Daily Mail and Mail Online CSP

 Daily Mail and Mail Online CSP: Blog tasks

Work through the following tasks to complete your case study on the Daily Mail and Mail Online

Daily Mail and Mail Online analysis 

Use your own purchased copy or our scanned copy of the Brexit edition from January 2020 plus the notable front pages above to answer the following questions - bullet points/note form is fine.

1) What are the most significant front page headlines seen in the Daily Mail in recent years?

Some of the most significant front page headlines in recent years include Brexit, Partygate, and the COVID lockdown announcements. These stories became major front page news because they involved national politics, government decisions, and issues that affected everyday life across Britain. The Daily Mail often presents these stories in a dramatic and emotionally charged way to create strong audience reaction.

2) Ideology and audience: What ideologies are present in the Daily Mail? Is the audience positioned to respond to stories in a certain way?

The Daily Mail reflects strong conservative values, often promoting patriotism, traditional family values, national identity, and law and order. Readers are often positioned to respond emotionally and support ideas linked to protecting Britain, British institutions, and traditional social values. Although the paper often supports Conservative viewpoints, it mainly encourages readers to adopt a right leaning perspective rather than directly telling them how to vote.

3) How do the Daily Mail stories you have studied reflect British culture and society?

The Daily Mail reflects British culture by focusing heavily on the British government, the NHS, the Royal Family, celebrities, and popular television programmes such as EastEnders and Strictly Come Dancing. These stories show what topics are important in British daily life, combining politics with entertainment and national identity. This mix reflects how British society often values both serious public issues and popular culture.

Now visit Mail Online and look at a few stories before answering these questions:

1) What are the top five stories? Are they examples of soft news or hard news? Are there any examples of ‘clickbait’ can you find?

The top five stories are mainly about the Iran conflict, oil supplies, and UK political reaction, so they are mostly hard news because they focus on war, politics, and the economy. However, stories like the Karen Hauer Strictly article are soft news because they focus on entertainment and celebrity. There are also clickbait-style headlines, such as the “meno-middle” story, because they hide key information and use dramatic wording to make people click.

2) To what extent do the stories you have found on MailOnline reflect the values and ideologies of the Daily Mail newspaper?

The stories reflect the Daily Mail’s right-wing and conservative values. They focus on patriotism, law and order, criticism of Labour, and concern about threats to Britain. There is also a strong focus on the Royal Family, British identity, and traditional values. At the same time, celebrity and lifestyle stories reflect the paper’s middle-market style.

3) Think about audience appeal and gratifications: why is MailOnline the most-read English language newspaper website in the world? How does it keep you on the site?

MailOnline is so popular because it has a huge mix of stories, including politics, war, celebrities, health, sport, and lifestyle. This appeals to lots of different audiences. It keeps readers on the site with bold headlines, big images, constant updates, and lots of links to related stories. This gives audiences information, entertainment, and distraction, which links to Blumler and Katz’s Uses and Gratifications theory.

Factsheet 175 - Case Study: The Daily Mail (Part 1)

Read Media Factsheet 175: Case Study: The Daily Mail (Part 1) and complete the following questions/tasks. Our Media Factsheet archive is on the Media Shared drive: M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets or online here (you'll need your Greenford Google login).

1) What news content generally features in the Daily Mail?

The Daily Mail is a middle-market tabloid, meaning it combines serious news with entertainment. It includes political stories, crime, health, celebrity news, lifestyle features, and human-interest stories. It sits between broadsheet newspapers and more sensational tabloids.

2) What is the Daily Mail’s mode of address? 

The Daily Mail’s mode of address is direct and persuasive, often speaking to readers in a personal and emotional way. It traditionally appeals strongly to a female middle-market audience through lifestyle content, family issues, health stories, and emotional framing.

3) What techniques of persuasion does the Daily Mail use to attract and retain readers?

The Daily Mail uses emotional language, dramatic headlines, and persuasive framing to influence reader response. It often creates agreement with its viewpoints through practical arguments, emotional reactions, and associations with shared values. These techniques help build strong reader loyalty.

4) What is the Daily Mail’s editorial stance?

The Daily Mail has traditionally supported the Conservative Party and often criticises Labour governments and left-wing politics. Its editorial stance is generally conservative, particularly on immigration, national identity, and social change.

5) Read this brilliant YouGov article on British newspapers and their political stance. Where does the Daily Mail fit in the overall picture of UK newspapers? 

The Daily Mail is widely seen as one of Britain’s most right-wing newspapers. It has a strong conservative reputation and is often identified as the most clearly right-leaning title among major UK newspapers.

Factsheet 177 - Case Study: The Daily Mail (Part 2)

Now read Media Factsheet 177: Case Study: The Daily Mail (Part 2) and complete the following questions/tasks. Our Media Factsheet archive is on the Media Shared drive: M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets or online here (you'll need your Greenford Google login).

1) How did the launch of the Daily Mail change the UK newspaper industry?

The Daily Mail helped modernise newspapers by introducing shorter articles, simpler language, and the inverted pyramid style. This made news easier to read for newly literate lower-middle-class readers and increased newspaper popularity.

2) What company owns the Daily Mail? What other newspapers, websites and brands do they own?

The Daily Mail is owned by Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT). DMGT also owns MailOnline and other media and business brands.

3) Between 1992 and 2018 the Daily Mail editor was Paul Dacre. What is Dacre’s ideological position and his view on the BBC?

Paul Dacre became known for strong conservative editorial leadership. He was highly critical of the BBC, arguing that it often reflected liberal values and did not represent the views of ordinary British readers.

4) Why did Guardian journalist Tim Adams describe Dacre as the most dangerous man in Britain? What example stories does Adams refer to?

Tim Adams argued that Dacre had huge influence over public opinion because of the way the Daily Mail repeatedly framed issues such as immigration and national identity. He suggested this style could shape public fears and political attitudes.

5) How does the Daily Mail cover the issue of immigration? What representations are created in this coverage?

Immigration is often presented negatively, with migrants linked to crime, pressure on services, or threats to national identity. This creates stereotypical representations and often encourages fear or concern among readers.

Factsheet 182 - Case Study: The Daily Mail (Part 3) Industrial Context

Finally, read Media Factsheet 182 - Case Study: The Daily Mail (Part 3) Industrial Context and complete the following questions/tasks. Our Media Factsheet archive is on the Media Shared drive: M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets or online here (you'll need your Greenford Google login).

1) What do Curran and Seaton suggest regarding the newspaper industry and society?

James Curran and Jean Seaton argue that media industries are shaped by power and ownership. Newspapers must attract audiences to survive, but ownership also affects which views become dominant.

2) What does the factsheet suggest regarding newspaper ownership and influence over society?

The larger the readership, the greater the political and cultural influence a newspaper can have. This gives powerful newspaper owners influence over public debate.

3) Why did the Daily Mail invest heavily in developing MailOnline in the 2000s?

The Daily Mail invested heavily in MailOnline because digital audiences were growing rapidly. Online success offered greater reach, more advertising revenue, and a global audience.

4) How does MailOnline reflect the idea of newspapers ‘as conversation’?

MailOnline includes many different types of stories and voices, creating a constant flow of information, opinion, entertainment, and debate. This reflects the idea that newspapers are no longer just reporting facts but also shaping public discussion.

5) How many stories and pictures are published on MailOnline?

MailOnline publishes around 1,000 stories and approximately 10,000 images each day.

6) How does original MailOnline editor Martin Clarke explain the success of the website?

Martin Clarke explained that MailOnline succeeds because it covers everything: major world events, lighter stories, and unusual stories that attract curiosity.

7) How is the priority for stories on the homepage established on MailOnline?

Stories that receive the highest number of clicks are moved higher on the homepage. This means audience behaviour directly affects which stories become most visible.

8) What is your view of ‘clicks’ driving the news agenda? Should we be worried that readers are now ‘in control of digital content’?

Clicks can help show what audiences are interested in, but they can also encourage sensational stories over important public-interest journalism. This means readers have influence, but it can also shift attention away from serious issues.

A/A* extension task

If you'd like to go the extra mile on this CSP, read this Guardian column by Media veteran Peter Preston on a row between the Guardian and the Mail over the controversial MailOnline (ex-) columnist Katie Hopkins. You could then answer the following questions if you wish:

1) Why does Preston suggest that the Daily Mail and MailOnline should be considered to be basically the same publication?

2) How does Preston summarise other newspaper websites?

3) How many readers does the online-only Independent now boast?

4) Do you feel the Daily Mail and MailOnline have a different ‘world view’?

5) Do you see a future for the paper version of the Daily Mail or will it eventually close like the Independent?