Unveiling Bias: A Comparative Analysis of The Guardian and The Daily Mail

• Media Studies
• Further Education (Key Stage 5)

Unveiling Bias: A Comparative Analysis of The Guardian and The Daily Mail

Learning Objective

At the end of the lesson, you will be able to compare and analyze the differences in content, language, and bias between The Guardian and The Daily Mail.

What do you already know about The Guardian and The Daily Mail?

The Daily Mail: Overview

• The Daily Mail and General trust (DMGT) is a British media company that manages a multinational portfolio and operates in over 40 countries through a number of subsidiaries. 

• DMG Media owns: The Daily Mail, the Mail on Sunday, Metro, MailOnline, Metro.co.uk

• Also owns 24.9% shares in the Evening Standard

• Ownership has stayed within the Rothermere Family who founded and have owned the paper for over 100 years. Jonathan Harmsworth is the owner and chairman/controlling shareholder

The Daily Mail

Daily Mail's Economic Models and Funding

• Traditional newspaper model relies on circulation sale advertising.

• Circulation figures have dropped by 12.9% since 2016, indicating less revenue from circulation.

• Advertising revenue is developed by MailMetroMedia, with cost per color display, classified, and banner ad.

• Drop in print news circulation may discourage advertisers from paying large sums.

Alternative Revenue Options and Solutions

• DMG Media, a multinational multimedia company, reported total revenues of £2 billion in 2017.

• DMG Media's revenue in 2017 was £683 million, a 23-fold decrease from 2016.

• DMG Media offset losses through increased advertising profits, increased cover price, and closure of Dideot printing facilities.

Technological Developments

• Daily Mail has adapted to technological changes, including the telegraph and the growth of MailOnline.

• In July 2017, MailOnline attracted 7.7 million online readers and 22.7 million mobile readers.

•They reach 70% of the UK population with the paper and MailOnline. - They have developed MailOnline to offset loss from print sales

The Daily Mail

Daily Mail's News Gathering, Gatekeeping, and Values

• Founded in 1992, the Daily Mail favored short articles and persuasive prose.

• Rebranded as a tabloid in the 1980s, it still emphasizes popular journalism.

• The Daily Mail's gatekeeping and news values are influenced by its political agenda.

• Galtung and Ruge's 12 values prioritise negativity, threshold, personalisation, reference to elite people, reference to elite nations, meaningfulness, and consonance.

• Editor Paul Dacre from 1992-2018 favoured sensationalised, personalised news, particularly on social issues like immigration, welfare system, and political policy.

• New editor Geordie Greig may adopt a new approach, but his application of news values and coverage will continue to appeal to the audience.

The Daily Mail

Political Bias of Daily Mail

• Established in the 1930s, the Daily Mail has a historical bias towards the right wing.

• Owners and editors have reinforced this bias, with Harold Harmsworth encouraging positive depictions of right-wing movements.

• David English, editor of the Daily Mail in the 1980s, supported Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and the Conservative Party.

• Paul Dacre supported the Conservative Party and pro-leave politicians in the EU referendum.

• The paper's political power and reach are immense, with 74% of its readers voting Conservative in the 2017 General Election.

Regulation and Complaints

• The Daily Mail is a member of IPSO, subject to investigations if a complaint is made against them.

• IPSO investigated 17 cases between 2016 and 2018, mostly due to breeches in accuracy, privacy, and intrusion in the reporting of news stories.

• IPSO upheld only two of the I7 complaints.

• In the case of Khan v Daily Mail, IPSO found the Daily Mail in breach of guidelines by publishing inaccurate, misleading, or distorted information.Political Bias: 

The Guardian: Overview

• The Guardian is known for its liberal perspective, focusing on progressive issues such as social justice, human rights, and environmental sustainability.

• Ownership: 
• The Guardian Media Group (GMG). Publishes the Guardian Newspaper, theguardian.com, and the Observer. 

• The Scott Trust which owns GMG, is a private company. Their intention was to: 

1. safeguard the Guardian from commercial or political interference
2. Protect the Guardian's news values of honest, fair, liberal investigative journalism

• A board of directors runs and reports to the Trust. Shareholders make no profit. The trust (instead of GMG) appoint the Editor in Chief of the paper. Means that the journalism is independent from commercial aspect of ownership. 

The Guardian

The Guardian's Economic Models and Funding

• The Guardian's traditional funding source is circulation sales and advertising.

• The paper's share in the UK print news market is only 2.8%.

• The Guardian's weekly circulation was 986,872 in November 2018, indicating declining sales.

• Advertising costs vary, with the cheapest advert being £5,000 and the cheapest double page spread advert at £32,400.

Alternative Revenue Options and Solutions

• In 2016, GMG set out a three-year business plan to address the economic crisis.

• The plan aimed to enhance operating efficiency, reduce costs, secure new growth opportunities, and adapt to advertising market changes.

