, and empower our audience to create a more inclusive environment (both on- and offline) by amplifying the voices of the unheard, telling stories that normally go untold, and providing resources for teens looking to make a tangible impact in their communities." This suggests that the their target audience is educated and interested in hard news such as politics rather then celebrity, soft news.

2) What is the target audience for Teen Vogue? Use the media pack to pick out key aspects of the audience demographics. Also, consider the psychographic groups that would be attracted to Teen Vogue: make specific reference to the website design or certain articles to support your points regarding this.

Their target audience is people aged between 16-24. 63% are Generation Z and Millennials.

3) What audience pleasures or gratifications can be found in Teen Vogue? Do these differ from the gratifications of traditional print-based magazines?

Surveillance - Provides useful information on different topics (news and politics)Personal Identity - They see other like minded individuals
Personal Relationship - Can create relationships between celebrities and editors.

4) How is the audience positioned to respond to political news stories?

Although Teen Vogue say they're neither left or right wing, they are quite critical on current American politics and therefore give off a left wing perspective. The audience are positioned to challenge these ideologies and potentially have a liberal perspective.

5) How does Teen Vogue encourage audiences to interact with the brand – and each other – on social media? The ‘tentpoles and editorial pillars’ section of the media pack may help with this question.

Teen Vogue have multiple digital and video series which the audience can interact with on different platforms such as Twitter and Instagram which are featured in articles.


Representations

1) Look again at the Conde Nast media pack for Teen Vogue. What do the ‘tentpoles and editorial pillars’ (key events and features throughout the year) suggest about the representation of women and teenage girls on teenvogue.com?

Teen Vogue encourages activists to come together at conventions such as the 'Teen Vogue Summit' where they can meet other like minded people as well as learn 'tools to change the world'. Teen Vogue encourages it's audience to challenge the tradition views of women.

2) How are issues of gender identity and sexuality represented in Teen Vogue?


Teen Vogue represents an ideology of accepting all genders and reinforces the idea of 'gender fluidity'.

3) Do representations of appearance or beauty in Teen Vogue reinforce or challenge traditional stereotypes?


Articles featuring transgender and disabled models challenge traditional stereotypes  however articles such as the Sky Jackson article would reinforce traditional stereotypes due to the amount of photoshop and make-up used in order to make the model seem older then she is.

4) What is the patriarchy and how does Teen Vogue challenge it? Does it succeed? 

Teen Vogue attempts to challenge patriarchy as they encourage their female audience to make a change in the world. They attempt to get their female audience involved in politics and current affairs, linking back to their mission statement of empowering young women.

5) Does Teen Vogue reinforce or challenge typical representations of celebrity?

Teen Vogue reinforce typical representations of celebrity however use them in a way as influential figures which their audience should look up to. Celebrities who have been considered to make a change are used a lot in Teen Vogue articles in order to attempt to persuade their audience to do the same.


Feature: how Teen Vogue represents the changing nature of media aimed at women


1) How was the Teen Vogue op-ed on Donald Trump received on social media?

They received a lot of positive comments as well a lot of backlash telling them to "stick to acne treatments". Other positive comments such as "Who would've guessed Teen Vogue might be the future of political news.

2) How have newspapers and magazines generally categorised and targeted news by gender?

Women's news was targeted at topics such as: fashion, lifestyle, parenting. Whereas male news was targeted at topics such as: politics, business (hard news).

3) How is this gender bias still present in the modern media landscape?

"Women have been attending and graduating journalism school more often than men since the 1970s; by 2010, 64% of J-school graduates were female."

4) What impact did the alternative women’s website Jezebel have on the women’s magazine market?

In 2008, Anna Holmes’ Jezebel made the then-risky move of combining politics coverage and traditionally feminist op-eds with fashion and celebrity gossip, betting that the same woman could plausibly enjoy reading both.

5) Do you agree with the writer that female audiences can enjoy celebrity news and beauty tips alongside hard-hitting political coverage? Does this explain the recent success of Teen Vogue?

Yes i agree with the writer as Teen Vogue is an example of this happening successfully. Teen Vogue have been able to feature hard news on their website alongside, celebrity and entertainment news. More and more women are being involved in politics and can still enjoy celebrity content at the same time.

6) How does the writer suggest feminists used to be represented in the media?

Women used to be sexualised and seen as sex objects and were often focused on soft news.

