Analysing the Big Issue

1. MEDIA STUDIES
UNIT 1b – Media Language and Representation
WEEK 6: Analysing The Big Issue

2. Introduction to Contexts
• As we near the end of the unit you will
need to start paying more attention to
CONTEXTS.
• This refers to the wider issues
surrounding a media text, its production
and those who created it.
• For advertising and music video you
only need to look at social and cultural
contexts.
• For magazines you must look at social
and cultural contexts as well as
POLITICAL context.

3. Social And Cultural Contexts
• Key Questions:
• 1. How does the text reflect society or a particular
culture?
• 2. How far is a media text influenced by society or a
particular culture?
• 3. Does the text play a part in shaping or changing
society or a particular culture?

4. Social and Cultural Contexts - Advertsing
• Old Spice: Challenges and makes
fun of the macho culture and ideas
of ‘manliness’ whilst
simultaneously adhering to them.
• Feeds into the cultural idea that
black men are extremely
masculine.
• Lucozade: Embraces the culture
of sporting excellence. Makes it a
very serious and important area.
• Shelter: Challenges society’s
preconceptions of homeless
people. Seeks to alter the
stereotype that many people will
have about this wide and varied
group of people.

5. Social and Cultural Context – Music Video
Example
Titanium: The video takes
an anti-authority viewpoint
where we are encouraged to
side with the character being
hunted by the police force.

6. Political Context
• For the section of this unit
based on magazines we will
be using The Big Issue.
• You will need to look at how
Social and Cultural contexts
relate to this as well.
• In addition, you will also need
to look at Political Contexts.
• What do you know/remember
about politics already?

7. Politics – A Brief Overview
• There are a number of political
parties active in the UK but the
biggest three are Labour,
Conservative (Tories) and
Liberal Democrats (Lib Dems).
• Political viewpoints are broadly
defined as being left wing, right
wing or centrist.
• On the following slides you will
see three manifestos. Try to
identify which manifesto is for
which party.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlQ5fG
ECmsA

8. Party 1
• Our manifesto for a better, fairer Britain
•
• This is our vision for a country that works for the many,
not just the privileged few. With …………………………..,
we'll build a country where we invest our wealth to give
everyone the best chance. That means building the
homes we need to rent and buy, keeping our communities
safe with more police officers, giving our children’s
schools the funding they badly need, and restoring the
NHS to its place as the envy of the world.
•
• Use the buttons below to explore our manifesto and find
out how we'll build a country that works for the many.

9. Party 2
• The next five years are the most challenging that Britain has faced in my lifetime.
• Brexit will define us: our place in the world, our economic security and our future
prosperity.
• So now more than ever, