News C1

Friday 25th April 2025

Newspapers

LO: To explore the key terminology and conventions of newspapers.

Paper 1, Section A:

- Two set texts.

- Media language and representation.

- Contexts.

- Codes and conventions.

Paper 1, Section B:

- Sun: paper and website.

- Industry.

- Audiences.

Types of Newspapers:

Tabloid - image led, 'populist' newspapers.

• They normally have red mastheads and short attention-grabbing headlines.
• Front page is normally dominated by images and a large headline.
• The 'red tops' report on politics and international news but often sensationalise events and tend to include more celebrity gossip and scandal (Soft news).
• They write short stories using simple informal language and they have more pictures than other newspapers. (High image to text ratio).

Middle Market - refers to the target readership of these newspapers, which is somewhere between the 'red tops' and the 'broadsheets'.

Broadsheet - text led, 'quality' newspapers.

• Front pages include more informative headlines and much more copy (text).
• The 'broadsheets' have a higher news content than the 'red tops', cost more to buy and have a lower circulation. They focus on more serious, political and global news stories. (Hard news).
• The style of writing differs from tabloids with more complex, formal language, longer sentences and paragraphs, and more articles offering in-depth analysis and a serious tone.

Bias and Political Stance:

- Newspapers do not have to report things without a bias or political allegiance.

- There is an editorial process where articles are carefully checked before publication to ensure they conform to standards and are accurate. However, their political stance (left or right wing) can affect how they report events and how issues are represented.

Tuesday 29th April 2025

Case Study: The Sun

LO: To explore context and meanings constructed in the case study.

Do Now:

1) The three types of newspaper in the UK are tabloid, middle market and broadsheet.

2) A tabloid newspaper includes a red masthead, slang, high image to text ratio and sensationalism.

3) A broadsheet newspaper includes a formal style, complex language, high news content, serious news stories.

4) A standfirst is the opening paragraph of an article that it on the front page of the newspaper designed to make the reader want to buy the paper to read the article. This normally summarises the story.

5) A pull quote is a quote on the front page of the paper designed to attract the reader's attention. It is made larger and is taken from the main article.

Product Info:

- A British tabloid daily newspaper owned by News UK, a subsidiary of right-wing, Australian-born American media baron Rupert Murdoch's News Corp.

- It was originally published 6 days a week until News Corp also started producing The Sun on Sunday in 2012.

- The Sun has an average daily print circulation of roughly 1.3 million copies in the UK and a daily readership of around 2.3 million. The Sun stopped releasing its circulation figures in 2020.

- News Corp describe The Sun as, "an instigator, an entertainer, a cultural reference point, a finger on the pulse, a daily relationship."

- The format of the print paper is tabloid and it is colloquially known as a 'red top'.

- Majority of its print audience is male, C2DE (working class, students, unemployed etc) and aged between the 35-64 years old.

- In a recent YouGov survey, 97% of people surveyed had heard of The Sun but only 29% liked it.

Context:

- Covid-19 is a global pandemic. the disease was first identified in December 2019, before the pandemic was declared in March 2020.

- It was clear that a mass immunisation programme was essential to help prevent the spread of the disease. At the start of 2020, the world saw unprecedented levels of funding for vaccine research and development.

-  By December 2020. the UK became the first western country to license a vaccine against Covid, which is astonishingly fast given that, a vaccine usually takes 10-15 years to accomplish.

- By January 2021, the NHS had delivered more than 1 million vaccinations.

- During the pandemic, news media played a crucial role in communicating public health and policy information. Traditional newspaper coverage and representations of issues were important amidst increasing disinformation and conspiracy theories spread online.

- Militaristic language is so embedded in the government and media's representation of the medical world that this has come to be normalised by audiences. Hospitals are the 'frontline', healthcare workers are 'heroes and we 'fight' and 'battle' disease.

- The vaccine rollout began in December 2020 and worked in phases, prioritising the population according to vulnerability and age. The UK's rollout was among the fastest in the world.

