Daily Mirror

Question 1

What does the image of the queen on the front cover of Daily Mirror suggest?

Answer 1

Her clothing and jewels connote her wealth and status
- May be a form of escapism for people who dream for that kind of wealth and status
- Choice of an old photo suggests she’s long standing reign and shows history of article
- Reinforced by image of King George next to her saying “tears for the king”
- Represents Daily Mirror as a patriotic paper/company

Question 2

Image and text connotations on the Daily mirror front cover?

Answer 2

Large images and small amounts of copy is conventional for tabloid papers
- Reflects low literacy levels of readers

Question 3

Annotations of the image of the main image of Daily Mirror front cover?

Answer 3

• Large image of Boris suggests power and importance
• Suit and tie represents him as being high status
• Looks a bit disheveled connoting he is lazy and unprofessional
• Looks unapologetic - smirking, suggests he doesn’t think he is at fault
• Meaning anchored by big headline “ZERO SHAME” emphasizes he should feel shame

Question 4

How are men represented on the Daily Mirror front cover?

Answer 4

King George and Keir Starmer also wearing suits and ties
- Represents men in positions of power and wealth

Question 5

Examples of facts and statistics and what they do on Daily Mirror front cover?

Answer 5

• 12 parties
• 3 attended
• 1 in own flat
• 300 pictures
• Numbers help article feel more persuasive and suggest sheer volume of rules broken

Question 6

How is Daily Mirror’s political view communicated on the front cover?

Answer 6

• Ellipsis communicates Daily Mirrors opinion that there should be an apology but there isn’t
• Links to DM’s political standpoint as pro labor and anti conservative
• Emphasized by biased language “ shameless” which creates negative representations of Boris

Question 7

Example of binary oppositions (Levi Strauss) in Daily Mirror front cover?

Answer 7

• BJ partying vs public sticking to rules
• Draws comparison between BJ and British public which paints him as a villain

Question 8

Language used in Daily Mirror front cover?

Answer 8

“snubbed” “brash” use of these words create negative representation of him being arrogant and uncaring

Question 9

What is an example of an inter textual reference on Daily Mirror front cover?

Answer 9

“Partygate” reference to Watergate scandal, where US president Richard Nixon was investigated for corruption and crimes
- Which represents BJ as corrupt and untrustworthy

Question 10

Examples of language used in Daily Mirror double page to describe Boris?

Answer 10

• Repetition of word” Shame” connotes Boris’s wrongdoing “man with no shame”

Question 11

What are connotations of the image of Boris on Daily Mirror double page?

Answer 11

• Image of BJ in suit drinking champagne
• Juxtaposed with main image left of BJ of NHS workers
• Binary oppositions between key workers and Boris creates representation of him being lazy, enjoying luxuries as opposed to saving lives
• Champagne has connotations of celebrations/celebratory occasions which suggests he doesn’t see the wrong in his actions

Question 12

What does the article written by Kier Starmer suggest in Daily Mirror double page?

Answer 12

• Explains some bias against Boris + Conservatives in article
• Starmer addresses reader directly with “Dear Mirror readers” and inclusive language such as “The British people” ,”we” and “us”. “We weren’t able to visit elderly relatives”
  “Many of us missed funerals and births”
• Represents Starmer as a man of the people - shared experiences
• Starmer flatters general public saying how hardworking and how they’ve done their best
• Pull quote “British people aren’t fools”
• Reflects Starmer’s desire to gain voters support

Question 13

How does Daily Mirror invite readers to make comparisons between Boris and another member of the public?

Answer 13

“Compare Hannah’s quiet dignity with his lying bombast”
- “bombast” means trying to impress people by saying things that sound impressive but have little meaning
- Paired with the word “lying” emphasizes BJ’s wrongings.
- Represents Hannah as a heroic protagonist who was quietly working hard and overcoming struggles

Question 14

Whats an inter textual reference in Daily Mirror double page?

