Carlam Cymru Revision

News in the Online Age  

January 2024

What you should have in front of you:

• My name is Miss Hales and I will be presenting the lesson today.
• If you want to ask any questions, jot them down and join us for the Live session in a few weeks.
• This session is approx 45 minutes long but will be recorded so if you feel you miss anything, you can go back and watch the lesson again. 
• I will be taking you through the different sections in Unit 1 talking through the questions and successful ways to respond to them.
• Today’s session focuses on News in the Online Age

What you should have in front of you:

Learning Objectives

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By the end of this session you will be :

• Confident about the approaches to the News in the Online Age section.
• Understand how to find the answers for these questions and how to structure a response to them.
• Be familiar with the mark scheme and success criteria.

What does the paper look like?

This is the Unit 1 Paper

We are looking at Section B today but will cover all sections over the next three weeks.

Make sure you have plenty of black pens and some highlighters if they help you!

Tip – make sure you have revised a few key news stories as you prepare for this exam – remember you have to refer to different types of news products.

What will it look like in the exam?

• The exam is 2 ½ hours long and you have three sections to deal with.  
• Each section tests a topic you will have prepared:
• Music video / advertising
• News
• Film (Wales/Hollywood)
• Music video/advertising should take 1 hour and 10 minutes – you have to watch something.
• News and Film should take 40 minutes each.

Suggested timings

For the news, refer to your set texts to show a breadth of understanding.

Use the marks as a guide to how much needs to be written.

Think about the relevant theories – what fits the question?

What terms are you familiar with which fit the question?

Set texts / Topics of study

• Over the course you will study a traditional print based news product alongside two news websites and radio news online.
• You need to be familiar with the codes and conventions of all three formats – print, website and radio.

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• Alongside this you need to study at least one significant event and you need to consider how the event is represented and disseminated across the news media studied.
• The event must be a 'hard' news item, such as one related to politics, crime, foreign affairs or economics.
• You also study the changing nature of audiences'/users' relationship with news, including production, consumption and interaction, through exploration of the same news event across a range of different social media sites (e.g. Twitter, Facebook, BuzzFeed, YouTube) and responses (tweets, comments, likes, videos, blogs, vlogs).

how media language, codes, conventions and techniques create meanings

how news is shaped by who owns it, produces it and distributes it.

how the media represent events, issues, places and social/cultural groups

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how different audiences/users respond to and interact with media products and processes

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Critical Perspectives to consider

Media Language

• Semiotics - Roland Barthes

Representation

• Critical perspectives on representation, including ethnicity – Stuart Hall

Audiences

• Cultivation theory - George Gerbner
• Reception theory - Stuart Hall
• 'End of audience' theories – Clay Shirky

News values what makes the news?

• Think about three recent news stories:
• What has made the news recently?
• Why do you think these stories have made the news?
• What makes them “newsworthy”?
• What news values do they have which means they have been reported on?

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News Values

There are twelve key news values which are used to select what makes it into the news.

• A story will be selected if it:
• Is a long running event – FREQUENCY
• Is something planned or anticipated – PREDICTABILITY
• Is a big event – SIZE / SCALE
• Is relevant to Britain or involves British people – CLOSE
• Is popular or in demand – DEMAND
• Is an ongoing story – CONTINUITY
• Is unexpected or rare – RARE
• Involves elite nations or people – ELITE
• Evokes sympathy or judgement of everyday people – HUMAN INTEREST
• Involves tragedy or bad news - NEGATIVE

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Do the stories you considered fit any of these news values?

Print News – match the terms

Print News – match the terms

Print News

Note – the top right could be the pug and the puff here – offering ideas and recipes, drawing you in.

Check out the news websites – search for pupil resources and you will often find educational worksheets from the companies themselves. Worth looking at “The Guardian Foundation” for an example of this.

Examples of front covers and stories

Example from Slideshare.net

Changing face of news – social media

There’s an old article in the Independent from 2014 which demonstrates how online news could change the way we interact and engage. Search for “Instead of killing off British newspapers, the internet has presented them with a new opportunity” Consider the key points being made.

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Online media

Characteristics of News Websites

• 24/7 updated coverage - breaking news, and feature articles - constant and instantaneous news updates.
• SEO (search engine optimisation) best practices - increase their visibility and reach
• Mixture of free and premium contents - shift to digital revenue models.
• Interactive elements - comment sections, share buttons etc – often able to personalise the content user’s view based on their preferences.

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Online Media

Role of News Websites in Contemporary Society

• Primary source of information – especially for world events – shape our perceptions.
• Global dissemination of news – creating a more informed society and promoting democratic ideals.
• Speed and competitiveness can sometimes lead to the spread of misinformation or unchecked facts.

