2. STEP 1: READ (AND UNDERSTAND) BOTH QUESTIONS
1. Analyse the different social and cultural representations in Sources A and B.
Apply Levi-Strauss’s theory of binary oppositions in your answer.
2. Sources A and B cover the same news event from two different newspapers, one print and one
online. How far have media conventions been used to construct viewpoints in Sources A and B?
In your answer you must:
• outline the conventions of newspapers front pages and online articles, including use and style
of headlines and images
• analyse the contrasting use of symbolic, technical and written conventions in the sources
• make judgements and reach conclusions on the way in which media conventions construct
viewpoints and ideologies.
3. STEP 1: READ (AND UNDERSTAND) BOTH QUESTIONS
1. Analyse the different social and cultural representations in Sources A and B.
Apply Levi-Strauss’s theory of binary oppositions in your answer.
4. STEP 1: READ (AND UNDERSTAND) BOTH QUESTIONS
1. Analyse the different social and cultural representations in Sources A and B.
Apply Levi-Strauss’s theory of binary oppositions in your answer.
What do the two sources suggest about British society?
What do the two sources suggest about British culture?
NB: Fundamentally, in a Media Studies essay there is no difference between these two things.
5. STEP 1: READ (AND UNDERSTAND) BOTH QUESTIONS
1. Analyse the different social and cultural representations in Sources A and B.
Apply Levi-Strauss’s theory of binary oppositions in your answer.
What do the two sources suggest about British society?
What do the two sources suggest about British culture?
NB: Fundamentally, in a Media Studies essay there is no difference between these two things.
6. STEP 1: READ (AND UNDERSTAND) BOTH QUESTIONS
1. Analyse the different social and cultural representations in Sources A and B.
Apply Levi-Strauss’s theory of binary oppositions in your answer.
Structuralism is the study of the hidden rules that govern a structure.
Levi-Strauss thought that the human mind could be investigated by studying the fundamental
structure underlying myths and fables from around the world (which he saw as one unitary
system). He developed the idea of the ‘binary opposition’ – that the system of myths and fables
was ruled by a structure of opposing terms, e.g. hot-cold, male-female, culture-nature, raw-
cooked.
Many writers have analysed media products using the idea of the binary opposition, but
seeing the overall system as ‘ideology’ rather than ‘human consciousness’
7. STEP 1: READ (AND UNDERSTAND) BOTH QUESTIONS
1. Analyse the different social and cultural representations in Sources A and B.
Apply Levi-Strauss’s theory of binary oppositions in your answer.
Levi-Strauss developed the idea that the structure of the underlying myths that shape culture
and society is governed by binary oppositions. For example, ideas like tradition stand in
opposition to ideas like progress, young opposes old etc.
8. STEP 1: READ (AND UNDERSTAND) BOTH QUESTIONS
1. Analyse the different social and cultural representations in Sources A and B.
Apply Levi-Strauss’s theory of binary oppositions in your answer.
2. Sources A and B cover the same news event from two different newspapers, one print and one
online. How far have media conventions been used to construct viewpoints in Sources A and B?
In your answer you must:
• outline the conventions of newspapers front pages and online articles, including use and style
of headlines and images
• analyse the contrasting use of symbolic, technical and written conventions in the sources
• make judgements and reach conclusions on the way in which media conventions construct
viewpoints and ideologies.
9. STEP 1: READ (AND UNDERSTAND) BOTH QUESTIONS
1. Analyse the different social and cultural representations in Sources A and B.
Apply Levi-Strauss’s theory of binary oppositions in your answer.
2. Sources A and B cover the same news event from two different newspapers, one print and one
online. How far have media conventions been used to construct viewpoints in Sources A and B?
In your answer you must:
• outline the conventions of newspapers front pages and online articles, including use and style
of headlines and images
• analyse the contrasting use of symbolic, technical and written conventions in the sources
• make judgements and reach conclusions on the way in which media conventions construct
viewpoints and ideologies.
10. STEP 1: READ (AND UNDERSTAND) BOTH QUESTIONS
1. Analyse the different social and cultural representations in Sources A and B.
Apply Levi-Strauss’s theory of binary oppositions in your answer.
2. Sources A and B cover the same news event from two different newspapers, one print and one
online. How far have media conventions been used to construct viewpoints in Sources A and B?
