How is media language including intertextuality used in Burn the witch to construct representations of group messages and values

b) Explain how the political context in which newspapers are produced, influences their ownership and regulation. Refer to The Guardian and The Daily Mail newspapers you have studied to support your answer. [10 marks]

• Press freedom
• Freedom v oligopoly; regulation in context of Leveson and IPSO
• Compare the freedom of the press to e.g. TV news. Refer to the focus on soft news (Mail) and comment (Guardian)
• Differing ownership models  of the 2 papers and how this influences
• Relationship between political parties and newspapers

Media plurality (having a range of voices) remains a live issue in Britain today , and is framed in the context of a free press.  The political context of the role of press freedom in the running of democracy both gives opportunities and limits control exercised by the owners of the newspapers. Newspapers are permitted to be opinionated and politically biased.How truly free is the press when it is owned by a small number of (upper / middle class) which  is why  the labour party has a policy to increase the number of newspaper owners to help create more diverse voices.

Freedom vs oligopoly in the regulation context of Leveson and IPSO -the leveson inquiry found politicians in parties had a really close relationship with the press that they had developed which was not been in the public’s interest, nor were they clear or open. Which suggested that ownership of a newspaper gives certain leverage. For example British politicians such as Tony Blair who met Rupert Murdoch before elections in 1997 gained more favourable press coverage, than his conservative predecessor John who did not do a “deal” with Murdoch.

The Guardian has an independence of the newspaper in its ownership model which is run by The Scotts Trust which was set up in the 1930s to protect editorial independence. And safeguard journalistic freedom and newspaper’s liberal views.-This newspaper carries a range of political views as there is a editorial stance where each express which party they will support in the elections.  Whereas the Daily mail has had a strong and consistent political viewpoint which stems from their long-established ethos.- they would never interfere with editorial content however the guardian explicitly carry out liberal journalism.

Curran and Seatons within the title of their famous book “power without responsibility” points out that patterns of ownership and control (even within the news) are the most significant factors in how the media operate. Media industries are following  the normal capitalist pattern of increasing concentration of ownership in fewer hands. Which leads to a narrowing of the range of opinions represented because of the pursuit for profit at the expense of quality or creativity. This is Furthermore represented by the fact that more than 80% of print circulation is controlled by three owners therefore ownership is concentrated. News is still controlled by powerful news organisations, who have successfully defended their oligarchy. An example would be Rupert Murdock who owns much of News international, a conglomerate.

Hesmondalghs agrees  to disagree as the cultural Industries are following the capitalist pattern of increasing concentration and integration as the  cultural production alone is owned and controlled by a few conglomerates who vertically integrate across a range of media to reduce risk. As risk is high in cultural industries,as there is difficulty in predicting success due to the short shelf life,  high production costs, low reproduction costs , the fact that newspapers used to sell exclusives for popularity however emergence of online news- shortened the news cycle even more making the stories easier to be taken by the competition to be recycled instantly.