The details: for the next month, you must find a weekly news story from Teen Vogue and The Voice and read, summarise and comment on them on your blog (A*-B candidates will do more). Teen Vogue The Voice You'll also find stories related to the media linked from our Twitter account, @blogmacguffin (access it online here if you don't have the Twitter app) so make sure you're following that too. Most importantly, you need to do the following on your blog for each story...
Provide the title and weblink;
Include a relevant image, graphic or screenshot;
Summarise the story in your own words;
Explain how or why this story appeals to an audience (use media terminology and theory here);
Comment on the story: to what extent does it reflect the values and ideologies of the website? Is this an example of quality journalism or simply clickbait?
You'll be presenting these to the class each week (we'll randomly select a student and you'll be expected to present from memory, so make sure you come prepared) and this will ensure you build up an archive of stories from the CSP texts to widen your media knowledge base and provide examples to use in exam questions and essays. What will this look like? Although this was for a slightly different task for the old specification Year 13 exam, this blog post from one of our previous Media students gives you an idea of what a valuable resource these stories quickly become. Teen Vogue
It seems unlikely that Rihanna actually blocked a member of her team, but this isn't the first time that someone has asked for an update on her music career. She might be closing out the year with a temporary hiatus, but with the star previously dropping hints about a reggae album back in October, there is hope for the future. In the meantime, there are literally countless other ways for you to support the star, and you can always take a trip through her back catalog. The Voice
Birmingham has undergone major re-development over the last decade and a half, with the rebuilding of its iconic Bull Ring Shopping Centre and Library of Birmingham. It is also the home of the largest branch of Primark in Europe, which recently joined the likes of Selfridges as an international retailer making its home in the city’s centre. Set to benefit from the UK’s groundbreaking but controversial HS2 (high speed rail) service, scheduled to open in 2026, Birmingham’s position among Europe’s most iconic venues is secure.
Our second Online, Social and Participatory CSP is the Voice newspaper website - a niche publication targeting the black British community.
The Voice has a significant place in the social and historical context of race relations and representation in Britain, launching in 1982 in the wake of the Brixton race riots. It is also the perfect case study to further develop our understanding of Paul Gilroy's postcolonial theory we studied last lesson.
The Voice - background and notes The Voice, founded in 1982, is the only British national black weekly newspaper operating in the United Kingdom. It is owned by GV Media Group Limited, and is aimed at the British African-Caribbean community. The paper is based in London and is published every Thursday. The first issue of The Voice was printed to coincide with the Notting Hill Carnival in August 1982. Its cover price was 54 pence, and was only sold in London.
In 1981, the Brixton race riots shone a spotlight on race relations in Britain.
The Voice emerged in 1982 partly as a result of these riots – both due to the need to offer a voice and representation to black Britons and also due to a business loan from Barclays Bank. The bank was keen at the time to improve their reputation with the black community due to investments in Apartheid South Africa.
Social context - The Battle for Brixton documentary
The Voice analysis: production values The Voice offers a strong contrast to Teen Vogue with significantly lower production values across its digital operations – website design, video content and social media. However, the growth of digital technology means that the Voice can effectively compete on the same playing field as Teen Vogue, albeit targeting a niche audience. Watch this video on influential black women in business and compare it to Teen Vogue’s video content – similar in ideology but very different in production values (note the view count too):
The Voice: representation
The Voice was launched to cater for the interests of British-born black people. Applying Gilroy’s work on “double consciousness”, it could be argued that the Voice was launched to give black audiences an opportunity to see the world through their own eyes rather than through the prism of white, often-racist mainstream British media.
The Voice: industries The Voice is owned by Jamaican media organising the Gleaner company and published in Britain by GV Media Group. It is a significant contrast to Teen Vogue and the international giant Conde Nast.
Recently, in a similar move to The Guardian's request for donations, The Voice asks its readers to support the publication by paying donations via PayPal. This raises interesting questions regarding the financial viability of online news media and particularly niche publications such as The Voice (or indeed Oh Comely). The Voice: case study blog tasks
1) What news website key conventions can you find on the Voice homepage?
A menu bar is on the homepage.
2) How does the page design differ from Teen Vogue?
The information and pictures used on the website are very scattered around. Teen Vogue was more simple and formal.
3) What are some of the items in the top menu bar and what does this tell you about the content, values and ideologies of the Voice?
'News', 'sports', 'lifestyle', 'entertainment', 'faith', 'opinion', 'video', 'publications' and 'more'
4) Look at the news stories on The Voice homepage. Choose three stories and discuss how they have presented the news from an angle or perspective that reflects The Voice's role as a voice for black Britons.
One of the news stories that show the reflection of The Voice is the news about 'General Election: Record number of ethnic minority candidates likely to be elected'.
They also talk about the elections and the '‘Why I want the black community to back the Brexit Party’. This reflecting The Voice once again as they are able to show the voice for black Britons.
5) How is narrative used to encourage audience engagement with the Voice? Apply narrative theories (e.g. Todorov equilibrium or Barthes’ enigma codes) and make specific reference to stories on the homepage.
