Events and Issues

Representation

Events
You will need TWO examples of events Contemporary Events (within 18months) Specifically discussing how different media texts (e.g. newspaper story/TV coverage) cover that same event

Events
How has the EVENT been REpresented
Language Mode of address Anchorage Technical codes Visual codes Audio codes Use of images

Events
The construction of the representation
Whose viewpoint is being shown

The process of selection

What has been selected and why?

The audience who will consume the text

Some newspapers like particular celebrities

Political Ideology

News Values
In 1965, media researchers Galtung & Ruge analysed international news stories to find common attributes. They identified a list of news values common across news bulletins and newspapers.

News Values
Negativity bad news is good news! Familiarity local news is most relevant! Immediacy new News is News! Continuity people want to find out more about things in the public eye. They want updates on existing News stories. Amplification Is it a big event? Involves lots of people? Plane crash kills one or Plane crash destroys city whats more exciting? Unambiguity Is it clear an definite? Uniqueness - Man Bites Dog is more exciting that dog bites man. Simplicity a simple story is easier to read. Personalisation human interest draws on heart-strings. Predictability did people think there would be a riot and there was? People love knowing they were right! Unexpectedness Surprise! Elite Nations / People Celebs, Royals, US and UK.

Task
Look at the following media texts in your groups and answer the following: Who is audience for each one? Who is in control of the text? Whose ideas and values are expressed through the representations? What mode of address is being used? What ideologies / messages might be contained within the representation? How does this event show NATIONAL IDENTITY?

Mode of Address
Mode of address refers to the way in which a media text speaks to its target audience in order to encourage them to identify with it. Newspapers often construct their presentation to reflect what they imagine is the typical identity of their readers.

Mode of Address
The way a media text speaks to its audience can depend on various assumptions the producers make about the people watching; what type of people are they e.g. old, young, etc.? Who does the text want to attract? What is the relationship between the audience and text e.g. is the programme intended to be funny, serious, informative, emotionally moving, etc.? Furthermore, the mode of address it uses may lead audience members to assume a particular attitude towards the text, such as paying attention, taking it seriously or light-hearted entertainment.

Mode of Address
What mode of address do you think The Sun uses? Use the handout to help you to complete the next task.

Narrative
Construction Structure Key codes such as action and enigma

Start

What are we studying today? What do all these things have in common?

What would you like to know about media representation of events?

Representation of Events
Focus on the representation of TWO events From at least two different media texts

Enables you to demonstrate an understanding how events are represented across media.

Events - definition
Event = something that occurs or is about to occur and is of interest to an audience. Events come in a range of shapes and forms and can be local, national or international. E.g. the Royal Wedding, the Olympic Games or a pop festival. International events may include wars and global recession. Think of five current events you could explore?

Ideology
The ideology of the text in which the event features right-wing or left-wing newspaper? Royalist or anti-royalist? Is it clear what the text says about the event? Is there evidence of bias in the representation how do the visual, sound and linguistic codes achieve this?

Socialist/ Left-Wing Rights for workers and minorities are key. Believe the rich benefit from exploiting the poor and that this system should end. Pro revolution.

Liberal Pretty middle of the road. Tend to offer the most unbiased, objective perspective. Believe it is important to represent people from all minority groups and countries.

Conservative / Right of middle

Uphold traditional values about Britishness, class, gender etc.: antiLabour and Lib Dems. Dont like Britain being part of EU. Wary of immigration. Pro-Capitalist.

Nationalist / RightWing
Incredibly patriotic. Dislike change highly supportive of traditional values: anti-abortion, antisame sex marriage, heavily opposed to immigration. Believe Britain should be Britain for (White) British people.

Morning Star Socialist Worker

The Voice Independent Guardian i

Daily Telegraph

Daily Mail

The Sun Financial Times The Mirror The Metro

Evening Standard

Daily Star

The Times

Intertextuality

How is the event presented?

Language - Critical? Adulatory? Mode of address? Anchorage? Use of images?

Construction
Events in media representations are constructed they are mediated by editors, journalists, graphic designers, photographers. A football cup final will have lots of camera positioning producers will decide where the camera is pointing and which is to be used. Music, slow motion, and video filters can enhance the images and make the players seem heroic and superhuman.

