Homework

 

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criticising left wing liberal shows the daily mails political bias is right wing 

using the coat of arms logo to signify their patriarchal views 

focused on both celebrity drama and politics 

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Criticising conservative PM 

subheadings including worldwide crisis's and putting the people first - left wing views  

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Criticising the tory's - left wing newspaper 

schools crumbling and the government is doing nothing to help 

Regulation:

Daily Mail:

Ruling (ipso.co.uk)

The Daily Mail misquoted the interviewee, using direct quotations giving the impression that what they wrote is exactly as the person said it. - Breach of clause 1  

The Daily Mail altered the individuals comments for publication however, the interviewee felt that the alteration misrepresented what they were saying. The individual did agree to the changes but the Committee felt that her agreement was invalid due to her vulnerability on the matter.

Clause 12 states that the press must avoid prejudicial references to an individuals gender identity, sexual orientation etc, unless genuinely relevant to the story.

conclusion: no breach after investigation. suggest that newspapers uses regulator that isn't certified by the Leveson standards shows that perhaps they are not good enough to regulate and that the news could be corrupt.

QUESTION 3: 
Explain  how the cultural context in how the news is produced influences the content offered to audiences.  [10]  - 17 minutes 

Cultural context in the news influences the ways content is offered to audiences. 

As the world has become internet reliant, the way audiences consume news has changed, new generations prefer to use the internet on a daily basis for everything. Newspapers have had to adapt to this change as their circulation figures have dropped as a result of the internet.

The Guardian has created a free online model as well as an app which relies on ads, donations and subscribers to earn money and keep going. The physical newspaper is still available for the people who prefer to read an actual newspaper, however prices have increased due to an inflation in production costs. This supports Hesmondhalghs idea that risk is seen in terms of loss of money and risk is high because production costs are high. The Guardian prioritises quality over profit as it is owned by a trust, this is why they have allowed the online newspaper to be completely free for everyone, however they still need to maintain some profit so they have increased cover price and decreased the size of the paper.

The Daily Mail has also gone online and created a website called Mail Online which uses big headlines that entice people, they receive their revenue mainly from advertisements which are plastered all over the website in a disorganised way. Their audience are drawn to their website as they focus on sensationalised news stories that normally include some celebrity drama. 

Industry Miss Mac Homework:         Research the history of Disney 

Ownership-

Funding-

Growth-

Box office successes-

Diversification-

Influence and brand values -

Current position in terms of Hollywood status - 

Gender analysis on scenes in Homeland and The Killing.

Homeland: 

Gender is shown in Homeland with a patriarchal view, this is because the US was ranked very lowly for gender equality in 2011 when this was filmed.

Carrie is ranked quite highly in her job however in the scene where she walks into a briefing late she is humiliated by her male superior and is stared at by her male dominated office of co-workers. It can be argued that if it were a man who was late to the meeting he would not of been mocked or even been paid attention to. This shows how women are not treated as equals and the US view women as less than men especially in the workplace as some people believe that a women should stay at home.

In the scene when Carrie tells Saul about her suspicions of Brody, Saul immediately tries to dismiss it telling her how ridiculous it sounds, insulting her intelligence because she is questioning a male soldier's honesty. This leaves her at Saul's mercy begging for him to believe her, it isn't until she provides evidence that he begins to believe her, this signifies that a woman has to prove herself to a man once again showing patriarchal values.

The Killing:

Gender in The Killing is shown completely different to Homeland because it was filmed in Denmark, which has totally different views on gender equality. It was ranked very highly in 2007 when it was filmed.

In one of the first scenes Sarah is found on a crime scene which turns out to be a fake one that her co-workers set up for her where she finds out at the end she has a leaving party back at the office. The party is thrown in her favour as she is leaving for Sweden. We can see that her co-workers value Sarah and think very highly of her, this is representative of how Denmark view gender equality, treating women as equals, which is very different to the US.

In the scene where Sarah is investigating a missing girl we find them out in the woods and Sarah orders her team to search a different area in which they respond immediately and follow her directions. The fact that she is lead detective on a case and is respected as one, even by the men on her team, shows her as an anti-stereotype and that Denmark has "unpatriarchal" views.

Homeland representation of patriotism.

We know that America in general is a very patriotic country, so with Homeland being filmed there we expect to see lots of patriotism.

The difference in representation between the US and Baghdad is big, Baghdad is shown as less fortunate in terms of money compared to the US, where it cuts to Washington - a middle class city which is also the capital of the US- people are wearing suits and dresses showing them as sophisticated and wealthy, which makes them look 'better' in contrast to Baghdad, this shows that they believe in their superiority as a country and are very patriotic.