7) What is the more modern representation of feminism? Do you agree that this makes feminism ‘stereotyped as fluffy’?

I don't agree that it makes feminism stereotyped as fluffy but it makes women feel more open to discuss different topics and still be heard.

8) What contrasting audience pleasures for Teen Vogue are suggested by the writer in the article as a whole?


The audience can still be engaged with politics and other hard news as well as interested in fashion and celebrity news (soft news).

9) The writer suggests that this change in representation and audience pleasures for media products aimed at women has emerged from the feminist-blog movement. How can this be linked to Clay Shirky’s ‘end of audience’ theory?

The feminist-blog movement hightlights the fact that consumers can add to the content circulated in the media by projecting their own opinions. Audiences no longer turn to the media for facts and opinions and instead produce their own.

10) Is Teen Vogue simply a product of the Trump presidency or will websites and magazines aimed at women continue to become more hard-hitting and serious in their offering to audiences?

I think that Teen Vogue has been able to create a strong loyal fan base of Trumps presidency by challenging most of his ideologies however I also believe that websites and magazines aimed at women are an increasing trend along side the topic of feminism which is also increasingly popular.

Teen Vogue: Industry and social media blog tasks

Industry: Condé Nast

1) Research Teen Vogue publisher Condé Nast. What other magazines do they publish and how much money did they make last year?
Other magazines that have been published by Conde Nast include; GQ, Vogue, Glamour, Vanity Fair and Wired.
Parent Organisation: Advance Publications - 2.4bn revenue 2016

2) What are Teen Vogue’s main sources of income?


Main sources of income are through advertising, sponsored content and YouTube channel revenue.

3) How are traditionally print-based products like Teen Vogue diversifying to create new income streams?


One way which Teen Vogue can diversify to create new income streams is by making social media accounts such as YouTube. Their YouTube account reaches over 1million+ views and has 1.1 million subscribers. Compared to it's other sources of income this may not be as significant however it does generate revenue with very minimal cost to produce a video.

4) Why is sponsored content and ‘advertorial’ particularly important in media linked to the fashion industry?


In the past magazines used to be paid by advertisers but now that has decreased and many print magazines have closed down. By diversifying the business can stay within the market and find other ways to generate profit.

5) Do you view Teen Vogue’s content as a form of public service media or is Condé Nast simply interested in clicks and profit?


I think it is both as Conde Nast is a company which focuses primarily on making a profit however it has been able to do both with Teen Vogue by providing a form of public service media to the audience with its reliable and trustworthy articles.


Closure of print edition research

Read the following short articles to learn the background to Condé Nast's decision to close the print edition of Teen Vogue in 2016 and then answer the questions below:

BBC: Teen Vogue: How will going online-only affect readers?
New York Times: Condé Nast Ends Teen Vogue’s Print Run
Folio: Your Teen Vogue Hot Takes Are All Wrong

1) Why does the BBC suggest “Teen Vogue’s digital game is strong”?


Teen Vogue has a "Highly-successful website. Six million Facebook likes. A huge following on Snapchat. Three and a half million Twitter followers."

2) What does the BBC suggest is responsible for the Teen Vogue website’s success?

Their headlines are relatable to the audience and the fact that their headlines and articles are written in first person helps this. It helps interest the readers into clicking onto the article.

3) How did Teen Vogue justify the closure of the print magazine?
"Audiences continue to evolve around content consumption". This means that audiences are using social media and the internet as their news source. They don't want to pay for print magazines and news as it is now all available on the internet for free at any time.

4) In the BBC article, David Hepworth suggests there is a risk to going digital-only. What is it?
"There are very few cases of magazines going digital-only and managing to retain the lustre on their brand. Once you let paper go you're just another website. You're just more space junk floating around out there."

5) How do online-only publications make money?

Advertisement on their websites.

6) What does Sarah Penny suggest regarding audience consumption for print and digital – and how might it be changing for Generation-Z?

Sarah Penny suggests that audiences would rather consume information through digital content rather then print as the generation already have a strong grasp of the digital presence as they grew up with it.

7) What does the New York Times say Conde Nast is known for?

Lavish spending and visually rich glossy magazines.

8) The New York Times states that Conde Nast expects to bring in less revenue in 2017 than 2016… by how much?

$100 million less.

