Daily Mirror: CSP

Language

1) Write the definition of the following key language for newspaper front pages:
Masthead: A small section at the top of the first few pages of the newspaper that contains the names of all writers, editors and owners of the newspaper.
Incentive: An image or headline that refrences an article within the newspaper. 
Pug: A promotional image or shape that is used to attract the attention of readers.
Splash Head: The main article or news story of the paper, usually takes over a majority of the front page.
Slogan: A phrase or saying, usually found by the logo, that tells you the ideals of the newspaper.
Dateline: A small line at the top of the Newspaper that tells you the date it was published.
Kicker: A small title that references an article in the newspaper.
Byline: Written at the top of an article, it tells you who wrote the article.
Standfirst: The introductory or first paragraph of an article, mostly written in bold.

2) How much does a copy of the Daily Mirror cost?
On weekdays the newspaper costs 75p and the weekend edition costs £1.10. A full week subscription to the newspaper costs £8.99 monthly, which averages to about 30p per newspaper with a subscription.

3) What is the main story on the CSP edition of the Daily Mirror?
A group of around 24 Conservative Party MPs were being questioned by police around a possible election fraud. The title of the article was "FRAUD COPS GRILL TORY MP."

4) What promotion takes up a large amount of the front page and why might it appeal to Mirror readers?
A majority of the front cover is taken up my a promotional image for a William Hill betting opportunity on horse races that were going on at the time. The image includes a free £5.00 bet with the newspaper. This would appeal to Mirror readers as a majority of their audience are C1C2DE class and are mostly Strugglers meaning free promotions and cheaper items are more readily available to their audience, and activities such as betting are common pastimes for people of the Strugglers psychographic.

5) What is the balance on the Daily Mirror front page between images, headlines and text?
The ratio between image and copy is mainly in favour of images, with little body text and larger headlines and pictures.

Audience

1) What is the target audience for the Daily Mirror?
The target audience of the Daily Mirror is people from the C1, C2, D and E classes with a focus on people of an older demographic The majority of readers are Strugglers, Mainstreamers and people who are retired.

2) Why does the Mirror front page story appeal to the Daily Mirror audience?
The front page story is less supportive of the Conservative party, a right-wing party, and is more in favour of left-wing parties like Labour so lower class audiences can more closely relate to the Newspaper as a majority of Strugglers are of Left-Wing beliefs. 

3) Why might the 'Prey and Display' parking story on the double page spread be interesting for Daily Mirror readers?  
The story about 'Car Park Vultures' is appealing to the Daily Mirror's audience as typically they are more likely to have faced car tickets that they aren't able to pay off since Strugglers have less disposable income. Also, the article includes tips and help their audience making it much more approachable for their audience, as it shows them that the Mirror is trying to help them. 

4) Why might a reader enjoy the Daily Mirror? Use Blumler & Katz Uses and Gratifications theory to add detail to your answer.
A reader may enjoy the Daily mirror as it offers them Surveillance, through information about the country, seeing as it is a Newspaper. It also offers their audience Diversion as it has free offers and a large promotion for betting. Since The Daily Mirror is a Tabloid, it's also possible that their audience will find Personal Identity with the articles within the newspaper, like Prey and Display article.

5) Why are print newspapers generally read by older audiences?
Print Newspapers are mainly read by older audiences as younger generations consume media differently to older generations. Nowadays, most information we learn is through the internet and online, but older audiences are still used to the traditional method of receiving news, like print newspapers.

Representation

1) How does the Daily Mirror represent the Conservative Party and its MPs? Look at the main front page story.
The Daily Mirror has an adverse representation of the Conservative Party, usually mocking them; instead, it is more in favour of the left-wing parties like Labour. This is because a majority of their audience is leftist.

2) How does the Daily Mirror represent the golf club that is now admitting female members? Read the story 'At last, Muirfield men let women join golf club'.
The Daily Mirror is exceptionally supportive of women in the article, almost mocking the club for not allowing women in for so long. They show their audience that they are against companies being biased and selective, and are in support of equality.

3) How does the Daily Mirror represent ordinary people? Look at the Prey and Display article to answer this question.
The Daily Mirror represents ordinary people as victims to the more powerful, money driven people. They offer help and support to the ordinary people, making them seem wronged and making their article approachable for their audience as these were struggles that would've likely gone through.

4) How does the Daily Mirror represent older people? Look at the Prey and Display article to answer this question.
The Daily Mirror represents older people in a positive light, portraying them as innocent victims to the ticket officers, possibly to help their older audience relate more to their articles.

5) How does the Daily Mirror represent businesses and people who make a lot of money? Look at the stories on the double page spread to answer this question.
The Daily Mirror represents large corporations as being greedy and against the public's interest. They make the general public seem like they have been wronged and that these corporations don't care about them. They offer tips and tricks to avoid the  big business fines and are on the side of the public.

Industries

1) What company owns the Daily Mirror?
The Daily Mirror is owned by a company called Reach plc, which is owned by Simon Fox.

2) What is the Daily Mirror's circulation in 2019? How many papers did the Daily Mirror used to sell back in the 1990s?
In the 1990s the Daily Mirror circulated about 3 million newspapers daily, but this number has dwindled down to merely half a million in recent years.

3) How has the Daily Mirror reacted to the decline in print sales and the growth of the internet?
They have begun to focus more on online news, offering their articles for free, however, they do request donations and sponsorship from their readers. They have also recently increased their prices for print newspapers slightly. They also created a social media strategy which helps boost their popularity and advertising income

4) What does IPSO stand for and what is IPSO's job?
IPSO is the Independent Press Standards Organisation, they monitor and regulate the content of newspapers like the daily mirror.


5) Why do some people want stronger regulation of British newspapers?
In recent years there has been a lot of prejudice and bias in newspapers, leading many to believe the standards of regulation should be re-examined. Additionally, with the internet, it is difficult to regulate many news outlets online, making way for fake or false news. Since many people believe most of what they read online, this is a massive issue.

Written By Aishwarya Odedra