In the scene where Brody comes home, back to America, we can see American flags, soldiers and US air force vehicles this shows how the US is proud of their country and people, reinforcing patriotic values.

Homework Miss Mac:

2016 film did not only attract a family audience and children - adults for nostalgia, technophiles new technology

1- Disney's traditional target market in 1967 was children and near teens as well as a family audience, teenagers at this time were beginning to get into new fashion and music trends and so this did not appeal to them. However when the 2016 version came out this shifted as it was a different era, the film still appealed to a family audience but now also attracted teens with the action elements, adults who found nostalgia in the movie as they watched the original as kids and the new technology used in the film appealed to technophiles.

2- In the 1967 film the way they portray different characters reflects the contexts of the time. The 1960s was a time of social activism and change for example the Black Civil Rights movement was occurring, however due to Disney's political stance this was portrayed differently than we would have expected. Black jazz music was equated with the apish behaviour of King Louis which reinforces racial stereotypes, thereby showing ignorance towards the movement which was a very conservative action.

In the 2016 film the use of CGI and visual effects shows the context of the time as we were shifting to the online age and Disney was forced to adapt to this. 

Homeland representation of ethnicity.

Ethnicity is represented in a variety of ways, as there are not many characters with a different ethnic background shown in the US side of the show, however the one African-American we see is David who is shown with a high rank as he is directing the briefing in one of the first scenes we see in the US. This shows the US as being accepting of different ethnic backgrounds.

However, when we see the scenes with Baghdad, the people are seen wearing dirty, tattered clothes compared to the suits and dresses of the Americans, making the West look better and more sophisticated. We can also see that in Baghdad the streets are dominated by men, this is because women are not allowed outside of the house without a male present, this paints the Middle East in a bad light in terms of gender equality.

The audience is surprised to see a white US marine worshipping Allah, Homeland uses this to play into the stereotypical assumption that Brody's faith is evidence that he is a terrorist.

Homeland representation of mental illness.

-Steadicam footage reveals the unstable emotional state he is in. Close up on face, camera flash, PTSD, emotional in reunion speech, face is back to cultural norm- clean shaven, no marks on his skin, damage is hidden from war but is later revealed.

-Carrie's mental illness- her bipolar makes her amazing at investigating, she obsesses over details so much that she gets to the heart of the matter every time she knows before everyone else does.

-This was a growing Trend in dramas- using mental health as a link to investigate brilliance ( like BBC's Sherlock and CBS's Elementary).

-Carrie's illness manifests itself in obsessive attention to detail, inappropriate sexual relationships and frequent hysterical outbursts.

-Mise-en-scene- extremely wide open eyes, quivering lips, screwed up face and raking her hand through her hair to express her frustration with her inability to fully protect the US Homeland.

-Carrie represents a familiar construction of a professional woman whose personal trauma underpins her role as a true seeker and law enforcer.

-The audience understand relatively early that Carrie is right to be suspicious of Brody, but the show withholds diegetic recognition; indeed her interest in pursuit of Brody, which merges personal obsession and professional responsibility, begins to undermine her status as a trustworthy protagonist.

-Initially, the show uses Carries illness to question her reliability to her family, her profession and even to herself. The combination of being certain and then being proven wrong is what drives carry to seek electroshock therapy, as the closing sequence of season 1 ends, but the audience know she is not wrong.

What are the key representations present in Homeland?

ethnicity, mental illness.

There are many representations shown throughout the first episode of Homeland, these are often portrayed through the personalities of the characters, such as Carrie. One of these is gender, which is portrayed with a rather patriarchal viewpoint, we can see that Carrie is ranked fairly highly in her job, however in the scene when she walks into a briefing tardy she is humiliated and ridiculed by her male superior in front of everyone, it can be argues that if it were a man in her position then he would not have been mocked or even paid any attention to. This is representative of the views on gender equality in the US, as they were ranked fairly low on the scale in 2011 when it was made. 

We know that America in general is very patriotic, so with Homeland being filmed there we see lots of representations of patriotism. The scenes cut between Baghdad and Washington show varied representations with the Middle East being shown as less fortunate in terms of wealth compared to the US. In Washington we can see people are wearing suits and dresses, showing them as sophisticated, making them look 'better' in contrast to Baghdad, this shows that they believe in their superiority as a country and are very patriotic.

The Killing:

Make notes on the key scenes with general notes on the events and representations present.

Main Narrative: Nanna Birk Larsen is missing and her body is found, find out how she died and who was involved.

Nordic Noir seen: 

• rain in opening outdoor scene reflects a dark reality 
• low key muted lighting 
• establishing shot - bleak grey sky 
• using the light to make it look forlorn and bleak instead of beautiful

Class:

The Birk-Larsens are working class - broken dishwasher shows lack of funds or upkeep of house, the dad says he will fix it with duct tape.

