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,...

News index

1. Mail online 09/18

2. Mail online 10/18
3. Mail online 10/18
4. The I news 10/18
5. Mail online 10/18
6. The I news 10/18
7. The mail online 10/18
8. The I news 10/18
9. Teen Vogue 11/18
10. The Voice 11/18
11. The Voice 12/18
12. Teen Vogue 12/18
13. Mail online 12/18
14. The voice 12/18
15. Teen vogue 12/18
16. The voice 12/18
17. Teen Vogue 01/19
18. Teen vogue 01/19

Further feminist theory

1) What definitions are offered by the factsheet for ‘feminism ‘and ‘patriarchy’?

Feminism is focused on highlighting the power and suppressive nature of the patriarchy.

Intersectionality is used to describe overlapping or intersecting social identities and related systems of oppression, domination or discrimination.

Patriarchy is male dominance over society in this situation, and feminists see this as a limitation to women receiving the same treatment and benefits as their male counterparts. 

2) Why did bell hooks publish her 1984 book ‘Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center’?

She had published her book due to a lack of diversity within the female movement and argued that these diverse voices had been marginalized, being outside the main body of feminism. 

3) What aspects of feminism and oppression are the focus for a lot of bell hooks' work?

She challenged feminists to focus on gender's relations to sex, race, class, and intersectionality. She argues that male inclusion within the movement is vital and encourages men to do their part. 


4) What is intersectionality and what do hooks argue regarding this?

Intersectionality is used to describe overlapping or intersecting social identities and related systems of oppression, domination or discrimination.

bell argues that experiences of class, gender, sexuality cannot be completely understood if the influences of racialization are not considered. hooks argue that understanding this is vital to gaining political and social equality.

5) What did Liesbet van Zoonen conclude regarding the relationship between gender roles and the mass media?

She concludes that there is a strong relationship between gender and communication. She believes the mass media has so much power in the media world that they influence and cause gender differentiation.  


6) Liesbet van Zoonen sees gender as socially constructed. What does this mean and which other media theorist we have studied does this link to?

Judith Butler believes that gender is a construct. The belief of this stems from the media and advertising planting the idea in peoples minds that certain genders like a certain type of color or product. Gender is seen as always changing and can adapt in different ways.
7) How do feminists view women’s lifestyle magazines in different ways? Which view do you agree with?

Some women argue that women's magazines are commercial devices that exaggerate the appeal of women and their femininity. They believe that these unachievable bodies drive down self-esteem. The argument is that women believe is that magazines tell them 'how to be the perfect mother, lover, wife, homemaker, glamour accessory, secretary- whatever suits the needs of the system'.  

8) In looking at the history of the colors pink and blue, van Zoonen suggests ideas gender ideas can evolve over time. Which another media theorist we have studied argues this and do you agree that gender roles are in a process of constant change? Can you suggest examples to support your view?

Colors suggest what gender a child is and a child is shown from birth what type of color they must like such as pink being female and blue being male. The idea of gender changing is very complex but I believe that it can change as the ideas fo this has changed as the rise of feminism has come to be. 


9) What are the five aspects van Zoonen suggests are significant in determining the influence of the media?

Van Zoonen argues that the influence of the media is dependent on:
• Whether the institution is commercial or public
• The platform upon which they operate (print versus digital media)• Genre (drama versus news)
• Target audiences
• The place the media text holds within the audiences’ daily lives

10) What other media theorist can be linked to van Zoonen’s readings of the media?

Stuart Hall's reception theory  


11) Van Zoonen discusses ‘transmission models of communication’. She suggests women are oppressed by the dominant culture and therefore take in representations that do not reflect their view of the world. What other theory and idea (that we have studied recently) can this be linked to?

One idea that this can be linked to is women in video games as between the beginning of the video game culture till the recent 2000's women have been shown to be a sex object or prize that men must achieve to help rescue or help. Games that featured women still had minimal clothing such as Lara Croft, Aloy, and most Street Fighter characters. Women in video games recently have seen a rise in popularity with leading protagonists such as Ellie from the Last of Us and Chloe Frazer and Nadine Ross in the Uncharted series. 

12) Finally, van Zoonen has built on the work of bell hooks by exploring power and feminism. She suggests that power is not a binary male/female issue but reflects the “multiplicity of relations of subordination”. How does this link to bell hooks views on feminism and intersectionality?