In your answer you must:
• outline the conventions of newspapers front pages and online articles, including use and style
of headlines and images
• analyse the contrasting use of symbolic, technical and written conventions in the sources
• make judgements and reach conclusions on the way in which media conventions construct
viewpoints and ideologies.
11. STEP 1: READ (AND UNDERSTAND) BOTH QUESTIONS
1. Analyse the different social and cultural representations in Sources A and B.
Apply Levi-Strauss’s theory of binary oppositions in your answer.
2. Sources A and B cover the same news event from two different newspapers, one print and one
online. How far have media conventions been used to construct viewpoints in Sources A and B?
In your answer you must:
• outline the conventions of newspapers front pages and online articles, including use and style
of headlines and images
• analyse the contrasting use of symbolic, technical and written conventions in the sources
• make judgements and reach conclusions on the way in which media conventions construct
viewpoints and ideologies.
12. STEP 1: READ (AND UNDERSTAND) BOTH QUESTIONS
1. Analyse the different social and cultural representations in Sources A and B.
Apply Levi-Strauss’s theory of binary oppositions in your answer.
2. Sources A and B cover the same news event from two different newspapers, one print and one
online. How far have media conventions been used to construct viewpoints in Sources A and B?
Find an example of a convention being used or broken.
Explain what meaning it is being used to connote.
Connect it to a viewpoint/ideology.
14. Question 1: LEVI-STRAUSS
Image
Literally opposite
Young vs Old
Traditional vs Progress
Duty vs Self
Unity vs Division
Anchoring Text
Speaking Out vs Speech
- Reinforces opposition
Banner Headline
Reads almost like a proclamation –
“everything”
Sub-headline
“real” vs fake
Stand First
“powerful” “dedication”
Sub-headline 2?
“bombshell”
Semantic field of warfare
Teasers
Nazanin: freedom vs imprisonment
Beat Diabetes – health vs disease
Question 2: CONVENTIONS
Image
Convention for image to
accompany text.
Break with convention as images
from different stories.
Anchoring Text
Traditionalist readers value duty.
Stiff upper lip etc.
Banner Headline
Traditional right wing values
Royalist and traditionalist
Sub-headline
Commonwealth – Unity
Gilroy – Black Atlantic???
Stand First
Establishes is clear bias.
“powerful” “dedication”
Teasers
Nazanin: freedom vs imprisonment
International/Political news
Beat Diabetes – health vs disease
Health Conscious
15. Question 1: LEVI-STRAUSS
Image
Literally opposite
Young vs Old
Traditional vs Progress
Duty vs Self
Unity vs Division
Anchoring Text
Speaking Out vs Speech
- Reinforces opposition
Banner Headline
Reads almost like a proclamation –
“everything”
Sub-headline
“real” vs fake
Stand First
“powerful” “dedication”
Sub-headline 2?
“bombshell”
Semantic field of warfare
Teasers
Nazanin: freedom vs imprisonment
Beat Diabetes – health vs disease
Question 2: CONVENTIONS
Image
Convention for image to
accompany text.
Break with convention as images
from different stories.
Anchoring Text
Traditionalist readers value duty.
Stiff upper lip etc.
Banner Headline
Traditional right wing values
Royalist and traditionalist
Sub-headline
Commonwealth – Unity
Gilroy – Black Atlantic???
Stand First
Establishes is clear bias.
“powerful” “dedication”
Teasers
Nazanin: freedom vs imprisonment
International/Political news
Beat Diabetes – health vs disease
Health Conscious
16. Question 1: LEVI-STRAUSS
Image
Literally opposite
Young vs Old
Traditional vs Progress
Duty vs Self
Unity vs Division
Anchoring Text
Speaking Out vs Speech
- Reinforces opposition
Banner Headline
Reads almost like a proclamation –
“everything”
Sub-headline
“real” vs fake
Stand First
“powerful” “dedication”
Sub-headline 2?
“bombshell”
Semantic field of warfare
Teasers
Nazanin: freedom vs imprisonment
Beat Diabetes – health vs disease
Question 2: CONVENTIONS
Image
Convention for image to
accompany text.
Break with convention as images
from different stories.
Anchoring Text
Traditionalist readers value duty.
Stiff upper lip etc.
Banner Headline
Traditional right wing values
Royalist and traditionalist
Sub-headline
Commonwealth – Unity
Gilroy – Black Atlantic???
Stand First
Establishes is clear bias.
