click on image to enlargeThe purpose of this pack is to provide a research platform for students and teachers of MS4 by exploring key potential exam areas of questioning – a relevant balance of Newspapers could be a tabloid, mid market tabloid and a broadsheet or replacing the mid market tabloid with a local newspaper or a newspaper aimed at a specific demographic. This resource explores The Times as a national, traditional broadsheet, The Daily Mirror as a national, traditional tabloid and i Newspaper as a broadsheet targeting a younger demographic.
When studying or teaching MS4, a balance of newspapers and genres allows for comparative textual study and centres are reminded that in the exam not every question topic below fits each industry – students must choose carefully the question topic that best fits the texts/industry they have studied. Narrative, for example is not always straightforward to analyse in reference to newspapers in Section A while Globalisation could be difficult in Section B – The Times is a globally recognised brand while a way of answering a question on newspapers and globalisation is explaining how they do, and do not reflect global culture. I have warned my own students about this possibility while choosing questions.
Also crucial when choosing newspapers for MS4 is to make reference to a specific edition of the newspaper you are studying (for the purpose of this overview it will provide a generic understanding of all three texts with some textual analysis).
The exam topic areas covered could be:
Section B
- Production and Production Values
- Marketing and Distribution
- Globalisation
- Digital Technology
- Audience Targeting and Positioning
- Audience Response and Appeals
- Regulation
- Star Marketing
Section A
- Genre
- Narrative
- Representation
The Times
The Times is a broadsheet newspaper – this is the genre. Typically, The Times follows the conventions of broadsheet newspapers by having a high ratio of text...