Van Zoonen considers power as a key element of feminist thought and suggests that it is used or is evident in the following ways:

• As a non-issue when it is emphasized that women are a disadvantaged, minority group that needs equality and rights more than they need
  power.
• Something an individual possesses, for example, the power to criticize men or a group of men for the power they have over women.
• As an offspring of material conditions, when economic power relations of capitalism are named as the cause of women’s oppression.

Women in video games

1) How have women traditionally been represented in videogames?

The way that women are traditionally represented in videogames are that they are objectified such as Lara Croft. Most female characters in videogames are their for male pleasure or in terms of story lines they are kidnapped which shows the sexism, heteronormativity, and misrepresentation

2) What percentage of the video game audience is female?
The percentage of the video game audience that is female is 42%. This is showing that the times have changed and the video game industry cannot survive with just targeting male gamers.


3) What recent games have signalled a change in the industry and what qualities do the female protagonists offer?
The recent games that have signalled a change in the industry is Tomb Raider, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, The Last of Us, Dragon Age: Inquisition, and The Walking Dead. All of these games have a female protagonist who have different qualities. Some of the qualities that they possess are strong, independent, intelligent, willful and compassionate.


4) Do you agree with the idea that audiences reject media products if they feel they are misrepresented within them?
I would agree that the audiences are rejecting media products if they feel they are misinterpreted within them because they don't want to play games where their gender is represented badly and wrongly. They dont want to be seen as sex objects. They want to be seen as having positive representations of their gender which means they will enjoy playing the game and the gaming industry wont loose sales.

5) What does the writer suggest has changed regarding recent versions of Lara Croft and who does she credit for this development?
The writer suggests the things that have changed regarding recent versions of Lara Croft are that they are trying to create a protagonist that the players can identify with compared to looking at her stereotypes such as having less flesh revealed. The person that she credits for this development is a person called Rhianna Pratchett who studies women in video games and their representations who taken over of creating the news Lara Croft.

Tropes vs Women in Video Games – further analysis


Visit Anita Sarkeesian’s ‘Tropes vs Women in Video Games Series 2’ YouTube playlist and watch ONE other video in the series (your choice - and feel free to choose a video from season 1 if you prefer). Write a 100 word summary of the video you watch:

Title of video: Body Language and The Male Gaze

100 word summary:
This video is about movement and how they generate stereotypes such as sitting walking. Such as in Destiny when the women sits down in a crouch position. The camera angles, costume and poses are used to sexualise the female characters. The way they are walking doesn't really represent the part that the female character is playing. This is all for the male gaze and the pleasure for the males when they are interacting with the character or playing the game.

Anita Sarkeesian Gamespot interview

Finally, read this Gamespot interview with Anita Sarkeesian of Feminist Frequency and answer the following questions:

1) What reaction did Anita Sarkeesian receive when she published her videos on women in videogames? You can find more information on this on Sarkeesian’s Kickstarter fundraising page.
Some of the reactions that she received when she published her videos online about women in videogames is that she got a lot of harassment when discussing gender issues online, this time it's a more extreme and sustained torrent of sexism, hate, and threats. 

2) How does Sarkeesian summarise feminism?
The way that Sarkeesian summarise feminism is, she says that Feminism is the radical notion that women are human beings. It's about working towards the equal treatment of women socially, culturally, institutionally, and economically.

3) Why do stories matter?
Stories matter because narratives have always been a core way human beings learn about, make sense of, and understand the world we live in. Stories have embedded myths and messages and can be carriers of positive, heroic, or subversive values, but they can also propagate or reinforce negative stereotypes and oppressive social norms. "The Universe is made of stories, not of atoms."


4) How does Sarkeesian view Samus Aran and Lara Croft (the two protagonists from our upcoming CSPs)?
Sarkeesian views Samus Aran and Lara Croft as postive characters and negative characters. She likes them because they are both protagonists in their respective games and are taking the lead which is a very encouraging thing to see. But, on the other hand the negatives are that they are represented negatively and are being sexualised and objectified for the pleasure for the male audience. 


5) How has the videogame landscape changed with regards to the representation of women?
The videogame landscape has changed with regards to the representations of women and hit has improved over the years as there are more females who are protagonists. But there are negatives because gaming developers have gone back to their old ways by producing games from the past with the same themes of harassment on women and them being objectified and sexualised and the female representations are at the expense of male pleasure and the representations are quite negative.