9) The Folio article also looks at the switch from print to digital. Pick out a statistic that justifies the digital-only approach.
"Since Phillip Picardi was installed as digital editorial director in 2015 and Elaine Welteroth as the brand’s editor the following May, traffic to TeenVogue.com has surged from around 2 million monthly visitors to nearly 9 million."

10) Finally, Folio also highlights some of the aspects we have studied elsewhere. Pick out two quotes from the article that link to our work on the Teen Vogue audience, representation or design.

"And [adding politics] was largely the answer"

"In other words, Teen Vogue’s ascent from lip gloss authority to bastion of left-leaning social criticism was almost entirely unrelated to its print magazine."

Social media analysis

Work through the following tasks to complete your textual analysis of Teen Vogue's social media presence:

1) Look at the Teen Vogue Twitter feed (you don’t need to sign up to Twitter to see it but may need to log-in at home). How many followers does Teen Vogue have?

3.36 million followers

2) Now look at the content. Classify the first 20 tweets you can see using the sections on the Teen Vogue website: News & Politics, Fashion, Entertainment, Beauty, Lifestyle, Wellness and Homecoming. What does the Twitter feed focus on most? Does this differ to the website?

Teen Vogue's twitter posts are predominately focused on gossip on celebrities and lifestyle for example "Dua Lipa’s Thigh-High UGG Boots Are the Most Intense Shoes Ever"

3) How are the tweets and headlines written? Can you find examples of clickbait?

The tweets have an explanation of what the article is about followed by a picture. An example of clickbait may be a tweet about 'making money on your old iPhone thanks to Apple'

4) How does the Twitter feed use videos and images?

Tweets are written with very minimal text and are complimented with an image.

5) Analyse the Teen Vogue Facebook page. How many ‘likes’ and ‘follows’ do they have?

5.9 Million likes.

6) Click on the Videos link on the left-hand menu. What type of content do the videos feature? 
Does this differ to the website or Twitter feed?

The twitter videos feature content such as celebrity news, politics and news. In a way it is similar to its Twitter feed due to the different topics that it covers.

7) Now look at the Events tab to explore past events. What are these events and what do they tell us about how audiences interact with the Teen Vogue brand?

Teen Vogue summits and meet ups. This shows how Teen Vogue attempt to interact and encourage more of its audience to take part in activities where they can meet like minded people. 

8) Go to the Teen Vogue Instagram page. How many followers do they have on Instagram?

2.4 Million followers.

9) How does the Instagram feed differ from other social media channels?

Their Instagram account features a lot of celebrity endorsement along side the promotion of fashion. Each post is typically followed by a hashtag which audiences can uses to interact and join in on the conversation, an example of this is #TeenVogueSummit which is used to promote their current events.

10) What examples of digital convergence and synergy can you find on Teen Vogue social media including the Teen Vogue YouTube channel? (E.g. opportunities to engage with the brand across different platforms).

By using social media Teen Vogue are able to reach a wider audience through the use of their YouTube channel. Their channel engages with film and TV celebrities and usually has a hashtag on each video which their audience can use to interact with on different social media platforms (Twitter). By doing this Teen Vogue are able to link all their social media platforms together to attract the largest audience as possible.

Tuesday, 27 November 2018

Newspapers: The i newspaper and website case study

1) What are the front page stories on the 21 September edition of the i?
The front page stories on the 21 September edition of the i are: The Salzburg Disaster, The future of Iraq, Fashion trends for 2019, UK plan to save species, Aubameyang at the double in Arsenal win, An octopus takes ecstasy, How Britain's climate is changing?, police end 3 year manhunt, Emma Stone on her Netflix show, Christine and the queens album and I hate the word rebellion.  