- Kate Garraway is a popular TV broadcaster in the UK, having co-hosted Good Morning Britain since 2014, and appearing on numerous shows from Strictly Come Dancing to I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here. her husband, Derek Draper, was left seriously ill after contracting Covid-19.

- Gary Lineker is a former England footballer and now a popular sports presenter on BBC's Match of the Day. He has 8.5 million followers on Twitter. In April 2020, he donated £140,000 to the British Red Cross emergency response to the Coronavirus crisis in the UK.

Media Language:

Connotations of the masthead:

• In block text, red and white colours. Matches 'red top' tabloids. 
• Tabloids are renowned for simplifying complex political issues. 

Connotations of the strapline:

• Suggests a socialist agenda despite the oppositional political messaging.

Headline (uses language techniques to create meaning: 

• "Join our jabs army" uses an imperative to call readers to action, asking them to volunteer as a steward at the vaccination centres.
• "army" - frames Covid as a common, tangible enemy that the readers can help defeat. Call to action.
• Use of military language for a medical story is typical of tabloids - often used in sports stories too.
• Use of "our" connotes that The Sun is a proactive, dynamic paper that is helping the country. 

Heart puff with a Union Flag image: 

• Makes it appear like a badge or a logo that the volunteers might wear to connect them to the scheme. Heart shape - juxtaposes term army, but connotes that group's actions will be caring and generous. 
• Flag implies that helping to 'fight' covid is a matter of national pride and patriotism.

Connotations of dominant image: 

•  Main image is a photoshopped picture of the clock face on Big Ben.
• Big Ben - iconic symbol of British culture. Would be recognised by most of the audience especially on 1st January, when Big Ben tolls at midnight to bring in the new year. 
• Designer has replaced the clock hand with a syringe which highlights that the story is about vaccinations. 
• Needle is pointing to 12 - indication of new year arriving, also suggests to audience that time is of the greatest importance when it comes to distributing the vaccination.
• This sense of urgency is reinforced in the body copy of the article, "help get millions vaccinated rapidly".

Pull quotes: 

• Have been carefully chosen to appeal to The Sun's mainstreamer audience.
• Gary Lineker and Kate Garraway are trusted celebrities with personal experiences of Covid-19 within their families, which have been widely reported in the press.
• Each quote serves a different purpose for the paper. Lineker - praising the campaign itself, therefore giving it his endorsement.
• Garraway - more emotive and personal, "I see Covid up close with my Derek", using collective pronouns to create a sense of positivity and relatability, "let's all club together".

Make the reader feel like part of a wider community: 

• Use flattery in standfirst - 'fantastic readers'. Encourages the audience to get involved in campaign. 
• Use of collective pronouns creates sense of community, "us" and "we" whilst the continued use of direct address 'YOU" reinforces the jingoistic tone of the headline.

Intertextuality: "jabs army" links to "dad's army", which is a comedy series about a group of older men who ran the home front. This would be recognised by the main target audience.

Representation:

Covid is represented as an enemy through the militaristic language on the front cover. Vaccines an "army" fighting against this virus. There is also some text on the front cover which reads "we call on YOU" which reinforces this, as it is similar to the posters seen around Britain during WWI and WWII that read "Britain needs YOU". Covid could also be represented as powerful due to the fact that an "army" is required to overcome it. Covid is a disease to "conquer". The idea that Covid is an invader is reinforced with The Sun's use of nationalistic imagery with the Union Flag and Big Ben.

Getting vaccinated is represented as heroic and almost patriotic, again through the military language as being part of an "army" would traditionally be fighting for your country in a war. In this case, it could be compared to fighting against Covid for your country and for the good of others and yourself (herd immunity). The standfirst flatters those who are willing to get vaccinated and help others get vaccinated, and makes the role in helping sound very influential and like it is a crucial aspect of the vaccination programme. Represented as a positive action through the repeated use of the phrase "join our jabs army". Getting vaccinated is represented as a mater of urgency with the combined use of the clock face, imperative verbs and terms such as "rapidly".