6) Why are Mirror’s Edge and Portal held up as examples of more progressive representations of women?
Mirror's Edge and Portal are held up as examples of more progressive representations of women because both characters are women of colour, and both serve as the protagonists of their own games without being overly sexualised or objectified, which may be partially due to the first-person perspective.

7) What are the qualities that Sarkeesian lists for developers to work on creating more positive female characters?
The qualities that Sarkeesian lists for developers to work on creating more positive female characters are: protagonists with agency not tied directly to their sex appeal; transformative story arcs where characters are struggling with or overcoming personal flaws; and some emotional depth and expression.

8) What is the impact of the videogames industry being male-dominated?
The impact of the videogames industry being male-dominated is huge because there are not that many women so when narratives, male and female characters are created it is coming from the male perspective, so that is why they are being sexualised. So thy need to get more females in the gaming industry so that the female representations change and when female characters are created, a female perspective is taken so that a positive representation is formed.

9) What did Sarkeesian hope to achieve through her ‘Tropes vs Women in Video Games’ series?
The things that Sarkeesian hopes to achieve through her ‘Tropes vs Women in Video Games’ series is she wants to promote media literacy and give people some tools to look critically at the games we play. She wants to  clearly present the issues surrounding women's representations as a systemic problem by identifying reoccuring patterns. She wants complex female characters because it will make games and gaming better overall, more diverse, and more innovative. Finally she wants this series to serve as a piece of the larger ongoing conversation already happening elsewhere about women in games.

10) What media debates did Sarkeesian hope to spark with her video series?
Some of the media debates that Sarkeesian hoped to spark with her video series is the reoccurring patterns of the representations of women in videogames, why people refuse to use certain media products because they are represented in it badly which effects there sales and how more females should work in the gaming industry to solve this problem.

Weekly news The Voice

The Voice

Meet The Councillor Helping The Homeless
https://www.voice-online.co.uk/article/meet-councillor-helping-homeless



This is an example of hard news. The article talks about how the councillor Sharon Thompson is working with taskforce to ensure the safety of rough sleepers over the cold winter months. She has gathered resources from the public, private and voluntary sectors to help safeguard the homeless.

This would appeal to the target audience as they might sympathize and want to contribute to helping the less fortunate during the cold season. This article would reinforce the values and ideologies of The Voice which the audience are likely to agree and respond positively with.

Weekly news Teen Vogue

ASOS' Best-Selling Styles of 2018
https://www.teenvogue.com/story/asos-best-selling-styles-2018



This is an example of soft news as it doesn't contain any useful information that may effect the audience. This article summaries the best selling outfits that ASOS sold during 2018. The article then lists different clothing pieces which are paired with statistics about their sales.

This would appeal to a young Teen Vogue audience as they're likely to be interested in fashion and want to hear about all the latest outfits that the popular, online store has to offer.

Online, Social and Participatory index

1) OSP: Clay Shirky - End of Audience blog tasks
2) OSP: Teen Vogue - background and textual analysis
3) OSP: Teen Vogue - audience and representation
4) Newspapers: Assessment learner response
5) OSP: Teen Vogue - industry and social media
6) OSP: Hall and Gilroy - media theory
7) OSP: The Voice - blog case study

The voice case study

Language and textual analysis

Homepage

Go to the Voice homepage and answer the following:

1) What news website key conventions can you find on the Voice homepage?

The news website isn't as simplistic and professional as the Teen Vogue website. The website contains different colour items on the menu bar which gives it an unprofessional look and gives off a childish impression despite being targeted at an elder audience. The homepage contains the top stories from all of the sections and contains 'picks of the day' with the hottest stories.

2) How does the page design differ from Teen Vogue?

The Teen Vogue home page has a simplistic model to it with its articles and stories covering the majority of the page with a small menu bar at the top. The Voice's home page has a more rough design and isn't as simplistic and appealing as Teen Vogue.

3) What are some of the items in the top menu bar and what does this tell you about the content, values and ideologies of the Voice?

Some of the items on the top menu bar such as 'opinion' reinforce the values and ideologies of the newspaper as it was original set up to give black britons a voice, allowing them to see the world through their own eyes (Paul Gilroy). The item 'Faith' suggests that the target audience of the Voice newspaper is religious.