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
On this page, it is talking about how 17-24 years old want to drive but it is quite dangerous at the same time due to their age. 
  • Page 3
On page 3 there is a man named Adam Sherwin who is a gay speaker who is very influential in what he says. There is also a letter on the page which references classical music and Brexit.
  • Pages 5
On page 5 they are talking about the amount of money that is spent on animals and animal projects which save them. There is also some debates that take place about fake news.
  • Page 6-7
This page is about the Salzburg disaster. It tries to be balanced but is anti-Brexit. Leading Brexiters - European view on Brexit and there are some french quotes from the French President. The news tries to give a balanced perspective.  
  • Pages 11
This page is about the Royal Family story. It is surprising that it is not near the front. This article is quite small and only has 2 pages and 2 blocks of text. Also on this page there is an article about student fees.
  • Page 15
On page 15 there is an article about the mercury prize. There is another article about Alexa technology which is about the speaking device that Amazon had invented. Also the term "views-paper" is mentioned which is referring to 12 publications.
  • Page 16
On page 16 there are overviews and opinion from other newspapers. There is a section an important person who has died that week. There is a quote of the day section. And all of the newspapers that give their opinion are from all different countries to show the i as a centralised paper.
  • Page 18
On page 18 there are letters that are written from people who read the i. The letters are about their opinions on the latest edition of the i and what they think of some of the stories in the paper and the news that is taking place. around the world 

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.
In terms of the construction of the front page it has a bar-code and a price on it. The price of the newspaper is 60p. The main story on the cover is about Brexit. There are also references to other pages to create enigma codes. There is an advertisement at the bottom which is about dream destinations with British Airways. The headline of the stories are short and straight to the point. There is a combination of hard and soft news on the front page. The front page is structured like a website. The logo is on the left hand side of the page. There a pictures with captions underneath. All the news is layed out in boxes just like the website. There is a combination of red, black and grey fonts used.


4) Narrative: How is narrative used in this edition of the i? Look at the selection of news: is there an ongoing narrative? How is narrative created by the paper to engage an audience?
The way that narrative is used in this edition of the i is that there is an ongoing narrative. The story and the main headline of the newspaper is about Brexit. Brexit is a topic that will be talked about for a long time because it is the future of the UK in terms of if they will leave the EU or not. The pictures are creating narrative because they are colourful and attracting the audience to make the readers want to tread it. Also, the title of the story is quite short so it makes people want to read on to see what the story is about.

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?
There were some stereotypes that were subverted. For example there was a speaker who was gay was very influential in his speech. And people accept that in today's society. Some stereotypes are reinforced such as the main headline only had white people on it. Some of these stereotypes compared to the Daily Mail is very different and has changed due to owners changing. 




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?
The research that led to the launch of the i newspaper was Despite the newspaper market’s widely reported decline, The Independent held an unshakable belief in consumer desire for quality print news. Under the new ownership of the Lebedevs, it took the bold decision to launch into this market a new, paid-for newspaper designed around evolving consumer needs. Research had shown that there was a strong desire for quality information in the print newspaper format but that consumers were increasingly time poor. i, the UK's first quality daily newspaper to hit newsstands in almost 25 years, went on sale on Tuesday 26 October 2010.

2) How did i target readers and lapsed readers of quality newspapers?
i targeted readers and lapsed readers of quality newspapers, combining strong design with high quality content and opinion in a manageable size at the right price. It was designed to grow the market rather than cannibalise it.


3) What was the target audience and why was this attractive to advertisers?
Targeting a professional ABC1 audience, it was an attractive proposition for advertisers because they were the ones interested in the newspaper.


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 distribution drive was evident as The Independent teams visited 12,000 retail outlets. It was also backed by a strategic PR campaign that targeted all key broadcasters to ensure rolling news and feature coverage for the first 48 hours of launch. The second phase of launch activity involved a significant marketing push involving TV, print and digital. The results are clear to see. By the end of 2011 i was the fastest growing daliy with a circulation of 170,436 and little cannibalization of The Independent.


5) What was the background to the i newspaper's launch?

The newspaper market has been experiencing a decline both on a national and global scale for over twenty years. In the UK alone, the market slumped 21% between 2007 and 2009. Countless online news sources and the dramatic rise of freesheets, such as The Metro, have added to what was always an intense competition for readership.

6) What were the objectives for the i newspaper launch?
The launch of a national newspaper is a huge undertaking, and The Independent had aggressive targets for its new title. i would only be deemed a success if it achieved the following objectives:  Reach a circulation figure of 150,000  Avoid cannibalisation of The Independent 182,412 at i launch  Reach a combined Independent and i average circulation figure of 340,000  Increase ad revenue growth for the business and achieve majority ad volume in the quality 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 UK newspaper market had failed to adapt optimally to changes in news consumption habits and The Independent saw a big opportunity. Yet, research by The Independent showed that there is still an appetite for for a physical, paper product. The Independent felt that a different type of newspaper was needed. One designed with the 21st century reader in mind. The Independent identified three potential types of readers: 
1) lapsed readers of qualities 
2) new newspaper readers 
3) people

8) What were the five key principles of the i?