Selection
Whatever is chosen means other things are omitted. Someone makes that decision who? Why? If a peaceful student march has a brief skirmish between one or two protestors and the police how might A) a student newspaper think about it B) A right-wing tabloid?

Focus
Headlines and images will direct our response to certain aspects of the text and push us towards assumptions and conclusions about the event concerned. Who is interviewed? Who is not? Who is invited to commentate?

Audience
Opinion leaders? Do they influence how audiences think or feel about an event? Two step flow theory The audience themselves types of reading? Stuart Hall? encoding/ decoding preferred, negotiated and oppositional readings.

Consider how these two texts have represented this event.

The Suns Target Audience

Male - heavy coverage of sport, particularly football; page 3 and other sexist portrayals of women). There is some content that is woman friendly (celebrity content). 16+ - simplistic coverage, celebrity content, titillating stories. White British possible negative representations of ethnic minorities, xenophobic? or nationalistic attitude? Patriotic stories. Working Class/C2DE price (40p), very little serious political coverage, focus on show business/sensational stories, 20%of the paper about sport with an emphasis on football, the size is convenient. Fairly right wing political views (political content). Value and Attitudes: Mainstreamers, Strugglers and Resigned. Illustrated through advertising.

Current Events
What events have occurred over the last 18months that you could use as case studies in the exam?

Events
14 February 2013: Oscar Pistorius is charged with murder. The South African athlete is charged with the fatal shooting of his girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp, in an incident in his home in Pretoria. Murder trial in March 2014

8 April: Baroness Thatcher, prime minister from 1979 to 1990, dies aged 87 following a stroke. The UKs only woman prime minister, Lady Thatcher won three general elections as Conservative leader.
22 May: Lee Rigby, a Drummer of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, is killed near the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich, southeast London. He is knocked down with a car, then attacked with knives and cleavers in an attempt to decapitate him. His two assailants, Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale, are wounded by police gunfire before being arrested. Murder trial in March 2014 28 October: The biggest trial into phone hacking allegedly conducted by the now-defunct News of the World begins at the Old Bailey in London. Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson, former editors of the tabloid, are among the eight defendants, who are charged with a range of offences including conspiring to access voicemail messages illegally.

2014

- Floods in Britain - Winter Olympics - Russia / Ukraine crisis

The Floods Feb 2014

TASK
You will need TWO examples of Contemporary Events (within 18months) from different media texts (e.g. newspaper story/TV coverage) When discussing events in the exam you MUST use and reference SPECIFIC examples, e.g. The Sun represented the Royal wedding aswhereas PBS news

Find and comment on 2 examples of events . Discuss the following:

Who is audience for each one? Who is in control of the text? Whose ideas and values are expressed through the representations? What mode of address is being used? What ideologies / messages might be contained within the representation?

Issues
The media construct representations of issues and indeed may be partly responsible for creating the issue itself.

Body image and beauty

We have become a society obsessed with the way we look and what constitutes beauty. The definition of what is considered beautiful has narrowed and focuses solely on being white, thin and perfectly formed. The image of body image is represented across a range of media texts including

Unrealistic images of perfection for both men and women in magazines

Gossip magazines where imperfections in the bodies of celebrities are highlighted and ridiculed

Documentaries raising awareness of the issue

Newspaper images of catwalk models that are a size zero

Media articles commenting on the concern of the beauty cult that means only thin is beautiful

Advertisem ents for products that aim to make us more beautiful less wrinkled and more flawless

Body Image
Body image as an issue is represented across a range of media texts How the image is represented depends on the audience In magazines women are sold an idealised version of themselves and aspire to attain the unobtainable

Body Image
Some programmes tackle the problem of body image from a range of points of view It may be through plastic surgery or general dissatisfaction with body size Most of these programmes are aimed at a female audience

Body Image

Body Image

Heat magazine Constant focus on body image Male gaze

Women are judged by men

Focuses on imperfections consumerism? Questioning women to be unhappy

Take heart that celebrities have similar issues