NEWSPAPER INDUSTRY QUESTIONS: Paper 1, Section B
THE TIMES:
1. When was The Times first published and who for?
The Times was first published in 1785 under the title the Daily Universal Register, adapting its current name in 1788 to appeal to those with an
interest in politics, foreign affairs and matters of trade.
2. Target Demographic: Educated, upper class readership, slightly right-wing and over 35
Tagline: “Britain’s Most Trusted Newspaper” · Draws on long history and reputation · Cultural heritage
Political Bias: Centre-right wing political agenda · Supported Tony Blair and the labour party from 2001 to 2005, but in 2010 it officially endorsed
the Conservative Party for the first time in 18 years.
3. A broadsheet newspaper is a larger newspaper that publishes more serious and formal news, for example, The Daily Telegraph has maintained its
broadsheet format and is known for its quality and reputation.
4. The Times is part of the Times Newspaper Group, a subsidiary of News Corp which is spin-off of the American mass media conglomerate News
Corp that is owned by media mogul Rupert Murdoch.
Conglomerate = A company that owns other companies across a range of media platforms which increases their domination of the market and their
ability to distribute and exhibit a product.
News Corp is a good example of a conglomerate due to its global power and domination in the newspaper industry. The affordances of powerful
conglomerates allow for greater global distribution.
5. News Corp owns The Sun The Sunday Times, The New York Post and Fox News.
6. News Corp is vertically and horizontally integrated due to its interest in both film and broadcasting such as Fox News and until recently Sky (2018)
as well as publishing for example, The Sun and The New York Times.
7. Phone Hacking Scandal: The revelation that mobile phones belonging to a large number of people, including celebrities, politicians and ‘ordinary’
people, were hacked and their messages were accessed by news journalists, particularly those working for the since-closed News of the World.
, This led to the ceased production of News of the World in 2011.
8. Libel Cases Against The Times:
1. Sarah Palin sued The Times over an op-ed that incorrectly said her political action had incited the 2011 shooting – arguing The Times published
this claim knowing it was false and had harmed Palin emotionally and professionally. However, the judge claimed Palin did not provide enough
evidence to win a defamation lawsuit.
2. 2020/2021: The Times pay £50,000 in damages to a Muslim charity it falsely accused of colluding with human traffickers. They accepted that the
article was “damaging and defamatory”.
9. Paywall= A method of restricting access to a website other than by a subscription payment which is a successful way to make up for the decline in
print sales.
The Times was one of the first companies to introduce a paywall and was one of the first to publish its copy online.
It costs the Times online subscribers £1 for 3 months then £26 per month across all devices. £52 a month for a daily print newspaper and unlimited
online access as well as exclusive subscriber rewards.
They have over 300,000 online subscribers.
16 million readers monthly.
10. Facebook = 844,000 followers
Twitter = 1.6 million followers
Instagram = 900,000 followers
Pinterest = 290,000 followers
Spotify: news podcasts e.g. ‘Is Russia’s war good or bad for China?’ · Hosted by Manveen Rana and David Aaronovitch
11. The Times became available in tabloid form in 2003 alongside a broadsheet version to appeal to commuters and younger readers, but since 2004 it
has been printed in tabloid format only. It followed the Independent’s decision to change to a tabloid format due to the advantages of portability
and on-the-go readership.
12. Adverts and digital classifieds generate income through reaching a larger, diverse audience. The Times values its advertisers at 6.8p per reader,
more than the Mirror.
THE TIMES:
1. When was The Times first published and who for?
The Times was first published in 1785 under the title the Daily Universal Register, adapting its current name in 1788 to appeal to those with an
interest in politics, foreign affairs and matters of trade.
2. Target Demographic: Educated, upper class readership, slightly right-wing and over 35
Tagline: “Britain’s Most Trusted Newspaper” · Draws on long history and reputation · Cultural heritage
Political Bias: Centre-right wing political agenda · Supported Tony Blair and the labour party from 2001 to 2005, but in 2010 it officially endorsed
the Conservative Party for the first time in 18 years.
3. A broadsheet newspaper is a larger newspaper that publishes more serious and formal news, for example, The Daily Telegraph has maintained its
broadsheet format and is known for its quality and reputation.
4. The Times is part of the Times Newspaper Group, a subsidiary of News Corp which is spin-off of the American mass media conglomerate News
Corp that is owned by media mogul Rupert Murdoch.
Conglomerate = A company that owns other companies across a range of media platforms which increases their domination of the market and their
ability to distribute and exhibit a product.
News Corp is a good example of a conglomerate due to its global power and domination in the newspaper industry. The affordances of powerful
conglomerates allow for greater global distribution.
5. News Corp owns The Sun The Sunday Times, The New York Post and Fox News.
6. News Corp is vertically and horizontally integrated due to its interest in both film and broadcasting such as Fox News and until recently Sky (2018)
as well as publishing for example, The Sun and The New York Times.
7. Phone Hacking Scandal: The revelation that mobile phones belonging to a large number of people, including celebrities, politicians and ‘ordinary’
people, were hacked and their messages were accessed by news journalists, particularly those working for the since-closed News of the World.
, This led to the ceased production of News of the World in 2011.
8. Libel Cases Against The Times:
1. Sarah Palin sued The Times over an op-ed that incorrectly said her political action had incited the 2011 shooting – arguing The Times published
this claim knowing it was false and had harmed Palin emotionally and professionally. However, the judge claimed Palin did not provide enough
evidence to win a defamation lawsuit.
2. 2020/2021: The Times pay £50,000 in damages to a Muslim charity it falsely accused of colluding with human traffickers. They accepted that the
article was “damaging and defamatory”.
9. Paywall= A method of restricting access to a website other than by a subscription payment which is a successful way to make up for the decline in
print sales.
The Times was one of the first companies to introduce a paywall and was one of the first to publish its copy online.
It costs the Times online subscribers £1 for 3 months then £26 per month across all devices. £52 a month for a daily print newspaper and unlimited
online access as well as exclusive subscriber rewards.
They have over 300,000 online subscribers.
16 million readers monthly.
10. Facebook = 844,000 followers
Twitter = 1.6 million followers
Instagram = 900,000 followers
Pinterest = 290,000 followers
Spotify: news podcasts e.g. ‘Is Russia’s war good or bad for China?’ · Hosted by Manveen Rana and David Aaronovitch
11. The Times became available in tabloid form in 2003 alongside a broadsheet version to appeal to commuters and younger readers, but since 2004 it
has been printed in tabloid format only. It followed the Independent’s decision to change to a tabloid format due to the advantages of portability
and on-the-go readership.
12. Adverts and digital classifieds generate income through reaching a larger, diverse audience. The Times values its advertisers at 6.8p per reader,
more than the Mirror.