1) High quality content 
2) Aesthetically pleasing design
3) Balanced comment/opinion
4) Manageable pagination
5) Affordable price

9) How was the newspaper launched?
There were 2 phases to the newspaper being launched. In phase One, This phase ran from 25th October 2010 to 15th January 2011 and began with a highly-focused national outdoor campaign to generate initial awareness coupled with a radio campaign on LBC. The Independent’s teams also visited 12,000 retail outlets as part of a London focused distribution drive. The launch was supported by press ads and vouchers/sampling in sister paper The Evening Standard and 60 tube stations and train stations nationwide.The ATL activity in Phase Two was designed to clearly spell out the benefits of the paper. Phase Two Phase two was designed to react to the findings of the research at the end of the initial stage of launch.


10) List three statistics quoted in the final section 'Achievements' to demonstrate the success of the i newspaper's launch.
"At the end of phase one, the title had a circulation of 60,000 and following the boost in activity during the second phase of the marketing campaign, the circulation rose to 167,944 by the end of February."


"Within three months of the paper’s launch a significant result had been achieved with retailers – on launch day the i was stocked in 37,000 retail outlets nationally. Three months later the number was 44,000 (equal to The Daily Mail) with 7,000 coming from independent retailers. These results were very much due to heavy engagement and relationship building with retailers."

"i has helped drive the market share of Independent Print from 11% December 2010 to 22% December 2011 NRS early estimates reveal 368,000 readers. 2.3 readers per copy and 73% ABC1 readers confirmed the i as a quality newspaper with a quality audience."




The i turns five


Read this collection of quotes and messages in the Independent to celebrate the i newspaper's fifth birthday. Answer the following questions:

1) Read Nick Clegg'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?
Th message from Nick Cleggs tells us that the ideologies and values behind the i newspaper is that they like to excel and make their news and short to the point and don't want to make people bored. So it takes politics seriously and reports it well. It tries to give a balanced point of view. It is a newspaper that has survived well for 5 years even though a lot of newspaper companies are shutting down.


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"?
This is because the Daily Mail is very right wing and reports things from only one point of view. Also the way they report the news, it is like they chuck a whole lot of news at you in one go and you won't really understand what is going on in the story. Then people get pressurised because they want to do other things bu they want to catch up on the news but the news stories in the Daily Mail where they get there news from is to long. If you compare that to the i the articles are quite short and to the point so it doesn't put peoples blood pressure up to read all of it. Also, they give a balanced argument and different viewpoint about politics.   

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?

Boris Johnson: A success story in modern newspapers deserves a birthday drink.
David Cameron: I love i. It’s a good read and handy size. When I’m not cycling, it’s the perfect read from Finsbury Park to Westminster by train.
Gerry Pimm: Only just started reading i. Love it. Proper news, no junk like other papers.
The audience pleasures that the newspaper provides for the audience is personal identity, diversification surveillance. It is a paper that people learn things from.

4) Scroll down towards the bottom of the article. What are the campaigns that i have run since their launch in 2010?
iVote (ongoing)
Back to School (ongoing)
Homeless Veterans appeal (2014)
Elephant Appeal (2013)
Child Soldiers (2012)



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?
Also it tells you that the values and ideologies of the i newspaper are different. They don't just focus on politics. They focus on things like helping the homeless, children getting in to the army, helping animals and doing projects, and helping young kids in their education.It tells you that the readership of i is scattered from young to old because it supports most age groups.  


6) What did the critics say when the paper was first launched? Why did many think the paper would fail?
The Independent has opted to create an additional brand aimed at increasing its overall market share and complementing its existing title. Except that won’t happen. For all the talk of a new brand for a new target segment, i is actually going to be produced by the same journalists that work on the current paper. The reality for The Independent is that it cannot afford to actually create and deliver a distinct product for this segment. And even if it could, this elusive target segment wouldn’t buy it anyway. Not only will i fail, it will leave The Independent in even worse shape. Like most companies launching a “sister brand” to alleviate poor sales, The Independent is about to learn that the last thing it needed was a new brand. At its launch last week, there was much debate about exactly what i actually stood for. Can I suggest irrelevant, ill-conceived and, ultimately, ill-fated.