“powerful” “dedication”
Teasers
Nazanin: freedom vs imprisonment
International/Political news
Beat Diabetes – health vs disease
Health Conscious
17. Question 1: LEVI-STRAUSS
Image
Literally opposite
Young vs Old
Traditional vs Progress
Duty vs Self
Unity vs Division
Anchoring Text
Speaking Out vs Speech
- Reinforces opposition
Banner Headline
Reads almost like a proclamation –
“everything”
Sub-headline
“real” vs fake
Stand First
“powerful” “dedication”
Sub-headline 2?
“bombshell”
Semantic field of warfare
Teasers
Nazanin: freedom vs imprisonment
Beat Diabetes – health vs disease
Question 2: CONVENTIONS
Image
Convention for image to
accompany text.
Break with convention as images
from different stories.
Anchoring Text
Traditionalist readers value duty.
Stiff upper lip etc.
Banner Headline
Traditional right wing values
Royalist and traditionalist
Sub-headline
Commonwealth – Unity
Gilroy – Black Atlantic???
Stand First
Establishes is clear bias.
“powerful” “dedication”
Teasers
Nazanin: freedom vs imprisonment
International/Political news
Beat Diabetes – health vs disease
Health Conscious
18. Question 1: LEVI-STRAUSS
Image
Literally opposite
Young vs Old
Traditional vs Progress
Duty vs Self
Unity vs Division
Anchoring Text
Speaking Out vs Speech
- Reinforces opposition
Banner Headline
Reads almost like a proclamation –
“everything”
Sub-headline
“real” vs fake
Stand First
“powerful” “dedication”
Sub-headline 2?
“bombshell”
Semantic field of warfare
Teasers
Nazanin: freedom vs imprisonment
Beat Diabetes – health vs disease
Question 2: CONVENTIONS
Image
Convention for image to
accompany text.
Break with convention as images
from different stories.
Anchoring Text
Traditionalist readers value duty.
Stiff upper lip etc.
Banner Headline
Traditional right wing values
Royalist and traditionalist
Sub-headline
Commonwealth – Unity
Gilroy – Black Atlantic???
Stand First
Establishes is clear bias.
“powerful” “dedication”
Teasers
Nazanin: freedom vs imprisonment
International/Political news
Beat Diabetes – health vs disease
Health Conscious
19. Question 1: LEVI-STRAUSS
Image
Literally opposite
Young vs Old
Traditional vs Progress
Duty vs Self
Unity vs Division
Anchoring Text
Speaking Out vs Speech
- Reinforces opposition
Banner Headline
Reads almost like a proclamation –
“everything”
Sub-headline
“real” vs fake
Stand First
“powerful” “dedication”
Sub-headline 2?
“bombshell”
Semantic field of warfare
Teasers
Nazanin: freedom vs imprisonment
Beat Diabetes – health vs disease
Question 2: CONVENTIONS
Image
Convention for image to
accompany text.
Break with convention as images
from different stories.
Anchoring Text
Traditionalist readers value duty.
Stiff upper lip etc.
Banner Headline
Traditional right wing values
Royalist and traditionalist
Sub-headline
Commonwealth – Unity
Gilroy – Black Atlantic???
Stand First
Establishes is clear bias.
“powerful” “dedication”
Teasers
Nazanin: freedom vs imprisonment
International/Political news
Beat Diabetes – health vs disease
Health Conscious
20. Question 1: LEVI-STRAUSS
Image
Literally opposite
Young vs Old
Traditional vs Progress
Duty vs Self
Unity vs Division
Anchoring Text
Speaking Out vs Speech
- Reinforces opposition
Banner Headline
Reads almost like a proclamation –
“everything”
Sub-headline
“real” vs fake
Stand First
“powerful” “dedication”
Sub-headline 2?
“bombshell”
Semantic field of warfare
Teasers
Nazanin: freedom vs imprisonment
Beat Diabetes – health vs disease
Question 2: CONVENTIONS
Image
Convention for image to
accompany text.
Break with convention as images
from different stories.
Anchoring Text
Traditionalist readers value duty.
Stiff upper lip etc.
Banner Headline
Traditional right wing values
Royalist and traditionalist
Sub-headline
Commonwealth – Unity
Gilroy – Black Atlantic???
Stand First
Establishes is clear bias.
