Guide to The Guardian Set Newspaper Cover for GCSE Educas Media Studies Component 1 Exam

Overview

• Focus: The Guardian Set Cover.
• Exam Component: Media Studies Component 1, Section A.
• Topics covered:
  • Media language
  • Representation

Context

• Represents the time around the Brexit referendum.
• Brexit: Vote to leave or remain in the EU.
• Outcome: Leave won narrowly, causing division.
• Key Events:
  • Theresa May's negotiations with the EU.
  • Boris Johnson succeeding Theresa May and his pro-leave stance.

Key Terms

• Project Fear: Remainers warning about potential negative outcomes.
• Project Prosperity: Leavers' optimistic view of post-Brexit Britain.

Media Language Elements on the Cover

Masthead

• Title: 'The Guardian' (Lowercase, unconventional style).
• Connotation: Independence, alternative perspective, guardian (protector role).

Choice of Stories

• Types: Political stories, hard news.
• Suggestion: Target audience likely educated with higher reading age.

Text and Images

• Layout: A lot of writing, image of Boris Johnson with head down.
• Connotation: Negative representation, failure of the Brexit negotiations.
• Audience Reaction: Guardian’s left-wing readers likely to support the negative portrayal.

Image Analysis

• Subject: Boris Johnson and defeated-looking MPs.
• Implication: Failure, aligns with Guardian’s stance.
• Caption: Anchors meaning, relates image to Brexit negotiations.

Representation

Political Stance

• Guardian’s Audience: Generally left-wing, anti-Conservative, and pro-remain.
• Representation of Figures: Negative portrayal of Brexit-supporting MPs.

Irony and Emotion

• Irony: Juxtaposition of Project Fear/Project Prosperity sign with defeated faces.
• Emotive Language: Words like 'warn', 'risk', 'jeopardy', 'ominous', 'horrifying'. Indicates danger and failure.

Hungarian Prime Minister

• Coverage: Negative portrayal of right-wing figure Orbán, implying a villain.
• Implication: Left-wing audience likely feels justified in opposition.

Economic Graph

• Graph Description: Simplified, plummeting graph representing economic downturn.
• Purpose: Simplifies complexity for easier comprehension.

Additional Content

Health Article

• Topic: Dairy being good for health.
• Unique Angle: Contradicts commonly held beliefs, adds variety.
• Audience: Possibly more educated, health-conscious, middle-class audience.

Cartoon Illustration

• Purpose: Adds humor, lightens overall tone.
• Balance: Provides a mix of heavy and light content.

G2 Supplement

• Content: Covers fitness and more, adding value to the newspaper.

Pricing

• Cost: £2, more expensive than other tabloids like The Sun.
• Connotation: Reflects wealthy and educated readership.

Exam Preparation

• Reminder: Covers will be provided in the exam; familiarize with them beforehand.

Conclusion

• Guide Summary: Focus on understanding cover's media language and representation for Section A questions.
• Further Resources: Additional videos available on the channel for further study.