News Websites and Culture

• Instant gratification and constant connectivity.
• Transformed people’s reading habits - consuming news digitally as opposed to traditional print.

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Online Media

Online media - terms

Online media- terms

Online media- terms

Revision notes and examples of radio news

Try the BBC Bitesize page for some GCSE revision material on Radio News. There’s some useful material there to refer to and check your basic understanding.

Radio News Codes and Conventions

• Distinct brand identity – crated by jingles, slogans, regular presenters, regular times for specific programmes.
• Local and regional programmes with presenters often using regional accents.
• Familiar time slots for specific programmes such as Breakfast from 6 to 8 am or Drive time from 5:00pm to 6:30pm to gain listeners who commute to work.
• Programmes available on demand as well as live.
• Episodes are often archived so can be accessed after the original ​broadcast.
• News headlines from Wales and the rest of the world. ​
• Regular times for news bulletins including weather and traffic.
• Discussion slots relating to the news and issues of the day. ​
• Interviews with experts. ​
• Interviews from ordinary people caught up in news stories. ​
• Sports news. ​

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Radio News - Presenters

• Check out the WJEC resources on presenters and consider the role they play in a news programme.
• In your set text, is your presenter local? Do they speak with an accent? Have they stamped their personality on the show? Do they engage well with the other team-members such as the traffic reporter?

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Bias in the news

Making comparisons

When it comes to looking at the news it’s a good idea to draw comparisons about how the stories are presented on different platforms. Consider

• What stories have made it into the news recently?
• Have they made it into all news formats?
• What views do the mainstream media offer?  
• How does the local media cover it (Wales?)
• Are any media sources offering a balanced view?  Or are they all biased? (How / why?)
• What is covered on Radio Wales that is / isn't covered elsewhere?  
• What does it tell you about the current focus?

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Audience

Audience

Audience

Brief overview of Gerbner - regular, long-term exposure to patterns of representation can have a significant impact in terms of how an individual views the world around them.

Related to news – at a very simple level an increased focus on crime in the news means that society feels that there is more crime around. Repeated stories about violence and murder means that consumers of the news feel unsafe in their communities.

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Key Terms:

• Cultivated
•  Influenced
• Dominant ideologies (negotiated / oppositional)
• Gender norms
• Hegemonic position

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Representations

• Brief overview of Hall (representations) – Looks at how representations are constructed and how audiences respond to these.  Meanings are produced through a series of signs which are tied to our cultural capital and our ideologies.  Can highlight inequalities of power with people who are subordinate or excluded often presented as “different” or “other”.
• Related to the news / how to apply it – Consider the stereotypes or representations offered by the news. Are all teenagers presented as yobs or unruly? Who is typically focused on when looking at impact of crime in society? Are all pensioners presented as grumpy and scared? With this theory consider how groups are represented in the news.

Key Terms:

• Stereotypes
• Ethnocentrism
• Signifer / signified / denoted / connoted
• Essentialism
• Symbolic annihilation

Industry

• With all of your set texts you should have an idea of who controls and runs the company.
• You should have looked at methods of production and distribution.
• There should be a basic understanding of how the circulate the news and who accesses it (and how!)
• There should be an awareness of profit and costs – how much does the company spend on producing the news and how do they make a profit?

Past Paper question - 2018

SECTION B: News in the Online Age

2. (a) Explain how recent technological developments have changed the way news is distributed. [10]

(b) Explore how one event has been represented across two news media products you have studied.

•  In your response, you must:
•  demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the way the media construct versions of reality
• analyse how media language constructs representations. [20]

Approaching the exam

• I would definitely recommend spending some time planning and jotting down ideas before you start writing.  
• Therefore, for the first question we’ve looked at, how has technology changed the way news is distributed?  Jot down 6 or 7 points.
• Then, think about your 3 set texts. Can you think of relevant examples to offer? Jot down some notes. 

Mark scheme for 2 a

Suggested content for 2a:

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• For the first question you are expected to show some awareness of key theories and how audiences interact with the media and news.  There is a requirement for knowledge about the different platforms which news is available on and an awareness of the changes in how audiences consume the news. 
• Look at brands, look at digital vs paper, look at use on mobile devices, look at interaction between reader and news (eg ability to comment on the news)
• It isn’t a long answer - 10 marks requires 10 sensible, analysed points.  Probably less than a side of A4.

WWW / EBI

2A:

• Looking at today’s world, many people, especially young people, can now access the news online on social media or on newspaper websites. Especially the younger audiences, they are deciding to turn away from print newspapers to newspapers online. This evolution is happening at this moment of time because it is easier to get news that is tailored for your needs online than it is as print newspapers. Maybe you don’t want to look at political news, and maybe you don’t want to look at sport news either! Having access to news online helps you access the news you want, without having to look through pages and pages of unwanted news that you might not be interested in. For example, a younger audience might not want to read about wars that are going on in the world, therefore they’d look for different and light-hearted news online. 

