OSP: The Voice - blog case study
The Voice CSP: case study blog tasks
The Voice homepage follows standard news website conventions. It features a masthead with the Voice logo, a clear and accessible top menu bar, a search function, and multiple news stories arranged across the page. The overall layout mirrors that of mainstream news sites, establishing its credibility as a professional publication.
The top menu includes sections such as Opinion and Faith. The Opinion section provides a platform for diverse perspectives within the Black British community, helping to challenge “double consciousness” and promote authentic representation. The Faith section reflects the values of an audience likely rooted in cultural and spiritual traditions, possibly appealing to older generations who have grown up with The Voice since its early years in the 1980s and 1990s.
One story that would appeal to The Voice’s target audience is “Top Jamaican diplomat and acting legend join fight to save Black Britons affected by sickle cell.” This story highlights activism and support for the Black British community, addressing a health issue that disproportionately affects Black people. By focusing on prominent Black figures taking action, The Voice celebrates representation, empowerment, and community care; values that align closely with the paper’s mission.
Another story, “Anne Mensah, Kanya King among the winners at this year’s Black British Business Awards,” would also attract readers. It celebrates professional achievement and success within the Black community, offering inspiration and positive role models. For The Voice’s audience, these stories provide both recognition and pride, countering negative stereotypes often found in mainstream media.
The Voice engages audiences through narrative techniques like Barthes’ enigma codes and Todorov’s equilibrium. Headlines create mystery and provoke questions that draw readers in, while stories of tragedy and community response follow a disruption-to-resolution structure that builds empathy. Together, these techniques turn real events into powerful narratives of struggle and resilience, encouraging readers to click through and engage emotionally.
The sub-menu includes Fashion & Beauty, Food, Health & Wellbeing, Relationships, and Travel. These topics reflect a culturally aware audience with interests in personal development, wellness, and identity. The Travel section, in particular, reflects Paul Gilroy’s ideas about diasporic identity and the “liquidity of culture,” showing how the Black British experience extends globally.
The main stories in The Voice Lifestyle section include:
Community – Urban Synergy continues to open doors, celebrating a grassroots charity empowering young people.
Business – In review: Black Tech Fest 2025, highlighting Black innovation in technology.
Culture and Joy – Black joy takes centre stage at ‘The Sitdown UK’, showcasing positive expressions of Black identity.
Health & Wellbeing – Stars unite at Black Women Rising’s first Awareness Luncheon, promoting awareness of cancer within the Black community.
Fashion & Beauty – World Afro Day does breakfast at Parliament and World Afro Day targets official Guinness World Record attempt, both celebrating natural hair and cultural pride.
Food – It’s Delish, Food in a Patois style, and Afrikana on the rise, which all spotlight Black culinary creativity and entrepreneurship.
Travel – Barbados beyond the beaches and Africa Travel Connect: A bold vision for tourism, promoting diasporic connection and global Black excellence.
The stories challenge stereotypes traditionally seen in British media. Rather than focusing on deficit narratives like crime or hardship, The Voice’s Lifestyle section celebrates achievement, culture, and empowerment.
Features like Black Tech Fest 2025 and Urban Synergy continues to open doors highlight success and leadership, opposing the stereotype of underachievement.
Pieces such as Black joy takes centre stage and World Afro Day promote positive identity, pride, and unity, rejecting negative portrayals of Blackness.
Even health stories like Black Women Rising’s Awareness Luncheon frame vulnerability through community strength and resilience, rather than victimhood.
Overall, The Voice uses Lifestyle coverage to reclaim representation, offering empowering narratives that normalise success, wellbeing, and joy within the Black British community.
''Black joy takes centre stage at ‘The Sitdown UK"
This story embodies The Voice’s commitment to celebrating Black culture and positivity. By spotlighting an event dedicated to joy and creativity, it reflects the paper’s ideology of upliftment and community pride. It positions Black identity as multifaceted and vibrant, countering the often negative framing of Black experiences in mainstream media.
''Urban Synergy continues to open doors''
This article reflects The Voice’s value of community empowerment and representation. It celebrates a grassroots organisation helping young people access opportunities, reinforcing The Voice’s belief in education, mentorship, and social mobility. The story promotes collective responsibility and long-term change, central to the paper’s mission of advocating for the Black British community.