7) Choose three quotes from the critics' reviews and discuss whether these viewpoints remain valid today.
The Independent lays an egg – but will i fly?
Can i crack the newspaper market?
i lives up to its name – it’s a digest of its big brother
I think that these points are not valid today because they have been proved wrong because the newspaper has been very successful and has survived.


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?
It tells you that the values and ideologies are good and they have a combination of them because the audience are appreciating different pages and it tells you that readers have different interests and people still read the rest of the paper.




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 had began Among the thousands of titles founded in towns and cities across Britain was the Falkirk Herald, which was soon acquired by a local printing business run by Archibald Johnston. He, and the two sons who followed him as head of the firm, were not moved to buy more titles. Owning a paper in one’s own area brought its own rewards. The Herald campaigned successfully for Falkirk to be granted municipal borough status, and the consequent creation of a more democratic and efficient political system benefited the whole community. From 1882, Archibald’s youngest son, Frederick, was the Herald’s publisher for 53 years. He gradually improved the paper’s status, its profitability and its circulation before founding an offshoot, the Linlithgow Gazette, to serve the neighbouring county.

2) What did Johnston Press do in the 1980s and 1990s?
Johnston Press in the 1980s and 1990s had decided to expand. Then, in 1962, Frederick Johnston III joined the business. Known to everyone as Freddy, he is as nice a man as you could ever hope to meet; modest, benevolent, polite to a fault, the very opposite of what people imagine makes a media titan. In his early years at the helm of Johnston Press, his running of the company reflected his personality.
He accepted that expansion was the way to go, but his financial advisers could see that his heart was not really in it, and he also lacked the know-how. They applauded his decision to float the company on the stock market in 1988, achieving an initial value of £22m. But City analysts, pumped up with forecasts about super-profits available from regional newspaper advertising revenue, thought the company should be achieving even more than its £65m valuation by 1994. It must grow bigger, and bigger.
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).
Arbroath Herald
Banbury Guardian
Batley & Birstall News
Bellshill Speaker
Berwick Advertiser
Biggleswade Chronicle
Blackpool Gazette
Bognor Regis Observer
Bridlington Free Press
Brighton & Hove Independent
Buckingham Advertiser
Bucks Herald
Burnley Express
Buxton Advertiser
Carrick Gazette
Chichester Observer
Chorley Guardian
Crawley Observer
Cumbernauld News
Daventry Express
Dewsbury Reporter
Diss Express
Dinnington Guardian
Doncaster Free Press
Edinburgh Evening News
Edinburgh Herald and Post
Eastbourne Herald
East Grinstead Gazette
Ellon Times

4) What happened to Johnston Press in the 2000s to the present day?
The Johnston Press in the 2000s to the present day have become huge and a lot of people have invested in the company and the deal with huge figures in terms of buying and selling newspapers in mega deals. A lot of many and debt and they couldn't really pay them because enough people weren't reading the paper. It was also disrupting the banking and financial crisis in 2008.

5) How does Greenslade see the future of Johnston Press - and what might happen to the i newspaper?
Greenslade thinks that Now, inevitably, the company will be broken up. Rival companies, themselves facing eventual extinction, will seek to prolong their lives by acquiring favoured pieces of the Johnston holdings. It is highly likely that some papers will vanish. What, for instance, will happen to Archibald Johnston’s Falkirk Herald? Business was so much less complex in his day, was it not? He thinks that the i newspaper will shut down and vanish like the other ones.





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?
The regional published Johnston Press had bought the i for £24 million pounds which was part of a deal.

2) Who did Johnston Press buy the i from?
Johnston Press had bought the i from Evgeny Lebedev. He is a millionaire who is Russian and in charge of a company called ESI Media. 

3) What did the sale signal for the Independent newspaper?
The sale had signalled to the Independent Newspaper that they had to close down their print edition of
their newspaper.

4) What reasons were provided by Johnston Press CEO Ashley Highfield for buying the i?
The reasons that were provided by Johnston Press CEO Ashley Highfield for buying the i was because it will increase and represents a significant growth opportunity for Johnston Press in terms of national print and digital advertising revenue, also allow them to grow digital audiences and revenues through the creation of inews.co.uk and help promote their brand and other newspaper that JP own.