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WWW / EBI

2A:

• Looking at today’s world, many people, especially young people, can now access the news online on social media or on newspaper websites. Especially the younger audiences, they are deciding to turn away from print newspapers to newspapers online. This evolution is happening at this moment of time because it is easier to get news that is tailored for your needs online than it is as print newspapers. Maybe you don’t want to look at political news, and maybe you don’t want to look at sport news either! Having access to news online helps you access the news you want, without having to look through pages and pages of unwanted news that you might not be interested in. For example, a younger audience might not want to read about wars that are going on in the world, therefore they’d look for different and light-hearted news online. 

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This is just the opening paragraph.

Considers the impact of technology on audience – addresses the question

Needs to include some theoretical approaches next.

Mark scheme for 2b

Suggested content

• For the second question you are expected to analyse in more detail and use theories here.   You need to look at how media language constructs the representation of one event in more detail.  When you analyse media language you could include a range of aspects depending on the news media product referred to, such as the codes and conventions of newspapers, the codes and conventions of online news and the codes and conventions of radio news. In your responses try to explore the ways in which the selection and combination of aspects of media language construct the representation. You may want to refer to relevant critical perspectives such as semiotics or a critical perspective on representations, depending on the event studied. 
• This is the longer answer - probably two sides minimum written so about 1 ½ typed.

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WWW / EBI

• When looking at the front covers of newspapers you can tell whether they are for or against Trump by looking at the language they use. The majority of newspaper covers are against the riots that took place within the Capitol Building. Most newspaper front covers written to do with the riots all use similar language. With The New York Times you can tell that they are against Trump as it says ‘Trump incites mob’ which means they believe he encouraged what happened. Another newspaper that believes it was Trump encouraging what happened is The Sun ‘Crazed Trump mob storms U.S Capitol’. This connotes that Trump has done so many bad things, people are just not shocked anymore. The front covers have technical codes and visual codes, the layout/design is usually the same and they include images. 
• Radio stations also often interview a witness in order to give a non-biased and overall sense of trust, as it imposes both sides of the story. The music before they start the discussion of the riots is intense which creates a suspenseful atmosphere, as the reporter speaks though there is no background music. This sets the serious tone of the scene. The use of music is important on the radio because of the lack of visual cues for the audience. As the reporter concludes on the riots, the sound drops to silence which is used for dramatic effect and it marks the ending of a scene so a break from the dialogue. As time progresses, weeks later they speak about Biden which has a much more positive tone. They discuss what he’s doing for America and they speak very little about Trump

WWW / EBI

• When looking at the front covers of newspapers you can tell whether they are for or against Trump by looking at the language they use. The majority of newspaper covers are against the riots that took place within the Capitol Building. Most newspaper front covers written to do with the riots all use similar language. With The New York Times you can tell that they are against Trump as it says ‘Trump incites mob’ which means they believe he encouraged what happened. Another newspaper that believes it was Trump encouraging what happened is The Sun ‘Crazed Trump mob storms U.S Capitol’. This connotes that Trump has done so many bad things, people are just not shocked anymore. The front covers have technical codes and visual codes, the layout/design is usually the same and they include images. 
• Radio stations also often interview a witness in order to give a non-biased and overall sense of trust, as it imposes both sides of the story. The music before they start the discussion of the riots is intense which creates a suspenseful atmosphere, as the reporter speaks though there is no background music. This sets the serious tone of the scene. The use of music is important on the radio because of the lack of visual cues for the audience. As the reporter concludes on the riots, the sound drops to silence which is used for dramatic effect and it marks the ending of a scene so a break from the dialogue. As time progresses, weeks later they speak about Biden which has a much more positive tone. They discuss what he’s doing for America and they speak very little about Trump

This is just an extract – it covers more!

There is reference to both print and radio – doesn’t identify the radio programme though.

Examines language and connotations – could have mentioned theory.

Mentions technical codes but doesn’t actually say anything about them.

What is the examiner looking for?

Tasks to help you prepare for the exam

• Keep collecting stories which are significant events – things which make the news on a lot of different platforms.
• Consider how both the print and online media present the stories.
• What does the radio do which is different?
• Basically, keep paying attention to the news and seeing what is presented to us.

What you should have in front of you:

Learning Objectives

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By the end of this session you will be :

• Confident about the approaches to the News in the Online Age section.
• Understand how to find the answers for these questions and how to structure a response to them.
• Be familiar with the mark scheme and success criteria.

Thank you for attending this revision session

I hope you all found today’s session useful. It has been recorded so you can go back and look again at the answers.

Next week’s session will focus on Film in Wales and Hollywood.