“powerful” “dedication”
Teasers
Nazanin: freedom vs imprisonment
International/Political news
Beat Diabetes – health vs disease
Health Conscious
21. Question 1: LEVI-STRAUSS
Image
Literally opposite
Young vs Old
Traditional vs Progress
Duty vs Self
Unity vs Division
Anchoring Text
Speaking Out vs Speech
- Reinforces opposition
Banner Headline
Reads almost like a proclamation –
“everything”
Sub-headline
“real” vs fake
Stand First
“powerful” “dedication”
Sub-headline 2?
“bombshell”
Semantic field of warfare
Teasers
Nazanin: freedom vs imprisonment
Beat Diabetes – health vs disease
Question 2: CONVENTIONS
Image
Convention for image to
accompany text.
Break with convention as images
from different stories.
Anchoring Text
Traditionalist readers value duty.
Stiff upper lip etc.
Banner Headline
Traditional right wing values
Royalist and traditionalist
Sub-headline
Commonwealth – Unity
Gilroy – Black Atlantic???
Stand First
Establishes is clear bias.
“powerful” “dedication”
Teasers
Nazanin: freedom vs imprisonment
International/Political news
Beat Diabetes – health vs disease
Health Conscious
The two images are positioned to encode the binary opposition
between the Queen (symbolic of age, duty, traditionalism, unity)
and Meghan Markle (youth, selfishness, progressivism, disunity).
While there is no explicit condemnation of Markle, the choice of
facial expression connotes smugness, while the Queen’s is open
and friendly. Also, the Mail have chosen a shot of Markle in which
her eyeline seems to be looking at the Queen, while the Queen
uses direct mode of address, connecting with the audience. The
anchoring text further connotes the binary opposition between
them: ‘Speaking Out’ encoding a distasteful desire to speak
publicly about private issues, while the Queen is making a dutiful
speech in her role as monarch. The socio-cultural representation
will appeal the Mail’s right-wing readership as it reinforces the
myth of patriotism that is part of middle English culture.
The language of the banner headline, sub-headlines and standfirst
also reinforces the binary opposition between the two figures, but
in a more implicit way. The banner proclaims that “duty is
everything,” and goes on to say that this is “real service.” The
binary opposition has already been established through the
images and layout, so the connotation here is that the queen is
genuine, while Markle is fake. In the central column, while the
binary opposition is not explicit, the semantic field of warfare is
used in the term “bombshell”, further reinforcing the idea of
symbolic opposition. Given that the paper has encoded a socio-
cultural representation of the Queen as dutiful, dedicated and
“real” the binary opposite is encoded as being true of Markle.
22. Question 1: LEVI-STRAUSS
Image
Literally opposite
Young vs Old
Traditional vs Progress
Duty vs Self
Unity vs Division
Anchoring Text
Speaking Out vs Speech
- Reinforces opposition
Banner Headline
Reads almost like a proclamation –
“everything”
Sub-headline
“real” vs fake
Stand First
“powerful” “dedication”
Sub-headline 2?
“bombshell”
Semantic field of warfare
Teasers
Nazanin: freedom vs imprisonment
Beat Diabetes – health vs disease
Question 2: CONVENTIONS
Image
Convention for image to
accompany text.
Break with convention as images
from different stories.
Anchoring Text
Traditionalist readers value duty.
Stiff upper lip etc.
Banner Headline
Traditional right wing values
Royalist and traditionalist
Sub-headline
Commonwealth – Unity
Gilroy – Black Atlantic???
Stand First
Establishes is clear bias.
“powerful” “dedication”
Teasers
Nazanin: freedom vs imprisonment
International/Political news
Beat Diabetes – health vs disease
Health Conscious
A convention of most newspapers is that they use images to
enhance the emotional impact of stories. Unusually, only the
image of the Queen is strictly related to the story, so we could
argue that it is breaking the generic convention in order to
construct a subtext about the conflict between the royal family
and the Sussexes. The banner headline is a conventions of most
papers and especially the Daily Mail. It anchors a preferred
reading of nationalism, patriotism and royalism, in keeping with
the values and ideologies of the right wing readers. As such,
Markle is the symbolic villain in this story as she stands not just in
opposition to the royal family, but to the core values of British
society.
The sub-headline and standfirst are both conventions of
newspaper front covers and help to further position the audience
to accept the preferred reading of the Queen as deeply worthy of
respect. Language choices like “dedication” and “unity” speak to
construction of a nationalist ideological position that is proud of
British heritage and what the Queen symbolises within that.