Brexit is represented positively as the section of the article that is featured on the masthead has a picture of Boris Johnson with his arms up in the air, celebrating. the Sun suggests this political decision has brought "newfound freedom" to the UK, while terms such as "heralded" and "dawn" imply Britain has a great future away from the EU. This is in line with the Sun's pro-leave, isolationist ideology.

Friday 2nd May 2025

Case Study: The Guardian

LO: To explore context and meanings constructed in the case study.

Do Now:

1) Three different news values: immediacy, predictability and elite nations/people.

2) The Sun is right wing politically.

3) The Sun target audience is male C2DE (working class/students/unemployed) aged between 35-64 years old.

4) The strapline of The Sun is "The People's Paper".

5) The headline "JOIN OUR JABS ARMY" uses alliteration. Also uses imperatives, military language and inclusive pronoun.

Product Info:

- The Guardian is a British national daily newspaper.

- It has an average daily print circulation of approximately 105,000 in the UK, comprising 53,902 newsstand sales and 51,232 subscriptions (July 2021).

- The Guardian newspaper targets a well-educated, affluent, digitally-savvy, liberal audience.

- The demographic is 86% ABC1. 54% of The Guardian readers are male, and the average age of the print reader is 54.

- Originally, The Guardian's format was broadsheet, but for cost reasons and changing consumer needs it is now printed in tabloid format.

- The Guardian is not owned by a group of shareholders like most other newspapers, for whom making a profit is imperative. Therefore, they believe that they can hold true to their core journalistic principles. Owned by a trust, and are non-profit.

Context:

- To help prevent the spread of Covid-19, the UK went into 'lockdown', where legal measures were put into place to prevent social mixing. At the time of the "bring your own booze" party, this included the banning of indoor gatherings of more than two people from different households, and those found breaking this law could be fined.

- At the start of lockdown, many offices and institutions closed and workers were advised to work from home. In January 2022, although some have returned to offices and workplaces, this is often with reduced numbers and working from home continues for many. 

- From 2019-2020, Dominic Cummings served as Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Chief Political Advisor. Forced out of Downing Street at the end of 2020 after an internal power struggle, Cummings publishes a blog, in which he reveals events and activities that took place during his time at No.10 Downing Street.

- Ukraine borders Russia and is a post-Soviet democratic republic. The 2019 presidential elections saw the pro-western leader Volodymyr Zelensky come to power; historically, Ukrainian leaders had been pro-Russia.

- Tensions had long existed in the region, but in December 2021, Russia increased its troop numbers at the Ukrainian Russian border. This move by Russia's President, Vladimir Putin, generated fears of an invasion and Ukraine requested international support.

- The Guardian is described as having mainstream left political values. It does not have any affiliation with any political party but does lean towards the left and has a very liberal tradition.

Media Language:

Masthead and strapline: 

• "The Guardian" - has connotations of a guardian angel, protective, could suggest that this paper is protective of their readers and they won't feed them any false information. Protect the readers/the truth.
• The navy blue colour of the masthead connotes a sense of luxury and trust.
• The strapline "news provider of the year" implies The Guardian is the superior newspaper. Suggests their popularity and authority. 
• Navy blue has connotations of trustworthiness, authority and tradition.
• Masthead is written in lowercase and uses a curved serif font - makes it unique compared to other broadsheets. Arguably, this is a more personal mode of address. Suggests sophistication, which links to the Guardian's brand identity of strong investigative journalism.

How the headline uses language techniques to create meaning: 

• the use of the word "accuses" has connotations of almost a crime, and it is a lot more forceful and serious than if they had just written 'says'. 
• Short, sharp and to the point. 
• The drama of the terms "accuses" and "lying" points to a political spat between Johnson and Cummings. Creates a narrative that Boris is not to be trusted. 

