Newspapers: The i case study
Work through the following tasks to complete your case study on the i and specifically the 21 September edition of the newspaper.
The i analysis: Friday 21 September
Use your notes from the lesson to answer the following questions.
1) What are the front page stories on the 21 September edition of the I?
2) From your analysis in class, what other stories and topics are covered in this edition of the i? You should address the following pages:
- Page 2
The News Matrix: A short summary of many news stories of many different topics, famous birthdays and an index. The main story is a focus on the maintenance costs of a car for a 17-24 y/o first car. - Page 3
Newsnight presenter Evan Davis will take over the Radio 4 PM programme (a highly listened to radio podcast for politics). Other stories highlight the ongoing narrative of feminism with the first women being cast at Harvard Theatre. - Pages 5
Tigers, chimps and rhinos receiving aid from UK taxpayer
Have I Got News For You a more trusted news source than official news bulletins? - Page 6-7
Salzburg coverage
Westminster terrorist mother apologises for the attack. - Pages 11
Meshan Markle coverage with her mum
Students warned about misleading university marketing campaigns - Page 15
Amazon device lets you switch off the lights
Vodaphone demonstration of how 5G allows us to make potential holographic phone calls
Wolf Alice wins Mercury Prize - Page 16
Voices section featuring:
Opinion Matrix of other newspapers
Life in Brief: paying homage to a translator of more than 100 books has died. - Page 18
Featuring audience views on stories - used by social media and email - Page 45
Review of former Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger's book on the change of news and journalism in the last 20 years.
The page design of the I newspaper is designed like a website and have stories just to give the first impression to audiences so that they read further. There are both types of hard news and soft news and give audiences a source of surveillance. The images and font are bold and set to appeal to audiences as it shown as being bright and interest audiences.
4) Narrative: How is narrative used in this edition of the i? Look at the selection of news: is there an ongoing narrative? How is narrative created by the paper to engage an audience?
As the newspaper uses the story of Theresa May on the first page it gives the ongoing narrative of brexit and engages the audiences as it is something that has been carried on from ages. We are positioned to see Theresa May in a particular way.
5) Representations: Are any stereotypes reinforced? Is the audience positioned to respond to the stories in a certain way? What contrasts can you find with the Daily Mail here?
Add additional notes from class here for future revision. Remember, you will need to write in detail about specific stories from this edition of the i and how these stories are constructed to appeal to the i readership.
*Page 45 of this edition of the i contains a review of former Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger's book on the changes in news and journalism in the last 20 years.
The i: introductory reading
Look at the following articles to give you the background on the i newspaper:
BBC News website: Independent launches new 20p newspaper called i
Campaign magazine: Independent to launch first quality daily newspaper for 25 years
BBC News website: Johnston Press to buy i newspaper for £24m
The i launch campaign and success
Read this Marketing Society case study on the launch of the i newspaper and answer the following questions:
1) What was the research that led to the launch of the i newspaper?
The research showed that it had a strong desire for quality and was under the new ownership of the Lebedevs.
2) How did i target readers and lapsed readers of quality newspapers?
They did this by setting out a good design and combing this feature of the newspaper with high
quality.
3) What was the target audience and why was this attractive to advertisers?
ABC1 was the target audience and this was attractive to audiences because it was designed to grow in the market and not take readers off other things.
4) What were the statistics that proved the i newspaper was a success - and that it hadn't 'cannibalised' (taken readers from) other newspapers?
5) What was the background to the i newspaper's launch?
The newspaper market has been experiencing a decline both on a national and global scale for over twenty years. In the UK alone, the market slumped 21% between 2007 and 2009.
On Tuesday 26 October 2010, i became the UK's first national quality daily newspaper to hit newsstands in almost 25 years. Its subsequent success lay in the application of an incredibly focused marketing strategy that found an untapped audience with a desire for an affordable daily quality newspaper and developed a product that fitted it perfectly.
6) What were the objectives for the i newspaper launch?
• Reach a circulation figure of 150,000
• Avoid cannibalisation of The Independent (182,412 at i launch (source: ABC Avg.Net UK circulation October 2010)
• Reach a combined Independent and i average circulation figure of 340,000 • Increase ad revenue growth for the business and achieve majority ad volume in the quality marketplace
7) The Independent saw an opportunity in the print newspaper market. How did potential i readers view other newspapers and what product did they want?
