MS1 Representation

of an Event

So what do we mean by a

media event?

Philippines hit by Typhoon Haiyan

8th November 2013 Duchess of Cambridge

gives birth to Prince George

22nd July 2013

Miley Cyrus 'twerks' with

Robin Thicke at awards

26th August 2013

Andy Murray

wins at

Wimbledon

7th July 2013

Demonstrators gather during a rally in

Ukraine

1st December 2013 Nelson Mandela‟s funeral

15th December 2013

Phone-hacking trial begins

28th October 2013 Bowie wins Best Male at Brit Awards

19th February 2014

An event is something that has taken place (or is going to

take place) that is of interest to the audience.

They can be local, national or global.

But how can you predict an event?

Journalists use “diary events” which are part of the

calendar – e.g. World Cup in Brazil (June 2014), centenary

of World War I (August 2014), Airbourne (August 2014),

Glastonbury Festival (June 2014).

Can you think of any others?

What do you need to prepare for the MS1 exam?

You will need to explore the representation of TWO events.

You need to examine TWO examples of DIFFERENT media texts

for BOTH events.

This will help you to show how well you understand how events

are represented “in the media today” (so these events must be

very recent – let’s say since you started this course).

Media event

What you need to consider and discuss:

1. Ideology of the

text it appears in.

2. The

representation

through primary

and secondary

codes.

3. Mediation

process.

4. The main focus.

5. The role of opinion

leaders in influencing

the audience.

6. The audience who

will consume the text.

1. Discuss the IDEOLOGY of the media

text in which the event appears.

1. What is the media text‟s opinion about this event?

2. How do you know what the media text thinks about this event?

3. Give evidence of OPINION within this media text.

4.Give evidence of ANY BIAS within this media text.

2. Discuss HOW the event has been represented using PRIMARY and

SECONDARY codes. PRIMARY (everyday)

CODES

Lexis (language used)

Clothing (if relevant to

event)

Colours

Non-verbal communication

(NVC)

SECONDARY (media-specific)

CODES

Layout (in print)

Lighting

Camera angles + movement

Editing techniques

Framing + shot sizes

Sound + music

2. Discuss HOW the event has been

represented using PRIMARY codes?

The Guardian.com MTV Miley

Cyrus Criticism Video

Discuss HOW the event has

been represented using

SECONDARY codes?

3 (A). Discuss the process of MEDIATION in this

media text representation.

A) SELECTION

• What has been SELECTED to be INCLUDED in the representation of this event?

• What IMPACT can this selection have upon the audience? How might the audience feel about the event based upon what is shown?

• What has been SELECTED to be INCLUDED in the representation of this event?

• What IMPACT can this selection have upon the audience?

3 (B) Discuss the process of MEDIATION in this

media text representation.

B) REJECTION is equally as important.

More will have been LEFT OUT of this media text than has been

selected.

• What has been left out of the representation of an event?

• WHY?

• How might the audience feel about an event as a result of what

is left out of the media text?

How much did audiences see of council houses being flooded?

And the disabled person’s views on the floods?

Did ethnic minorities have much of a voice in coverage of this event?

If an event is included in a media text, a decision will have

been made over what to leave out.

The way any event is represented CANNOT be objective.

There are always several angles or positions to a news

story or news event. The point of view will have been

selected and others rejected.

The process of allowing some events to be reported and

not others is called GATEKEEPING.

“Isn’t it amazing that the amount of news that happens in the

world everyday always just exactly fits the

newspaper?” Guardian Unlimited advert, 2001

3 (C). Discuss the process of MEDIATION in this

media text representation.

C) CONSTRUCTION

What goes into the final media text has been constructed in a way that real life is not. So - we do not see multiple camera angles and shot sizes when witnessing an event.

Sochi 2014: Awesome jumps at the Winter

Olympics

How might the audience feel after

watching this?

…To be absolutely clear…

1) Media texts are not a ‘window on the world’. Events are not represented in a neutral way. 2) Instead, the media constructs a version of those events. These constructions often work for a dominant ideology – such as government or business.

4a. The MAIN FOCUS of the representation

The way in which a media text is MEDIATED makes the audience focus on a particular aspect of it.

This focus makes the audience draw conclusions about it.

What is the main focus of this front page?

Consider the photograph

and headline of the lead story.

4b. The MAIN FOCUS of the representation

What is the main focus of the following representations of events?

Where

is your

eye

drawn?

What appears in a media text will have been discussed

and decided at a planning meeting.

In a newsroom this is called AGENDA SETTING.

The media can also guide the way that audiences

understand particular events.

This is called FRAMING.

The media therefore have the power - not just to inform

and entertain - but also to direct the audience‟s

feelings and engage their fears.

5. The role of opinion leaders

who have the power to influence the audience

to think a certain way

about the event

WHO might be opinion leaders? Politicians An ‘expert’ such as a business leader, a spokesperson for a

charity, researchers Heads of public sector organisations, such as the NHS, the

police, headteachers The clergy Members of the Royal Family The press

5. More on the role of opinion leaders

1

•If the opinion leader is trusted by the audience…

2

•The audience will accept the opinion leader‟s view of the event….

3

•Then the audience won‟t try to find out any other information about the event…

4

•So the audience is stuck with one interpretation of the event…

5

•Which may confirm what they already thought about it!

6. And not forgetting…

The audience who will consume the text

Fairclough (1995) studied the language of the news press

to show how the audience are positioned .

E.g. the terms “we”, “us” and “them” is frequently used to

describe who?

The impact of this lexis is that “we” are “here” and other

places are “foreign”. Why might that be a problem?

Why is someone who takes action to overthrow a

government called a „terrorist‟ in „The Arab State‟ while in

the West they are called „freedom fighters‟?

The Audience: You‟ve Been Framed

The audience can also be represented within media texts

as „the public reaction.‟

How?

Voxpops, polls, tweets, texts and email responses, letters

page.

Why might this occur? What impact could it have on the

audience?

You are now going to apply your

understanding.

Case Study 1: TWO representations of the

funeral of Nelson Mandela.