02 NEWS Q.6 REGULATION & Q.7 FUNDING

This week, we look at newspapers.

What is involved in Press Regulation? Exam q. 6 - Who are IPSO and IMPRESS?

Our case study: The Guardian/Observer

The Guardian/Observer has had considerable cultural and social impact and reach. The Guardian/Observer has consistently had a large circulation and is a powerful voice within the centre-left media with significant cultural and social influence. The historical Observer newspaper covers were chosen to help us gain a knowledge and understanding of how media language was used to construct representations in the 1960s and the contexts that affected those representations. 

We study the OCR booklet on newspapers which explains the newspaper industry and its funding.

Exam q.7 - 'Explain two ways that newspapers are funded.' (4 marks) To achieve full marks, you will clearly explain examples of ways in which newspapers are funded. 2 marks for each explanation of a funding stream, which might include:

•   income from advertising as advertisers pay to reach the newspaper’s audience, either online or in print editions, in an environment that carries
  the status of the newspaper
  
•   income from membership, online subscriptions or donations from
  readers, where readers voluntarily pay to support a news organisation
  they see as trustworthy
  
•   income from the cover price of the print edition or print subscription,
  especially important for ‘quality’ newspapers with higher cover prices
  
•   income from online paywalls, where online users have to pay to access
  premium content or to access more than a certain number of pages
  
•   losses are covered by media owners who value aspects other than
  profitability, such as the role of news journalism or the influence
  newspaper ownership brings
  
•   any other funding stream.
  
  Statements of funding streams might include:
  

•   advertising
  
•   paying for the print or online newspaper
  
•   membership
  
•   any other statement of funding.