The Independent identified three potential types of readers:
1) lapsed readers of qualities
2) new newspaper readers
3) people ‘upgrading’ from the Metro
Research showed that these potential audiences viewed the Metro as an ideal size for a commute but the editorial content was too simplistic, slow and celebrity-focussed. Similarly, they viewed the midmarket titles (The Daily Mail and The Express) as being the right size, but too opinionated and biased.
8) What were the five key principles of the i?
1) High-quality content
2) Aesthetically pleasing design
3) Balanced comment/opinion
4) Manageable pagination
5) Affordable price
9) How was the newspaper launched?
The launch was supported by press ads and vouchers/sampling in sister paper The Evening Standard and 60 tube stations and train stations nationwide. Phase one was backed by a strategic PR campaign that targeted all key broadcasters to ensure rolling news and feature coverage for the first 48 hours of launch.
10) List three statistics quoted in the final section 'Achievements' to demonstrate the success of the i newspaper's launch.
- On launch day 'i' was stocked in 37,000 retail outlets nationally.
- 'i' has also achieved success through daily interaction with readers and now has a Facebook following of over 18,000 and a Twitter following over 34,000 i’s was the fastest growing newspaper for 2011.
- At the end of phase one, the title had a circulation of 60,000 and following the boost in activity during the second phase of the marketing campaign, the circulation rose to 167,944 by the end of February.
The i turns five
Read this collection of quotes and messages in the Independent to celebrate the i newspaper's fifth birthday. Answer the following questions:
1) Read Nick Clegg's message ("thoughtful, independent-minded and liberal (with a small 'l')...") What does this tell us about the values and ideologies behind the i newspaper?
This tells audiences that the 'i' newspaper holds a left wing approach and is concerned with neoliberalism. This newspaper has a diversity of opinion and holds pluralistic values.
2) Why might one of the readers suggest that switching from the Daily Mail to the i has meant their "blood pressure has returned to normal"?
Audiences may consider this may as being the opinions have become balanced after reading both newspapers. As the daily mail holds right-wing approach whereas the 'i' holds a left-winging approach. This means that blood pressure has returned to normal as the views may have become more liberal.
3) Choose three other messages from readers. What do they suggest about the audience pleasures provided by the i newspaper - why do readers love it?
NICOLA STURGEON, FIRST MINISTER, SCOTLAND
- The paper’s focus on the NHS financial crisis, staffing shortage and the ongoing A&E crisis have been relentless and the paper is to be commended for that.
NICK CLEGG, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER 2010-2015
- The newspaper has been innovative, informative and entertaining in its first five years and I look forward to its continuing success in the years to come.
MIKE DAY, READING
- Your broad coverage doesn’t reinforce prejudices and encourages the re-evaluation of perspectives and opinion.
4) Scroll down towards the bottom of the article. What are the campaigns that i have run since their launch in 2010?
- Instagram, Apple’s iPad and Uber all launch.
- David Cameron becomes the 75th Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
- The cruise ship MS Queen Elizabeth launches, capable of carrying up to 2,092 passengers.
The readership is well educated and holds a variety of opinions this could also tell us that they are wealthy and middle class.
6) What did the critics say when the paper was first launched? Why did many think the paper would fail?
Critics believed that this newspaper would not be able to establish itself well enough in the market as it was said that it would not appeal to audiences.
7) Choose three quotes from the critics' reviews and discuss whether these viewpoints remain valid today.
"Brightly-coloured i has the look and feel of Metro, the national free newspaper which claims to have got a new generation reading newspapers. But its content is a good deal weightier, not least in the columnists."
This viewpoint could remain valid to some extent today because the content of newspapers has be made unique in order to appeal to audiences otherwise it cannot be read.
"Except that won’t happen. For all the talk of a new brand for a new target segment, i is actually going to be produced by the same journalists that work on the current paper. The reality for The Independent is that it cannot afford to actually create and deliver a distinct product for this segment. And even if it could, this elusive target segment wouldn’t buy it anyway."
"Will it discover the holy grail by attracting new, young readers? Will it steal readers away from other titles? Will it secure new advertising?"
This is similar to today's views as there are older readerships but not for the younger generation.
8) Look at the bestselling front page stories from 2011-2015. What do these tell us about the i's values and ideologies - and what do we learn about i readers?
The best selling front-page stories tell us that the ideologies that the newspaper holds are quite socialistic and liberal-minded. This is because stories to do with terrorism and welfare provides audiences with political opinions and generate moralist viewpoints.
Johnston Press background and research
Read this history of Johnston Press and the news of its impending break-up from veteran Guardian media correspondent Roy Greenslade.
1) How did the company begin?
2) What did Johnston Press do in the 1980s and 1990s?