Dominant image: 

• Is a long shot of Boris jogging with his dog. Dressed in beanie hat, woollen jumper, shorts and trainers. Isn't a statesmanlike image of the PM.
• Anti-stereotypical of how politicians are usually represented. 
• This is a story about him being unprofessional as he has been accused of breaking covid regulations, so the fact that he is in very casual wear, and arguably unserious clothing, shows how he doesn't look like the Prime Minister, making a point about his unprofessionalism. 
• Anchored with the caption explaining what the PM is doing, the name of his dog "Dylin" and where he was in the photo (St James' Park). 
• The fact that he looks so unsportsmanlike implies Johnson's ineptitude. 
• The fish shorts and black leather effect trainers are nor what we would expect to see a jogger wearing, let alone the PM and the whole effect is quite clownish. This aligns with The Guardian's left wing stance.

What this page suggests about the reader: 

• The paper creates a collective identity for the audience with the pronoun "we" and suggests that The Guardian sees the majority of their readership as office workers.

Conventions of a broadsheet newspaper: 

• There is a lot of text on the front cover and less imagery. 
• The skyline is given over to the G2 supplement, a regular segment in the paper, which when displayed on newsstands may well be the section people see first. 
• Supplement offers a lighter alternative to the hard-hitting news stories of the rest of the newspaper.
• The intertextuality of the offices pictures and choice of artist for the wine feature reveals more useful insights on the target audience and how The Guardian appeals to their interests and lifestyle. 
• headlines are focused, factual and unemotional, which is what we would expect from a broadsheet.

Representation of Politicians:

- Politicians are often portrayed as inept and useless in both left/right wing press, and in both tabloids and broadsheets.

- By exposing their weaknesses and mocking their decisions, this portrayal of the most powerful people in the country could offer audiences a sense of superiority.

- politicians pretend to be intelligent and well-meaning but by satirising them, newspapers bring them down to the level of the general public.

Representation:

• Politicians are represented as unprofessional (Johnson is wearing an outfit that looks clownish and a little ridiculous) and untrustworthy (the main headline details how he has been "accused" of breaking Covid regulations). 
• Boris Johnson has been represented as unfit to lead a country. Politicians as a whole have been represented as criminals through the use of "accuses", "lying" and "inquiry" into another politicians' actions. 
• Though it doesn't explicitly state an opinion in the style of tabloids, the choice of these main cover stories portrays the Conservatives as immoral and trustworthy. In both the main image and two articles, the Conservatives in question (Johnson and Mone) are portrayed as dishonest.
• The main image in particular shows a politician with none of the typical trappings of a prime minister (formal clothing, statesmanlike environment, composure, and confidence) and as a result, it speaks to a lack of authority and questionable capabilities to hold the office of PM.

The stereotypes used to create easy recognition: 

• In order to communicate the feature quickly, the images of office workers in the skyline display a range of workplace stereotypes for both individuals and events e.g. the office romance, the geek, the joker. 
• Whilst tabloids use stereotypes frequently in their lead stories, broadsheets tend to reserve their use for entertainment features. 

The Guardian's left-wing stance is represented:

• Through the choice of image. They have chosen to use an image taken by the paparazzi of Johnson (who is the leader of the conservatives, a right-wing party) instead of one of the several photos they have of him looking professional. They have chosen to show him as clownish. 
• The theme of Conservative dishonesty continues in the headline "inquiry launched into Mone over 'VIP lane' deal", which highlights an investigation into a conservative peer, who may not have been following The House of Lord's code of conduct. Overall, this constructs a reality of the Conservatives as dishonourable, in-line with the left-wing values of the paper. 
• the decision to use more inclusive language in the Ukraine story ("UK") is suggestive of an article and an issue that the editorial team at The Guardian supports and expects its readers to support.
• Omitting any mention of the Conservative government or defence secretary, who will have had to make that decision, is indicative of the newspaper's political leanings. 

Homework:

MASTHEAD:  The red poppy in the masthead has connotations of Remembrance Day as it is such an iconic symbol. The title "mirror" has implications of a reflection, suggesting that this is a paper that reflects thoughtfully on certain topics and issues. The large, all caps font also stands out on the red background (which is a convention of a tabloid paper), and draws the attention of the reader.