Sarah Lund - Middle class - good, well-paid job, nice clothes and car 

-Pernille and Theis' house seemed big but it was falling apart a little bit. They had a lack of funds for home maintenance. They are working class.-

-Sarah is middle class (educated in the field of work). She has created her own life, hardworking and strong and is dedicated and involved in the case. 

-Meyer smokes when he is not supposed to- stereotypical, middle class but comes across as working class, not represented as a professional.

-Troells is upper class since he is in charge and we see that through how well-dressed he is.

Family themes: 

Birk-Larsens - fun family, shows love and live a carefree lifestyle prioritising each other as a family. - Theis goes straight home when his wife calls him. Zoom in shot of family photo to emphasise the love in their family.

Multiculturalism:

link between the white working class and racism- they are immature, uneducated males.- Theis' employee is racist towards someone in the town, Theis then implies his employee is stupid and uneducated.

Social Attitudes:

Sarah is presented to us as a professional woman who is respected in her job role.

• she wears high neck baggy clothing, little to no makeup, hair tied back - not sexualising herself, showing how she is professional not looking for male attention 
• works in a highly male dominated job but is still treated as an equal - co-workers throw a leaving party for her. She is lead detective on a case and her inferiors respect her commands.

Show Denmark's progressive attitude towards gender equality and how they were ranked 8th in the world for gender equality in 2007 which was very high.

Scene with going away party for Sarah, theme of Sweden as that is where she is heading. Co-workers say 'in the hands of the enemy' referring to the historical war rivalry between Denmark and Sweden, calling them the enemy and also saying 'if decomposed herring and light beer are your thing' - mocking them essentially stating that they are the superior country - expressing themes of patriotism and nationalism.

The Killing Context

Historical

-In 1521, Sweden left the union leaving Denmark-Norway, which existed until 1814 when Norway become an independent nation. Sweden-Finland existed from 1100s to 1809 when Finland became a part of Russia until 1917.

-Kalmar War, (1611–13), the war between Denmark and Sweden for control of the northern Norwegian coast and hinterland, which resulted in Sweden's acceptance of Denmark-Norway's sovereignty over the area.

-Sweden and Denmark have fought each other for centuries and hold the record for most wars fought between them. It all adds up to around 30 wars since the 15th century.

-Today, you might notice that there is a bit of banter between Danes and Swedes, but that's just part of the unique Nordic humour. In general, Swedish and Danish people have huge respect for one another.

-Global recession of 2008 via Theis and Pernille.

Economic

-Complex characters reflect the economic pressure for quality programming.

Political

-Cynical of Spin driven politics, family vs politics, two worlds.

-Immigration as an issue that is increasing. 

Social

-Denmark has always been seen as internationally progressive in terms of gender equality.

-2007 (date of the 1st series) they were ranked 8th in the world for this.

-2011, US was ranked 17th.

-Reflects socially contested gender relations.

-Patriarchal power as police and politicians are male, contrasted to the female lead who is driven and represented positively in contrast to the males.

-Denmark as multicultural, Vagn's racism is a flaw and contrasted to Theis.

-Social anxieties about the protection of children.

Cultural

-Danish representations with rivalry with Sweden. This is the global narrative of the crime.

-Critique of celeb culture as Troels is fake for his campaign.

-High expectations of LFTVD shown in complex representations-Lund, Theis.

Homeland Context

Historical

-September 11th 2001 was the date of the attack on the Twin Towers in New York. The attacks targeted Twin Towers, Pentagon and the white house, which were famously the main symbols of political power. The lives lost, and the physical damage to the city made the West realise that they were not 'untouchable' and this had devastating effects. 

-There were many impacts from 9/11 such as: the impact on individual lives, conflicts in the Middle East, Internal and international security legislation, declaration by America of a 'war on terror', feeling of fear caused by unforeseen attack and religious/cultural dimensions such as racism, religious intolerance and fear of outsiders.

Economic

-Complex characters with famous actors reflect the economic pressure of quality programming.

Political

-Cynical of federal politics of the CIA and the Whitehouse need to a win.

Social

-Reflects socially contested gender and racial ethnic relations.

-Social norms: Jess trying to be the good wife and Brody trying to be the hero.

-Patriarchal power as the CIA management are male- Carrie female.

-Enemy is an Arab, but black man as a lead- ambiguous.

-Social anxieties are reflected in fear of a terrorist attack.

Cultural

-Influence of American cultural reaction of terrorism, patriotism, militarization, search for a hero.

-Critique of celeb culture as Brody becomes a fake hero.

-High expectations of LFTVD shown in complex representations- Carrie as a questionable heroine.