4) Look at the news stories in the Voice. To what extent does the selection of news stories fit Galtung and Ruge’s News Values theory?

The news stories on the Voice website fit into Galtung and Ruge's news value theory. The articles are based on familiarity as the audience are able to relate with the story, Elite nations and people as it contains stories about celebrities and exclusivity as the newspaper contains a lot of stories which other paper would not cover.

Lifestyle section

Now analyse the Lifestyle section of the Voice and answer the following:

1) What are the items in the sub-menu bar for the Lifestyle section and what does this suggest about the Voice audience?

The items on the sub-menu bar are: health,food, fostering and adoption, female, travel, relationships, competition. This suggests that the Voice target audience are predominately old and possibly more targeted at females as the third item on the menu bar is 'female'.

2) What are the main stories in the Lifestyle section currently?

"Usain Bolt: 'I don't think the UK has proper Jamaican food"

"World Aids Days: Why women's lives matter"

"Will Smith opens up about relationships with eldest son"

"10 Year old cooking sensation recognized by PETA"
"Celebrated black hairstylist inducted into hall of fame".

3) How does the Lifestyle section of the Voice differ from Teen Vogue?

The Teen Vogue lifestyle section is targeted more at a younger audience, featuring stories which would appeal to them and 'help better their life' through life hack articles. However the Voice lifestyle section features more articles on celebrities and other black people who have contributed on done something to be recognized, an example of this is "Celebrated black hairstylist inducted into hall of fame".

4) Do the sections and stories in the Voice Lifestyle section challenge or reinforce black stereotypes in British media?

The Voice lifestyle section challenges black stereotypes in Britain as it features a number of stories of black people who have contributed positively to society to make a change. An example of this is "Celebrated black hairstylist inducted into hall of fame"

Feature focus

1) Read this Voice Lifestyle feature on the first black photographer to shoot the cover of Vogue magazine. Why would this appeal to the Voice’s audience?

This article would appeal to Voice's audience as it features a black photographer who has come from London and managed to make a name for herself as a Vogue photographer. It also appeals to an audience as it empowers black woman and helps influences and encourage members of the audience to go out and do the same.

2) Read/watch this Lifestyle interview with The Hate U Give star Amandla Stenberg. How does the interview reflect the values and ideologies of the Voice? What do you notice about the production values of the interview?

The Voice has significantly lower production values to those of the voice as the presenter seems a little more laid back and unprofessional to those of Teen Vogue. The interview reinforces the values and ideologies of the Voice as it empowers the black lives matter movement and helps give its black audience a 'voice'.

3) Read this feature on ‘buying black’ for Black Friday. What does this feature tell you about the values and ideologies behind the Voice? Does this viewpoint reflect Gilroy’s theory of the ‘Black Atlantic’ identity?

This article reinforces the values and ideologies of the Voice as it helps encourage people to buy from black-owned brands in order to re-invest funds back into the black community in order for an opportunity for them to prosper. This reinforces Gilroys' theory of Black Atlantic identity as the article encourages the audience to buy from black owned stores which have "pieces created by black people for black people".

Audience

1) Who do you think is the target audience for the Voice website? Consider demographics and psychographics.

I think the target audience of the Voice website are people aged 50+ with a 65% female and 35% male readership. The newspaper targets its audience at people in the C1,C2,DE demographic and the psychographic groups which they may be apart of are Resigned, Struggler and Reformer.

2) What audience pleasures are provided by the Voice website? Apply media theory here such as Blumler and Katz (Uses & Gratifications).

Personal Identity is provided by the Voice website as it features other like-minded people on the website which the audience can relate to. The website also provides Personal Relationships through the use of celebrity news, as well as surveillance as the website provides news articles about what is happening around the world. 

3) Give examples of content from the website that tells you this is aimed at a specialised or niche audience.

The Windrush 70 section on the menu-bar is an example of how the website is targeted at a niche audience.

4) Studying the themes of politics, history and racism that feature in some of the Voice’s content, why might this resonate with the Voice’s British target audience?

The Voice was set up in the wake of the Brixton race riots and in a time of high racism. The audience may still discriminated and may come to the Voice website to "see the world through their own eyes".