Answer 14

• Some text says the conservatives played Abba’s song “The Winner Takes It All” at one party.
• Represents conservatives as cocky, arrogant and as if they are the “winners in life”
• Reflects working class beliefs that the struggles they face are due to cruel actions of members of the upper class

Question 15

What does the series of small opinion pieces on the right of the Daily Mirror double page suggest?

Answer 15

• From everyday members of the public
• Connote Boris is unpopular with a lot of people
• makes Boris’s representation more trustworthy and accurate
• Opinions mostly from working class people in diverse backgrounds.
• Appeals to daily mirror readers who are likely to also be working class and in similar situations

Question 16

Annotations of other details in Daily Mirror double page?

Answer 16

• Image of NHS workers working hard in dangerous conditions, subtitle “Critical Care” - represents them as putting themselves in risky, dangerous yet heroic situations
• “Stain on our nation” - negative connotations
• Creates impression of them being dirty and ruining the country

Question 17

What does the image of Putin on Daily Mirror double page mean?

Answer 17

• Satirical joke of Putin saying even HE can’t be associated with BJ connotes ideas of tyranny and control.

Question 18

What is The Daily Mirror’s target audience?

Answer 18

• British
• Male
• Left wing
• C2DE
  -Working class

Question 19

How does Daily Mirror appeal to it’s target audience?

Answer 19

• Gambling, competitions for money or tickets etc
  (Helps engage people on a lower income)
• Features a lot of left wing articles like positive representations of Liberal Democrats, labour etc and more negative representations of conservatives
• Readers tend to have a lower reading age/literacy level so engage more by soft news, entertainment based stories, large images with little copy

Question 20

Reach plc is horizontally intergrated, what does this mean?

Answer 20

• They buy out competing companies
• It means they can share journalists + resources, reducing costs
• Can share stories, which can increase coverage

Question 21

The Times and The Daily Mirror are owned by stockholders, what does this mean?

Answer 21

• They have to protect their reputation share price
  e.g News Corp was discovered to be involved in phone hacking scandal, especially the paper News Of The World
• Caused a huge amount of bad publicity, to protect their image they discontinued NOTW.
• Ties in with Curran & Seatons profit and power theory and Hesmondhalgh’s minimizing risk and maximizing profit.

Question 22

The Times and Daily Mirror are regulated by IPSO, what is IPSO and what do they do?

Answer 22

IPSO is the Independent Press Standards Organisation, they regulate the newspaper and magazine industry.
- IPSO have regulations about what newspapers can and can’t do it terms of language, ethics etc.
- People argue IPSO is biased due to being run by the newspaper industry.

Question 23

What are the impacts of technology on newspapers? (The Daily Mirror)

Answer 23

• Circulation declined massively in the last 15 years due to access to tech/online news
• Daily Mirror’s website is free
• To compete, many publishers are diversifying into online news as it helps maintain a digital audience

Question 24

How does Daily Mirror create alternate ways to capture revenue?

Answer 24

• Daily Mirror has lots of advertising space online and phone lines
• DM has a betting website, have to sign up and use card details
• Dating section to website (have to pay for)

Question 25

How can Hesmondhalgh be applied to DM?

Answer 25

(Horizontal Integration) Reach PLC owns over 240 national & regional newspapers, including The Mirror, The Express, and The Star. Reach PLC centralises journalism, printing, and distribution across its publications to reduce costs. The Mirror invests in clickbait headlines, trending news, and social media engagement to drive traffic. A free-access website maximises online reach for ad revenue.

Question 26

How can Curran & Seaton be applied to DM?

Answer 26

Despite being owned by a large conglomerate, The Mirror maintains a left-wing political stance, offering an alternative to conservative papers (The Sun, The Daily Mail). The theory suggests that large corporations prioritize profit over quality journalism, but The Mirror has maintained serious investigative reporting alongside entertainment news.