This article highlights the importance of diversity and inclusion in technology, aligning with The Voice’s mission to celebrate Black innovation and push for equality in underrepresented industries. It reinforces the idea that progress requires both representation and collaboration within British society.
The Black Pound feature emphasises community support and economic empowerment. By discussing how Black entrepreneurs face barriers to funding, it calls for collective action to support Black-owned businesses further aligning with The Voice’s wider goal of uplifting and strengthening the Black British community.
This story reflects The Voice’s commitment to addressing racial injustice and holding institutions accountable. The mixed audience reactions, some agreeing, others challenging the claim of racism show an active, critical readership. Linked to Gilroy’s Black Atlantic identity, it highlights the ongoing struggle against racism and the normalisation of racial inequalities in British society.
Black Pound Day encourages people to support Black-owned businesses, both locally and online, helping to strengthen communities that have been historically underfunded and marginalised.
Social media, especially Twitter, played a key role. The campaign gained traction through celebrity endorsements and quickly became a trending topic, showing how digital activism can amplify social causes.
Both events highlight systemic inequality while celebrating Black excellence. They challenge existing power structures by giving visibility and recognition to Black professionals and entrepreneurs within British society.
The target audience is likely aged 25 and over, though many readers may be older. The audience is primarily working to middle class, urban-based (especially in London), and socially conscious. Psychographically, they could be described as Strugglers or Resigned Reformers, individuals seeking representation, identity, and empowerment.
Applying Blumler and Katz’s Uses and Gratifications theory, the website offers personal identity and surveillance pleasures. Readers can see their culture and community represented, while staying informed about issues that affect them directly.
Many headlines explicitly reference “Black men” or “Black women,” showing that the publication serves a niche audience seeking representation in British media.
These themes speak to shared experiences of inequality and cultural pride. By addressing them, The Voice helps readers feel connected, informed, and motivated to engage in social change.
The Voice positions its readers to feel proud, informed, and connected. It celebrates Black achievements and promotes unity within the community.
Yes. The Voice offers a confident, positive Black identity that doesn’t rely on white validation, meaning Gilroy’s concept of “double consciousness” is resisted or transcended.
The Voice promotes a global, diasporic Black identity that celebrates achievements across nations, an example of Gilroy’s “liquidity of culture.”
Black readers may see empowerment and cultural pride, while non-Black audiences might interpret the content as educational or awareness-raising, offering insight into experiences beyond their own.
The Voice often portrays white institutions critically, for example, when reporting on racism or injustice which reflects its role as a counter-hegemonic voice challenging mainstream narratives.
Val McCalla founded The Voice to give a platform to Black Britons born and raised in the UK who had been excluded from mainstream media. His goal was to offer “a voice to the voiceless.”
Racial inequality and distrust between Black communities and the police remain ongoing concerns, showing how some systemic issues have persisted over decades.
The Gleaner, which owns outlets such as The Star, Power 106FM and FAME 95FM, benefits from expanding its audience internationally. Owning The Voice strengthens cultural and media links between Jamaica and the UK, enhancing the brand’s global influence.
It generates income through advertising, sponsored content (e.g. hair transplant promotions), subscriptions to the print edition, and reader donations.
The adverts, such as those for hair transplants, suggest a relatively niche audience and limited use of algorithmic targeting. This indicates a smaller-scale operation compared to mainstream digital news outlets.
Yes. While privately owned, The Voice plays a vital public service role by representing communities often ignored by mainstream media and amplifying their stories.
The Voice integrates video content and links to YouTube, using multimedia to enhance storytelling and audience engagement.
Online platforms have allowed The Voice to reach wider audiences at lower costs, overcoming the limitations of print distribution and connecting with younger readers through social media.
With around 53,000 followers, The Voice’s Twitter has a modest following compared to celebrities like Zendaya. Its content focuses on news and advocacy rather than entertainment, with minimal clickbait and more informative, community-driven posts.
Production quality varies: some videos are high-definition with clear audio, while others show more basic editing and sound. Despite this, the content remains authentic and relevant, prioritising message and representation over polish.
A/A* Extension tasks
Comments
Post a Comment