HEADLINE:  "What have they done... Again?" shows that this paper's opinion is that Donald Trump should not have been voted back into presidency. the ellipses at the end of the "what have they done" connotes a feeling of sadness and hopelessness from the paper, and almost creates the image in one's head of someone pinching their forehead in distress. The use of the word "again?" suggests that the paper almost finds it ridiculous that the American people would make the same mistake twice, as the first time Trump was in office, he received a lot of criticism. 

SPLASH:  The word 'again' stands out massively due to its different colour, emphasising the author's opinion that Trump's election is a mistake. The words 'uncertainty' 'fear' 'rocked' and 'staggering' show the author's surprise and terror at Trump's re-election, and the red from Trump's tie ties in with the flags behind him, showing him as patriotic.

IMAGE:  The image of Trump stood pointing at the camera with a small smirk on his face is a common thing he tends to do, and seems to almost be expected of him. The fact that he has American flags behind him has connotations of strong patriotism and pride for his country, as well as a major indicator to the reader what the story is about. The flag behind the line of American flags is another American flag when the image is expanded, but the top and bottom has been cut off, making this flag appear as though it is actually the Russian flag. This newspaper was published on 6th November 2024, and the war between Ukraine and Russia had been going on for about 2 years at this point. Trump has recently accused Ukraine of starting the war between them and Russia, so from a retrospective point of view, this lines up with Trump's recent statement. However, from the point of view of someone reading this on the date it was published, this would be very concerning, as it would call to question the morals of the new president of the United States, one of the most powerful nations in the world.

STANDFIRST:  "DONALD Trump swept to power yesterday amid fears he will be even more divisive and brutal than in his first spell in the White House. The 78 year old beat Kamala Harris to become the first convicted felon elected as US president. World leaders congratulated Trump, but there was growing concern his victory will spark a mission of revenge against opponents and a war on migrants." The use of the focus on how he was as a president during his first term ('divisive and brutal') and the 'fears' that his re-election have brought about clearly shows the author's point of view on the outcome of the presidential elections; a dislike. The focus on Trump's age (78) reinforces this, as it is almost used as an insult. The writer also mentions how he is a 'convicted felon' and repeats the 'growing fears' that people have with his re-election, and the 'concern' that the author suggests other world leaders have, suggesting everyone should be worried. The use of the word 'revenge' almost paints Trump as childish, but dangerous, as while 'revenge' is something a child would take, it is still a very sinister term. The mention of 'war' also could suggest he is an unreliable and untrustworthy leader who is going to make waves during his presidency. 

PLUG:  The plug that is about the national trust suggests The Mirror supports their cause and the environment, and that they encourage their readers to do the same. The words 'free' and 'family pass' are a lot larger than the words 'national trust', suggesting that the words that are bigger are what is going to attract The Mirror's target audience. The plug about Christmas offers at Tesco connotes the time of year this paper was published and could suggest that perhaps The Mirror's target audience is interested in saving money.

Tuesday 6th May 2025

The Newspaper Industry

LO: To explore the newspaper industry and the context of the sun newspaper.

Do Now:

1) Misrepresentation is a group of people or a person is represented falsely.

2) The Guardian is left wing politically.

3) The Guardian's target audience is ABC1 aged around 54, equal split regarding gender.

4) The strapline of The Guardian is "news provider of the year."

5) The Guardian is not owned by a group of shareholders (owned by a non-profit trust), and therefore is non-profit.

Institutions:

- An established and regulated organisation that owns, and produces many different media products, systems and texts.

- Tend to be large global corporations such as broadcasting companies, newspaper and magazine publishers, film production companies, music and publishing companies, and some governments.

Conglomerates:

- A large company that consists of divisions of seemingly unrelated businesses.

- A media conglomerate describes companies that own large numbers of companies in various mass media, such as TV, radio publishing, movies and the internet.

- Microsoft and Amazon are 2 of the world's largest conglomerates today.

