Political contexts and regulation

What are the functions of a newspaper front page?

Newspaper front pages fulfil several different functions. 

They must:

• Attract readers.
• Reinforce the newspaper's identity through easily recognisable style and features.
• Demonstrate clearly what the newspaper's attitude is towards the news of the day.
• Show that the edition of the newspaper contains certain stories.
  
  

Although each newspaper has their own individual style, you will find similar elements

‘conventions’ on the front pages. 

 

The Guardian/Observer follow five principles:

-Develop ideas that help to improve the world, not just critique it.
-Collaborate with readers and others to have greater impact.
-Diversify, to have richer reporting from a representative newsroom.
-Be meaningful in all our work.
-Report fairly on people as well as power and find things out. This underpins all of the above.

How Powerful are Newspaper?

Newspapers and reporters are supposed to provide their readers with

• Objective information – This means it should be free from prejudice caused by personal feelings. 
• Unbiased – represent people, events and ideas fairly. 
• Reliable information – from trusted sources. 

The news presents itself as an objective (non-biased) form of media, like any other media text
it has its own agenda. 

Newspapers are owned by individuals with their own political and social agendas and these
ideologies are reflected in the editorial content of the papers. Newspaper owners, hire editors
who share similar political beliefs.

Ideology – a system of ideas and ideals, especially one which forms the basis of economic or political theory and policy.

Political Values: Left to Right

How does this apply to Newspapers?

Freedom of the Press

Freedom of the Press = Is the right to circulate opinions in print without censorship by the
government.

Why is it an issue giving people freedom of the press? Freedom of the press is hugely valuable, but it can create real problems if it’s absolute and unmanaged.

Task:

3. As the editor of a newspaper I would reveal his location even if it means people going and trying to hurt or harm him because even though he has done his sentence he still has done something discussing and awful. The crime he convicted can have a massive impact on someone and scar them for life. 

IPSO: 

IPSO = Independent Press Standards Organisation

• Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). 
• It is a regulator of magazines and newspapers and their online counterparts. 
• It is funded by magazines and newspaper companies. 
• Any member of the public can make a complaint to the IPSO. 
• It was created after the Leveson enquiry in 2014. 
• It replaced the Press Complaints Commission following heavy criticism of the previous system's ineffectiveness during the Leveson Inquiry into press ethics.