He accepted that expansion was the way to go, but his financial advisers could see that his heart was not really in it, and he also lacked the know-how. They applauded his decision to float the company on the stock market in 1988, achieving an initial value of £22m.
3) List some of the regional newspapers owned by Johnston Press in its history (you may need to research this separately beyond Greenslade's article).
- Arbroath Herald.
- Banbury Guardian.
- Batley & Birstall News.
- Bellshill Speaker.
- Berwick Advertiser.
5) How does Greenslade see the future of Johnston Press - and what might happen to the i newspaper?
Johnston Press buys the i
Read this article from the website Hold The Front Page on the announcement of the Johnston Press purchase of the i newspaper - and the closure of the Independent. Answer the following questions:
1) How much did regional published Johnston Press buy the i for?
£24m
2) Who did Johnston Press buy the i from?
ESI Media, which is controlled by Evgeny Lebedev.
3) What did the sale signal for the Independent newspaper?
4) What reasons were provided by Johnston Press CEO Ashley Highfield for buying the i?
Said Ashley: “This is a transformational acquisition for Johnston Press and an important step towards delivering our long-term strategy.
“i is a highly regarded newspaper with a clear market position and a loyal readership. By joining with Johnston Press the combined circulation will be equal to 9pc of national daily circulation, making us the fourth largest player in the market.
5) The comments below the article are overwhelmingly negative. Choose three comments and explain how they criticise Johnston Press and the purchase of the i newspaper.- It makes no sense to prop up titles which aren’t cost-effective, are losing money, carry high staff numbers and salaries so there’s no real practical alternative than closure or going online only.
- “ESI Media remains committed to our brands, building on our fast-growing global footprint, whilst cementing our place as the most important destination for audiences in the capital.
- This may ultimately benefit a few people on the board, but it will be a disaster for the company and its other titles. What’s next? Perhaps Ashley should have a stab at running Greece.
Go to inews.co.uk and analyse the stories currently featured:
1) What are the top five stories? Are they examples of soft news or hard news?
- Debenhams closing 5 top high street stores.
- Ofcom tells BBC to put older women on screen.
- Phillip Green named as a businessman in sexual harassment inunction scandal.
- Ladybird release new book explaining Brexit for adults
- Gender pay gap falls.
These are mixed as it has examples of soft and hard news.
2) How is the homepage designed? Do you see similarities with the print edition?
Yes, it is similar to the print design which is also set out like a website.
3) Are there examples of ‘clickbait’? What are they?
- You can remove your home from google street view here is how.
- How i turned to sell furniture on eBay into a £100,000 business.
These stories reflect moralist views and give a diversity of opinion.
5) What similarities and differences are there between MailOnline and the i newspaper website?
The similarities are that both newspapers generate their own point of view aesthetically and provide audiences with a diverse range of news containing both hard an soft news.
The differences are the in the political interests as the i newspaper reflects ideologies of being anti-feminist and providing pluralistic values. On the other, the daily mail is different as it holds a conservative ideology promoting right-wing politics.
Now read this Business Insider feature on the launch of the i newspaper website (which coincided with the purchase of the newspaper by Johnston Press). Answer the following questions:
1) The interview with Johnston Press CEO Ashley Highfield features the claim there will be "no clickbait". Does your analysis of inews.co.uk support this claim?
No, it does not support this claim as the i news does include examples of click bait to draw attention to this newspaper.
2) He states the website will "stick very closely to the brand values of the i". What are these?
- quality
- concise daily digest
- updated continually
What we are going to try to do is stick very closely to the brand values of the i: a quality, concise daily digest, updated continually but at any one moment, when you go to the site, the idea is the matrix will give you everything you need to know to be informed on the day. I think that possibly flows better to the zeitgeist than the acres of never-ending content
4) What audience does Highfield want the website to target?
An older and affluent audience.
5) Why is the millennial audience less attractive?
They all do not have much money due to the student loans.
Additional reading
In order to develop a comprehensive understanding of all things i, you may want to read the following articles.
Read this editorial from the Independent (original parent paper for the i) regarding their royal coverage. How does this approach differ to the Daily Mail?
Read this BBC News article on the end of the Independent's print edition. Look at the analysis and graphs - what do these suggest about newspapers' future online?
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Once again, there is a lot of work here - easily 3-4+ hours reading and writing. You will be given some lesson time to start this but most of this case study work will need to be completed at home - due date specified by your exam class teacher.
Don't forget you also need to keep posting your weekly stories from MailOnline and the i newspaper website too - and we'll be continuing this after half-term (details to follow).
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