5) Can you find any examples of content on the Voice website created or driven by the audience or citizen journalism? How does this reflect Clay Shirky’s work on the ‘end of audience’ and the era of ‘mass amateurisation’?

"Man atttacked with acid in Stoke Newington". This is an example of citizen journalism and reinforces Clay Shirky's idea of 'end of audience' as the new digital age has allowed consumers to become producers and distributors. 

Representations

1) How is the audience positioned to respond to representations in the Voice website?

The audience is positioned to respond positively about the representations in the Voice website. The audiences are likely to agree with any representations shown on the website, unlike the I newspaper which allows its audience to create their own opinions and thoughts on different articles and stories.

2) Are representations in the Voice an example of Gilroy’s concept of “double consciousness” NOT applying?

It can be argued that the Voice was launched to give black audiences an opportunity to see the world through their own eyes rather than through the prism of white, often racist mainstream British media.

3) What kind of black British identity is promoted on the Voice website? Can you find any examples of Gilroy’s “liquidity of culture” or “unruly multiculturalism” here?

4) Applying Stuart Hall’s constructivist approach to representations, how might different audiences interpret the representations of black Britons in the Voice?

Some audiences may interpret the representations of black Britons in the Voice positively as they are constantly presented as positively and articles always attempt to empower them. However some audience may interpret them in a number of ways and possbily even view them as extreme.

5) Do you notice any other interesting representations in the Voice website? For example, representations or people, places or groups (e.g. gender, age, Britishness, other countries etc.)

The representation of women in the Voice website is quite strong as they even have their own sub section of the lifestyle section. Multiple articles help to empower woman such as the Naomi Campbell article and the "Don't touch our hair" article which defends black people's hair from those who try to 'control it'.

Industries

1) Read this Guardian report on the death of the original founder of the Voice. What does this tell you about the original values and ideologies behind the Voice brand? 

The Voice newspaper has been targeted a niche audience who didn't have a voice. The newspaper targeted people who had been born in London and spent most of their lives there.

2) Read this history of the Voice’s rivals and the struggles the Voice faced back in 2001. What issues raised in the article are still relevant today? 

3) The Voice is now published by GV Media Group, a subsidiary of the Jamaican Gleaner company. What other media brands do the Gleaner company own and why might they be interested in owning the Voice? You'll need to research this using Google/Wikipedia.

4) How does the Voice website make money?

The Voice websites generates revenue through advertiments which are shown on the website on the right hand side. The newspaper also makes revenue through selling its product which is published every Thursday.

5) What adverts or promotions can you find on the Voice website? Are the adverts based on the user’s ‘cookies’ or fixed adverts? What do these adverts tell you about the level of technology and sophistication of the Voice’s website?

The Voice's adverts and promotions are all fixed adverts. The adverts shown are 'The Voice Jobs', 'Windrush 70' and 'The Voice Dating'. all the adverts featured are linked with the website. 

6) Is there an element of public service to the Voice’s role in British media or is it simply a vehicle to make profit?

Their is an element of public service and accountability journalism (Clay Shirky) found in the Voice website as it uses information gathered from the audience in their articles. It was also originally set up to give the black community a voice for them to see the world through their own eyes (Paul Gilroy).

7) What examples of technological convergence can you find on the Voice website – e.g. video or audio content?

Their is a lot of video and audio content found on the website. At least one article from each section on the website features a video or audio clip to compliment the article.

8) How has the growth of digital distribution through the internet changed the potential for niche products like the Voice?

The growth of digital distribution has allowed for small niche business such as the Voice to stay in competition with big media conglomerates such as Teen Vogue.

9) Analyse the Voice’s Twitter feed. How does this contrast with other Twitter feeds you have studied (such as MailOnline or Teen Vogue)? Are there examples of ‘clickbait’ or does the Voice have a different feel?

The Voice Twitter feed features a lot of celebrity content however it does not have a 'clickbait' feel as it doesn't use persuasive language to grab the consumers attention however it does have promotional tweets such as "Win a pair of tickets to an African country of your choice". The Twitter feed reinforces the the Voice's ideologies as it contains information and news about people attempting to make a difference.

10) Study a selection of videos from the Voice’s YouTube channel. How does this content differ from Teen Vogue? What are the production values of their video content?

There is a strong contrast to Teen Vogue with significantly lower production values across of all The Voice's media platforms. The content on the YouTube channel seemed less professional with very simple video structures.