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.
One comment on this article is "So JP have bought something and at the same time killed something off. Wunderbar." They criticise the purchase buy saying that something has been bought and something else had to sacrifice for that to happen which was the Independent print version. Another comment is "Amazing…JP plead poverty, yet can find the money for this despite all of the cutbacks, redundancies, and lack of spending on hardware and software.". They are saying that JP are finding excuses to spend the money on resources for the company saying that they don't have enough and then go and spend it, by buying a newspaper. Final comment is Won’t this look great on Ashley’s CV when he strolls into some other super duper executive role? Meanwhile the jobs of countless journalists smoulder in his wake. Job done." This comment is saying that Ashley won't get a better job when people see that on his CV and he has ruined jobs for Journalists and all that rely's on his shoulders now.




inews.co.uk - the i newspaper website

Go to inews.co.uk and analyse the stories currently featured:

1) What are the top five stories? Are they examples of soft news or hard news?

The top five stories on the I news paper website now are: Ryan Air passenger in Racist rant appears on Good Morning Britain, Lord Peter Hain defends decision to out Sir Philip Green in Parliament, What Lord Peter Hain didn’t consider when he rushed to name Philip Green, 26-30 Railcard to go on sale across the UK year this year- how to get one and Universal Credit will cost some disabled claimants £300 a month. There is a combination of hard and soft news but a bit more hard news and lot to do with the government and politics.


2) How is the homepage designed? Do you see similarities with the print edition?
The homepage is designed in a user friendly way so that people can look at the news that they want to. It has sub-categories at the top so people read whatever types of news that they want to read. There are similarities with the print version such as all of the stories are presented in boxes which makes them look like a website. Most of the headlines are hard news. The logo is presented on the left hand side of the screen and on the homepage there social medias are advertised so that people can follow them.

3) Are there examples of ‘clickbait’? What are they?
There are examples of clickbait such as all the pictures are colourful and make people want to click on the article to see what the story is about. Also most of the articles that they post is about technology, nature and science and all those topics are quite clickbait. So, the pictures and the genre of the news story are the examples of the clickbait in the articles. 

4) To what extent do the stories you have found on inews.co.uk reflect the values and ideologies of the i newspaper?
The stories that I have found on the i newspaper website do reflect the valued and ideologies of the i newspaper because it has created a bite-size version of the Independent. It won't reach the level of the Independent but when reporting on political debates and big events it is very liberal and reports news in a very left wing way than newspapers like the Daily Mail.    


5) What similarities and differences are there between MailOnline and the i newspaper website?
The similarities between MailOnline and the i newspaper website is that they both represent their news in box format. The genres of stories they cover is quite big. They both have there social medias on their homepages so that people can follow them. The differences between them is that the MailOnline does a lot of soft news and a lot of celebrity gossip. There news stories also never stop, you keep scrolling down and you will find a news story. The headlines are also long telling you the whole story so that people don't have to read the whole article and keep scrolling down. The headline is chosen by the audience and the number of clicks on the story by the public. The i website is more hard news and well represented. The news headlines are short so you have to read the full article. 



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?
No it doesn't support this claim because the i website does still do a lot of clickbait stuff such as their pictures just make the audience just want to click on the article which will make them want to read it. Also most of the articles that they post is about technology, nature and science and all those topics are quite clickbait. So, the pictures and the genre of the news story are the examples of the clickbait in the articles. 

2) He states the website will "stick very closely to the brand values of the i". What are these?
The brand values of the i are: a quality, concise daily digest, updated continually but at any one moment, when you go to the site, the idea is the matrix will give you everything you need to know to be informed on the day. I think that possibly flows better to the zeitgeist than the acres of never-ending content."

3) How does he claim inews.co.uk will differ from online rival Buzzfeed?
He claim the i news website will differ from online rival Buzzfeed by saying that There will be no going after traffic for the sake of traffic. I think we will be very true to the paper and therefore create a clear proposition that we think does not exist in the UK: there is not a politically independent, concise, quality read online and I think that will find a market. He says they can't do what we do is do it on a local basis.

4) What audience does Highfield want the website to target?
He want the website to focus on a older audience. Highfield wants the i to focus on an older and more affluent audience. "It appears they are more loyal in print, but also because they tend not to ad block and they're the people with the money,

5) Why is the millennial audience less attractive?
The millennial audience is less attractive because Highfield thinks the obsession with millennials is starting to pale as they haven't got any money because they've all got student loans and because they all ad block.