Furthermore, the reference to the “Commonwealth” may be a
deliberate attempt to clarify the Queen’s dedication to the
countries that form much of Gilroy’s “black Atlantic.” Perhaps the
Daily Mail are connoting the multicultural values of Britain and
the Queen to counteract Markle’s accusations of racism.
24. Question 1: LEVI-STRAUSS
Image
Anchoring Text
Headline
Sub-headlines/Bullets
Stand First
Copy
Read more (Teasers?)
Most viewed
Question 2: CONVENTIONS
Substantial Info Hub
Image
Anchoring Text/Caption
Headline
Sub-headline / Bullet Points
Stand First
Read More and Most Viewed
25. Question 1: LEVI-STRAUSS
Image
Man vs Woman
Unified / Together
Ancoring Text
Prominent Defenders – US vs UK
Headline
Praise vs Vitriol
Sub-headlines/Bullets
“Divides”
“manifestation of a culture war”
Stand First
Serena Williams vs Piers Morgan
“Empathy and compassion”
“pious”, ”self-pitying”, and
“repulsive”
Copy
“wokerati” neologism
Read more (Teasers?)
Black women on treatment of
Meghan.
Most viewed
Conflict (Binary?)
Question 2: CONVENTIONS
Substantial Info Hub
Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex
Analysis – Not a news article?
Image
Breaks convention by using photo
instead of embedded video.
Less polysemic?.
Anchoring Text/Caption
Internationalism support / Anti UK?
Headline
Neutrality similar to print
Elite people – Oprah Winfrey
Sub-headline / Bullet Points
“culture war” – Victims? Heroes?
“Racism and Royal Animosity.”
Bullets in red connote urgency.
Link to further information.
Stand First
Serena Williams / Piers Morgan etc.
Read More and Most Viewed
Function as additional information
as opposed to shop window cover.
Related tops – like bullets.
26. Question 1: LEVI-STRAUSS
Image
Man vs Woman
Unified / Together
Anchoring Text
Prominent Defenders – US vs UK
Headline
Praise vs Vitriol
Sub-headlines/Bullets
“Divides”
“manifestation of a culture war”
Stand First
Serena Williams vs Piers Morgan
“Empathy and compassion”
“pious”, ”self-pitying”, and
“repulsive”
Copy
“wokerati” neologism
Read more (Teasers?)
Black women on treatment of
Meghan.
Most viewed
Conflict (Binary?)
Question 2: CONVENTIONS
Substantial Info Hub
Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex
Analysis – Not a news article?
Image
Breaks convention by using photo
instead of embedded video.
Less polysemic?.
Anchoring Text/Caption
Internationalism support / Anti UK?
Headline
Neutrality similar to print
Elite people – Oprah Winfrey
Sub-headline / Bullet Points
“culture war” – Victims? Heroes?
“Racism and Royal Animosity.”
Bullets in red connote urgency.
Link to further information.
Stand First
Serena Williams / Piers Morgan etc.
Read More and Most Viewed
Function as additional information
as opposed to shop window cover.
Related tops – like bullets.
27. Question 1: LEVI-STRAUSS
Image
Man vs Woman
Unified / Together
Anchoring Text
Prominent Defenders – US vs UK
Headline
Praise vs Vitriol
Sub-headlines/Bullets
“Divides”
“manifestation of a culture war”
Stand First
Serena Williams vs Piers Morgan
“Empathy and compassion”
“pious”, ”self-pitying”, and
“repulsive”
Copy
“wokerati” neologism
Read more (Teasers?)
Black women on treatment of
Meghan.
Most viewed
Conflict (Binary?)
Question 2: CONVENTIONS
Substantial Info Hub
Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex
Analysis – Not a news article?
Image
Breaks convention by using photo
instead of embedded video.
Less polysemic?.
Anchoring Text/Caption
Internationalism support / Anti UK?
Headline
Neutrality similar to print
Elite people – Oprah Winfrey
Sub-headline / Bullet Points
“culture war” – Victims? Heroes?
“Racism and Royal Animosity.”
Bullets in red connote urgency.
Link to further information.
Stand First
Serena Williams / Piers Morgan etc.
Read More and Most Viewed
Function as additional information
as opposed to shop window cover.
Related tops – like bullets.
