Newspaper industries –ownership and control question: who controls The Observer / Guardian and what are its values?
The Observer and the Guardian are owned by a trust which was set up in the 1930s.
The Astor family established The Observer's liberal values, with David Astor as the editor until the mid 1970s. the newspaper easily fitted the values of the Scott Trust.
Press freedom and regulation question: What is meant by 'a free press'? When The Guardian newspaper investigated (and revealed) what The News of The World newspaper had done to get stories, what big changes in press regulation resulted?
'A free press' means that newspapers and older media are able to campaign on political issues and journalists are expected to be extremely critical of those who are in power.
When The Guardian newspaper investigated and revealed what 'The News of The World' newspaper had done to get stories, in response, the majority of the press joined a new regulator named IPSO (Independent Press Standards Organisation) which refused to apply to the recognition body as they saw this as unwarranted state interference in the free press.
Convergence question: "When newspapers operate online there is technological and cultural convergence." What does this mean in The Observer?
This means that The Observer online recognisably follows the structure of the print edition, but with greater prominence for the lifestyle, food and sport sections that are kept out of the main section of the print newspaper, plus a much higher proportion of photography and headlines to copy on the home page.
Newspaper audiences question: The Observer has different sections designed to appeal to different types of readers. Explain this with examples.
There are interviews, comedic opinion pieces and reviews of theatre, dance, music, cinema, architecture, computer games, and television listings; all of this appeals to the culture consumer. If there is a variety of different sections in the newspaper, it can be appealing to a variety of different readers.
Uses and gratification question: how does The Observer meet readers' needs for personal identity and social integration?
For personal identity, it allows the readers to read about topics that interest them and learn more about their interests. For social integration, it allows the readers to share their interests and create discussions regarding certain topics.
Active/passive audiences question: in what way can The Observer's audience be 'active' ?
Readers of The Observer can be 'active' as they can share articles or comment on them. This can give The Observer an idea of what the readers think about certain subjects.