Alternative Funding

• The Guardian has developed alternative funding streams: donations, regular supporters, and the Scott Trust endowment fund, Philanthropic (E.g Microsoft same values), reducing production costs, off setting losses with digital version of the trust

The Guardian

• Technological developments; 
• lowest circulation of print media in the UK
• They responded with: theguardian.com, The Guardian App, a daily tablet edition

Political Bias of The Guardian

• Founded to promote liberal interests, indicating a traditional left-of-center bias.

• 25-50% of the British public consider The Guardian slightly left of centre, with 30% believing it is fairly left wing.

• The paper's centre-left bias is evident in its 2004 editor's statement and opinion columns.

• The Guardian's political influence is demonstrated by 73% of readers voting Labour in the 2017 General Election.

Regulation Opposition

• The Guardian has opted out of membership in IPSO and IMPRESS due to ethical concerns and governance issues.

• The Guardian's regulation since September 2014 involves the Guardian Readers' Editor reviewing complaints.

Print News: Audiences

Demographics 

• Age, gender, social class, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, education level, income level, occupation, geographic location

Print News: Audiences

Psychometrics (VALs typology)

• values, attitudes, lifestyle of behaviour

Print News: Audience Types

Target Audience:

• a specific group of people targeted by the newspaper, usually identified by demographics and psychometrics

Mass audience: 

• a very large audience including a wide range of people made up of different demographics and psychometrics. Print news traditionally attracts a mass audience

Niche Audience:

• a small, select group of people who have a unique interest so are identified by psychometrics and often by lifestyle preferences

Print News: Audience Types

Newspapers must appeal to audiences and advertisers to stay profitable in an increasingly competitive market. They do this through the content they offer their audiences. 

1. News stories selected

When considering how print news content appeals to target audience, we can refer to Harcup's news values. 

Newspaper Targeting and Reaching Strategies

• Price: Cover price is set to appeal to the audience's socio-demographic profile, with red top tabloids costing 40-75p and broadsheets ranging from £l.60 to £2.70.

• Cross-platform Advertising: Newspapers market their print news across various media platforms, including online and social media.

• Promotional Offers: Offers like giveaways, posters, discounts, book clubs, and shopping vouchers are used to appeal to the target audience.

• Subscriptions: Monthly and annual subscriptions invite audience loyalty, with discounts on cover price.

• Sponsorship: Newspapers sponsor events that reflect the paper's values and reader interests.

• Partnership Marketing: Synergy deals with other companies promote both products to similar audiences, aiming to widen market share.

• Audience Use and Interpretation: Audiences are assumed to be active in their selection, consumption, and interpretation of media.

• Uses and Gratifications Theory: This theory helps identify audiences' uses of print news.

Newspaper Targeting and Reaching Strategies

• Price: Cover price is set to appeal to the audience's socio-demographic profile, with red top tabloids costing 40-75p and broadsheets ranging from £l.60 to £2.70.

• Cross-platform Advertising: Newspapers market their print news across various media platforms, including online and social media.

• Promotional Offers: Offers like giveaways, posters, discounts, book clubs, and shopping vouchers are used to appeal to the target audience.

• Subscriptions: Monthly and annual subscriptions invite audience loyalty, with discounts on cover price.

• Sponsorship: Newspapers sponsor events that reflect the paper's values and reader interests.

• Partnership Marketing: Synergy deals with other companies promote both products to similar audiences, aiming to widen market share.

Audience: Daily Mail

• 59% are women

• Average age is 59

• 62% fall into the ABC1 (majority in C1) 

• Big part live in South East England

• They spend 52 minutes reading newspaper

The stories featured in the daily mail reinforce the values and interests of their conservative,  middle-aged, female target audience, through the use of news values and selected stories, technical codes and language. 

Audience: The Guardian

• 44% 55+

• 50% male and female

• 75% ABC demographic

The Guardian attracts a unique group of people, who are curious about the world around them, travel, who embrace change and new technology. They are progressive, valuable poeople.

The Guardian

The Guardian's Marketing Tools

• Offers subscriptions at a price of £2.00, catering to 75% of the ABC audience.

• Provides promotional offers supporting content in supplement papers like Review, Culture, and Travel.

• Offers a 30% discount on book costs and links to The Guardian book club.

• Offers subscriptions ranging from Saturday edition to daily (E47.62 per month).

• Demonstrates reader loyalty through monthly donations of £2-10.

• Sponsorship deals with UNICEF, Unilever, and Phillips.

• Sponsors Glastonbury Festival to appeal to millennials and their progressive values.

• Content partnership with Yahoo for global reach and targeting of mobile consumers.

Write down 3 things you learned in this lesson.

Have students enter three things they learned in this lesson. With this they can indicate their own learning efficiency of this lesson.

Write down 2 things you want to know more about.

Here, students enter two things they would like to know more about. This not only increases involvement, but also gives them more ownership.

Ask 1 question about something you haven't quite understood yet.

The students indicate here (in question form) with which part of the material they still have difficulty. For the teacher, this not only provides insight into the extent to which the students understand/master the material, but also a good starting point for the next lesson.