A lot of enigma codes have been used to get the attention of their audience and make them have a sense of personal identity.
1) What are the items in the sub-menu bar for the Lifestyle section and what does this suggest about the Voice audience?
'Fashion & Beauty', 'Food', 'Health & Wellbeing', 'Relationships', 'sponsored'and there's a lot more. This shows they are very informative about all of the key concepts in lifestyle which could be very helpful to their audience.
2) What are the main stories in the Lifestyle section currently?
The main stories currently in lifestyle is the '2019 black magic awards'.
3) How does the Lifestyle section of the Voice differ from Teen Vogue?
It is very scattered unlike Teen Vogue that is neatly organised and The Voice is a little bit confusing,
4) Do the sections and stories in the Voice Lifestyle section challenge or reinforce black stereotypes in British media?
It challenges the representation of black people in media.
5) Choose three stories featured in the Lifestyle section – how do they reflect the values and ideologies of the Voice?
'2019 black magic award'- This empowers black women in Briton.
'Black owned swimming cap'- they are creating more awareness of black people that own these businesses with the The Voice audience.
Relationships- quotes that can relate to their audience so it could be a sense of personal relationships.
Feature focus
1) Readthis Voice news story on Grenfell tower and Doreen Lawrence. How might this story reflect the Voice’s values and ideologies? What do the comments below suggest about how readers responded to the article? Can you link this to Gilroy’s work on the ‘Black Atlantic’ identity?
2) Read/watchthis Lifestyle feature about the Black Magic Awards. How do the article and video content reflect the values and ideologies of the Voice? What do you notice about the production values of the video interviews?
1) Who do you think is the target audience for the Voice website? Consider demographics and psychographics.
I think the target audience is black British people.
2) What audience pleasures are provided by the Voice website? Apply media theory here such as Blumler and Katz (Uses & Gratifications).
There is personal identity, personal relationship and perhaps a sense of diversion.
3) Give examples of content from the website that tells you this is aimed at a specialised or niche audience.
It is mostly relating to a black audience.
4) Studying the themes of politics, history and racism that feature in some of the Voice’s content, why might this resonate with the Voice’s British target audience?
Their past experiences such as the Brixton riots could be resonated.
5) Can you find any examples of content on the Voice website created or driven by the audience or citizen journalism? How does this reflect Clay Shirky’s work on the ‘end of audience’ and the era of ‘mass amateurisation’?
QualityoftheVoice'scontentandtheirproductionvalues is shown in theideaofmassamatuerisation.
Representations
1) How is the audience positioned to respond to representations in the Voice website?
They are positioned to represent it in a very positive way.
2) Are representations in the Voice an example of Gilroy’s concept of “double consciousness” NOT applying? Why?
This is positive representation as this allows black people to have more confidence.
3) What kind of black British identity is promoted on the Voice website? Can you find any examples of Gilroy’s “liquidity of culture” or “unruly multiculturalism” here?
It allows the black people to have a voice in this.
4) Applying Stuart Hall’s constructivist approach to representations, how might different audiences interpret the representations of black Britons in the Voice?
Shows the struggles of being a black people in a western society and that brings the black people community to unite.
5) Do you notice any other interesting representations in the Voice website? For example, representations or people, places or groups (e.g. gender, age, Britishness, other countries etc.)
There is no white originated ethnic person in this.
"Once Britain's leading Afro-Caribbean journal, the Voice was proud of its large circulation. But now, two decades after its launch, it has lost its way and its readership. Joseph Harker on the future of the black press."
3) The Voice is now published by GV Media Group, a subsidiary of the Jamaican Gleaner company. What other media brands do the Gleaner company own and why might they be interested in owning the Voice? You'll need to research this using Google/Wikipedia.
This allows the Voice to reach a wider audience meaning more profit coming in.
4) How does the Voice website make money? What is your opinion of the 'asking for donations' approach that The Voice is now using?
Through advertisements that they have. It is a very useful method to allow them to have money to be able to produce more content.
5) What adverts or promotions can you find on the Voice website? Are the adverts based on the user’s ‘cookies’ or fixed adverts? What do these adverts tell you about the level of technology and sophistication of the Voice’s website? The adverts clearly present their target market and it shows that they do look at cookies.
6) Is there an element of public service to the Voice’s role in British media or is it simply a vehicle to make profit?
They are using polls and questionnaires that shows it is a public service.
7) What examples of technological convergence can you find on the Voice website – e.g. video or audio content?
The voice do have a youtube channel.
8) How has the growth of digital distribution through the internet changed the potential for niche products like the Voice?
Allows The Voice to reach a more wider audience.
9) Analyse the Voice’s Twitter feed. How does this contrast with other Twitter feeds you have studied (such as MailOnline or Teen Vogue)? Are there examples of ‘clickbait’ or does the Voice have a different feel?
The Voice's twitter feed has a lot more clickbait compared to the twitter feed for Teen Vogue.
10) Study a selection of videos from the Voice’s YouTube channel. How does this content differ from Teen Vogue? What are the production values of their video content? They have low generation esteems and appear to be taped and altered by non-experts which could be a resul of a low spending plan.