Newspaper ownership:

- the newspaper industry is massively powerful. Newspapers are, even today, read by large numbers of people in the UK.

- In Britain, a small number of newspaper publishers control the majority of the industry.

- News UK (owns THE SUN and The Times) is the biggest publisher.

- In 2019, a report showed that the 3 largest newspaper publishers owned 83% of the newspapers in the UK.

- Two of the most popular newspapers are right-wing.

Terminology:

Gatekeepers - the people who decide which stories to include in the newspapers. Editors have to filter the large number of stories written and select those to feature. The type of paper and its audience will also influence the decisions.

News values - a set of factors that help to determine whether or not an event is considered newsworthy.

The Sun:

- Owned by News UK - a subsidiary of the news corp conglomerate.

- Both companies are owned by the media mogul Rupert Murdoch.

- Regulated by IPSO (Independent Press Standards Organisation).

- The Sun has the largest circulation of any daily print newspaper in the United Kingdom.

- The Sun website is also used by a large population of the UK with an OFCOM survey finding that 71% of people surveyed used The Sun website for information and news alongside other services.

News corp:

- A massive conglomerate.

- News Corp is also horizontally integrated (when 1 company owns lots of companies in the same industry).

- News Corp is a vertically integrated company (when 1 business owns several stages in the same industry).

- News Corp is also a globally and financially diversified company (diversification is when 1 company owns holdings in several different countries and industries).

Funding:

- Newspapers earn revenue from their advertisements.

- Journalism is being seen more and more as a commodity whose purpose is predominantly for profit.

- £1 in every £7 spent on groceries is spent by a Sun reader making it a very attractive advertising vehicle.

- Popularity of print news continues to drop + advertisers will choose to leave if figures drop too low.

- Newspapers = under increasing pressure to capture audiences - purpose of dominant image and splash (main article) is to sell papers.

- In the first 1/4 of 2016, The Sun recorded losses of more than £250 million including £50 million to cover legal costs and pay-offs for the ongoing phone-hacking scandal.

- This scandal has previously cost News Corp. £366 million.

Overview:

- The Sun is published daily in print from Monday to Saturday.

- Has a website + social media including FB & Twitter (X) & a mobile app.

- Mobile app is a paid for subscription service - allows readers to download the entire print edition of The Sun each day.

- Website is free.

- Price of a daily print version is 65p.

Typical Print contents:

FRONT PAGE: Often focuses on one splash; uses familiar tabloid conventions (puns, large images etc) to appeal.

HARD & SOFT NEWS: Includes both but often has a lot of celebrity & human interest stories.

PAGE THREE: No longer topless models, but still includes scantily clad models here.

EDITORIAL COLUMN: 'Sun says...'; comments on stories it considers important and communicates key messages about its views and values.

REGULAR COLUMN: Written by celebrities like Jeromy Clarkson.

SPORTS PAGE: Back pages (newspaper conventions) but football dominates.

ADVERTISING: many high-street brands - reflects demographic; some ads relate to Sun promotions/competitions.

ENTERTAINMENT: 'Bizarre' column, puzzle section & TV listings.

FEATURE SECTIONS: Focus on topics like beauty and celebrity, regular pull-out sections e.g. motoring.

REGULARS: Puzzles, horoscopes, 'Dear Deidre' advice column and letters.

Typical online contents:

The website reinforces many of the features of the print edition and is an example on convergence.

HOUSE STYLE: Is consistent across both print and website, creates an identifiable brand .

HOMEPAGE: is regularly updated and readers can access additional content like video clips.

INTERACTIONS: Readers are able to comment on articles & see others' comments. This extends the experience of the newspaper and is a form of wider social interaction.

PAGES: Many relate to the different sections in the print papers; these are therefore familiar and also offer additional content to the paper.

ADVERTISING: Many of the same brands.

ADDITIONAL FEATURES: Readers can sign up to features like 'Sun Savers' which requires them to collect codes from the print papers to receive 'cash back'.

SOCIALS: Links to their social media platforms allow them to regularly update readers on breaking news or viral content etc.

