How Different Newspapers Represent People, Ideas and Events

REPRESENATION: 

- MEDIATION 

- CONSTRUCT OF MEDIA TEXT 

- GOING BETWEEN REAL WORLD AND AUDIENCES 

  - THE MEDIA CONSTRUCTS MEANING BASED ON WHAT THEY WANT 

STUART HALL THEORY:

EVERYONE INTERPRETS THE MEDIA DIFFERENTLY,

HALL SAYS THERE ARE THREE WAYS PEOPLE CAN INTERPRET A MEDIA TEXT:

DOMINANT: UNDERSTANDING THE MESSAGE AND AGREEING COMPLETELY WITH THE MEDIA TEXT 

NEGOTIATED: ACCEPT THE MESSAGE BUT ADAPT THE MEANING BASED ON THEIR SOCIAL BACKGROUND 

OPPOSITIONAL: UNDERSTAND THE MESSAGE BUT DON'T AGREE 

MEANING IS ESTABLISHED BY WHAT IS PRESENT, WHAT IS ABSENT AND WHAT IS DIFFERENT 

MEANING CAN BE CONSTRUCTED 

TRYING TO FIX THE MEANING INTO A PREFERRED MEANING 

WHAT IS CONSIDERED WHEN WRITING A NEWS STORY:

SECTION - OMISSION - CONSTRUCTION

SELECTION: NEWS VALUES + TARGET AUDIENCE 

OMISSION: BIAS AGENDA + PURPOSE OF MAKING THE STORY 

CONSTRUCTION: BIAS, IDEOLOGY, AUDIENCE + VIEW OF THE WORLD, YOUR BELIEFS

NEWSPAPERS ARE MEANT TO PROVIDE THEIR READERS WITH:

• OBJECTIVE INFORMATION FREE FROM PREJUDICE 
• UNBIASED INFORMATION - REPRESENT PEOPLE, PLACES AND IDEAS FAIRLY
• RELIABLE INFORMATION - FROM TRUSTED SOURCES 

THEY PRESENT THEMSELVES AS AN OBJECTIVE FORM OF MEDIA BUT HAVE THEIR OWN AGENDA 

A QUOTE FROM FISHE (1987)= "TRANSPARENCY BY FALLACY" 

WHAT ISSUES CAN BE BIASED?

POLITICS - EACH NEWSPAPER WILL PRESENT POLITICS DIFFERENTLY BASED ON THEIR OWN BELIEFS 

THE GUARDIAN: LEFT-CENTRE

MIDDLE OF THE ROAD - MOST UNBIASED AND OBJECTIVE VIEW 

DAILY MAIL: RIGHT WING 

PATRIOTIC - DISLIKE CHANGE AND ARE SUPPORTIVE OF TRADITIONAL VALUES