News Industry (WJEC Eduqas GCSE Media Studies): Revision Note

Industry overview

Ownership

• Many UK newspapers are owned by large media conglomerates

• One key example is News Corporation

  • This company operates in the UK through a smaller division called News UK

• News Corporation is owned by Rupert Murdoch, a powerful media figure

  • He also owns TV, radio and publishing companies

• This shows how media ownership is concentrated

  • A small number of companies control a large amount of the media

• Other companies also dominate the UK newspaper industry, such as Reach plc

  • This company owns titles like the Daily Mirror and Daily Star

• Ownership can influence:

  • Political bias (views and opinions in newspapers)

  • Content choices (what stories are reported)

  • Audience targeting

Circulation

• Circulation is the number of copies a newspaper sells

• Although circulation has declined in recent years, newspapers are still important sources of information.

• The decline is mainly due to:

  • The rise of the internet

  • Free online news

  • Changing audience habits

• Newspapers now publish content online, showing media convergence

Bias and regulation

• Not all newspaper content is based on facts

• Sometimes newspapers publish the opinions of journalists and editors

  • This is called bias

• Bias means a news story may be one-sided or influenced by opinion rather than neutral facts

• Because of this, newspapers need to be regulated to ensure fairness

The Leveson Inquiry

• Newspaper regulation changed after The Leveson Inquiry in 2011

  • This was a public investigation led by a judge called Lord Justice Leveson

• The investigation was set up by Prime Minister David Cameron after a major press scandal

  • Journalists at the News of the World were accused of:

    • Hacking people’s voicemails without permission

    • Bribing police officers for information

• Victims included celebrities, athletes and politicians

• The newspaper was eventually closed down by News International

• The scandal highlighted some changes that needed to be made to make news regulation more effective

• Before The Leveson Inquiry, newspapers were regulated by the Press Complaints Commission (PCC)

• After The Leveson Inquiry, the PCC was replaced by the Independent Press Standards Organisation  (IPSO)

  • IPSO checks complaints and ensures newspapers follow rules

  • Editors must now follow the Editors Code of Practice

  • The Editors Code of Practice ensures that standards around content are accurate and fair