Print VS Online news:

Advantages the print newspaper (The Sun) will have: older generation who are unfamiliar with technology might buy them, doesn't require internet to read, can take it anywhere, can read it again (website is constantly updating), collectables (certain events that you want to remember).

Advantages to online newspapers: can update instantly, more convenient.

Audience - newspapers:

Psychographics:

- The audience might share the paper's values & attitudes: might support Conservatives, believe it was right to leave the EU etc.

- Paper includes many different sections/topics and so has a wide appeal to audiences with a range of interests.

- News = info. about the world.

- Celebrity = entertainment & gossip/escapism.

- Human interest stories = identification with people/situations involved.

- Money saving = resonates with lower earners.

- Website interactivity = allows comments on stories & offers opportunities to interact socially.

Why do people still read newspapers?

- Experience of reading a paper is diff. from consuming news online & offers different pleasures and gratifications:

• It's a familiar form + they recognise the conventions.
• Content is organised in a clear structure.
• Require/prefer a physical copy they can carry & don't need internet.
• Papers fit many people's daily routines (breakfast/commute).
• Value in depth coverage paper offers.

Stuart Hall - Reception theory:

Preferred reading - when the audience responds to the ideas in the way the media producer wants them to.

Negotiated reading - when the audience responds by accepting and rejecting certain elements.

Oppositional reading - when the audience understands the preferred reading but chooses to oppose it.

Homework:

Explore how The Guardian front page uses media language to communicate meanings:

a) Layout & design              [5]

b) Images                             [5]

c) Text/language                 [5]

a) Through the use of layout and design, The Guardian front page uses media language to communicate meanings. For example, the masthead of the paper is a navy blue colour, conveying a sense of authority, implying that this is a trustworthy and superior paper. It also has serious connotations, suggesting that this is a paper that will protect it's readers and the truth, ensuring not to feed them any false information. Another example of how The Guardian uses layout and design to communicate meaning is through the image to text ratio. There is a much larger amount of text than there is imagery, which is not only a typical convention of a broadsheet newspaper, but also tells us that this is what their readers expect from them; a serious paper, which conveys the truth. 

b) Through the use of images, The Guardian front page communicates meanings. The main headline has details of the Prime Minister (PM) Boris Johnson being involved in something that broke the COVID regulations he set up. The picture of him that has been used has connotations of unprofessionalism, and arguably depicts him as quite clownish, as not only is he not dressed to run a country, he is also not dressed in the typical clothing we would see a jogger wearing, showing him as unserious and incapable. This is indicative of The Guardian's left-wing political standing, as out of all the photos they could have used to show the PM, they decided to use this one, and as he is a member of the Conservative party (a right-wing party) this tracks with their standing on political matters, and also their readership's opinions on politics. Furthermore, in the top left corner, there are some small images from well-known office TV programmes, which show the typical conventions of office workers, and offer readers of The Guardian a break from the hard-hitting stories that are usually expected of this paper. These images have connotations of joy and light-heartedness, showing how they could be of some reprieve from the usual hard hitting stories. 

c) Through the use of text and language, The Guardian front page communicates meanings. For example, the headline itself is written in a lowercase curved serif font, which makes it unique when compared to other broadsheet newspapers, and enabling it to stand out among lots of other papers. This could also be interpreted as a more personal mode of address, as it isn't quite as aggressive as some other newspaper mastheads. It also has connotations of sophistication, linking to The Guardian's brand identity, which is strong investigative journalism. Furthermore, in the main headline the words "accuses" and "lying" are used, pointing towards a political spat between Cummings and Johnson, and presenting the Conservative party as a whole as irresponsible and incapable, as they are having problems with each other internally, while trying to run a country. This again is indicative of The Guardian's left-wing stance, as they are not presenting the Conservative party in a good light. "accuses" also has connotations of a crime, suggesting that perhaps the Conservative party do not always follow the ethics they should do. All of this combined creates a narrative that Johnson should not be trusted.