Language and contexts
Homepage
Go to the Voice homepage and answer the following:
1) What news website key conventions can you find on the Voice homepage?
The main headlines are shown on the homepage which immediately grasps the readers attention. These headlines are focused on the Black community.
2) 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?
There is a section on "faith" which is unconventional in comparison to other newspapers. There is also a section on "opinion" which seems to show controversial topics which are debated.
3) Look at the news stories on the Voice homepage. Pick two stories and explain why they might appeal to the Voice's target audience.
The story on "Strawberry Slavery" is labelled as exclusive news as it can only be found on The Voice's page. This story may appeal to the target audience as it is focused on Black history which is what the target audience is made up of. The story "Taking care of your mental health from the Inside Out" shows the values of The Voice and how they show importance for the readers mental health and is something they advocate.
4) 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 and how they encourage audiences to click through to them.
Todorov's theory can be applied here as the disequilibrium is shown on the homepage and through the other sections such as a better representation is shown and therefore creates a new equilibrium.
Lifestyle section
Now analyse the Lifestyle section of the Voice and answer the following:
1) What are the items in the sub-menu bar for the Lifestyle section and what does this suggest about the Voice audience?
The items in the sub menu bar are:
- Fashion and beauty
- Food
- Health and wellbeing
- Relationships
- Travel
2) What are the main stories in the Lifestyle section currently?
- Rastafarian soldier wins racial discrimination case against army
- Crohn's and Colitis Awareness: spot the signs of bowel disease
- London race and equality experts win aational award
The main stories in this section are about health and wellbeing - mostly to do with the NHS and support
3) Do the sections and stories in the Voice Lifestyle section challenge or reinforce black stereotypes in British media?
They challenge the stereotypes as black people are represented in a postive light, e.g: winning awards for equality.
4) Choose two stories featured in the Lifestyle section – how do they reflect the values and ideologies of the Voice?
They use their newspaper to spread awareness showing they care for the health and wellbeing of their readers, as well as having positive representations of black people.
Feature focus
1) Read this Voice opinion piece on black representation in the tech industry. How does this piece reflect the values and ideologies of The Voice?
They care for the black community and its representations; through this article they have attempted to commemorate those who are underrepresented in the tech industry and show that black people are able to have involvement in tech too.
2) Read this feature on The Black Pound campaign. How does this piece reflect the values and ideologies of The Voice?
This piece is used to raise awareness about black business owners which aligns with The Voice's values of representing black people.
Social and cultural contexts - 40 Year of Black British Lives
Read this extract from The Voice: 40 Years of Black British Lives on rapper Swiss creating Black Pound Day (you'll need your Greenford Google login to access the document). Answer the following questions:
1) What is Black Pound Day?
An event aimed at celebrating Black-owned businesses and giving the Black community a financial and emotional boost, after the racial inequality in the UK evident by the protests that followed Floyd's death.
2) How did Black Pound Day utilise social media to generate coverage and support?
The inaugural Black Pound Day attracted support from the high profile celebrities and quickly became the top-trending topic on Twitter in the Uk.
3) How do events such as Black Pound Day and the Powerlist Black Excellence Awards link to wider social, cultural and economic contexts regarding power in British society?
One of the most important manifestations of this is the Powerlist magazine and the annual Powerlist Black Excellence Awards. The Powerlist was established in 2007 when Michael Eboda, a former Editorial Director of Ethnic Media Group, left to start his own company, Powerful Media. Initiflly billed as a role model guide for young people, The Powerlist published a list of the UK's 100 most influential men and women of African, African Caribbean and African American heritage.
Audience
1) Who do you think is the target audience for the Voice website? Consider demographics and psychographics.
Middle aged, black-british, aspirers
2) What audience pleasures are provided by the Voice website? Apply media theory here such as Blumler and Katz (Uses & Gratifications).
Personal identity - black readers are able to see themselves represented
Personal relationship - depending on the article - able to connect with the person represented
3) Give examples of sections or content from the website that tells you this is aimed at a specialised or niche audience.
The majority of the content on the website is about black people, therefore this is what makes up most of The Voice's 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?
These may be key points of interest for the audience as they are prevalent issues within the British society.
Representations
1) How is the audience positioned to respond to representations in the Voice website?
Positioned to respond positively as black people are being represented and stand up against racism.
2) Are representations in the Voice an example of Gilroy’s concept of “double consciousness” NOT applying?
Yes, as the articles are about and written by black people, a black audience would be able to see the world through their eyes.
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?
A prosperous and positive identity is shown as there are a multitude of articles that show black people succeeding, which influences and inspires readers that this is a possibility and something to aspire to.
Industries
1) Read this Guardian report on the death of the original founder of the Voice. What does this tell you about the original values and ideologies behind the Voice brand?
It is to represent the underrepresented and to give them a voice.
2) Read this history of the Voice’s rivals and the struggles the Voice faced back in 2001. What issues raised in the article are still relevant today?
The Voice's early sales were poor, but it was buoyed by job adverts from the newly aware London boroughs, which were willing to pour in money to satisfy their consciences, regardless of the response. Sales eventually rose, and by the start of the 1990s the Voice had its circulation officially audited at 45,000 - a figure which was proudly printed on the front page each week above the masthead. Nothing, it seemed, could stop the inexorable rise of the Voice - not even a challenge from me, its former assistant editor, when I launched a competitor, Black Briton, in 1991.
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 or look at this Guardian article when Gleaner first acquired The Voice.
The Flair Magazine
The Financial Gleaner
Youthlink
Western Focus
The Weekly Gleaner
The Financial Gleaner
Youthlink
Western Focus
The Weekly Gleaner
4) How does the Voice website make money?
Through advertising and donations from their readers.
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?
They are typically fixed adverts. This shows that the Voice has quite a basic level of technology and that compared to most modern websites, the Voice is a lot less sophisticated. The fact that they don't use the consumer data to create specific/personalised advertisements suggests that the Voice are unable to operate at a technology level that high/they do not have the funds to do so.
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?
I think the Voice was originally designed as a public service tool - a means of giving those in the black community a platform to express themselves and be represented through (dispelling this concept of double consciousness).
7) What examples of technological convergence can you find on the Voice website – e.g. video or audio content?
The interviews offered with different influencers.
8) How has the growth of digital distribution through the internet changed the potential for niche products like the Voice?
I think that it has increased the potential outreach for products like the Voice. I think this is because people are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of gaining an insight on multiple perspectives, and because they can access the content easier now it makes it easier for niche products like the Voice to receive more recognition.
9) Analyse The Voice’s Twitter feed. How does this contrast with other Twitter feeds you have studied (such as Zendaya's)? 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 Zendaya.
- Does have a lot less text in the actual tweets - very image/video based.
10) Study a selection of videos from The Voice’s YouTubechannel. What are the production values of their video content?
- Low production value - bad video quality and sound
- Low view count - not engaging viewers
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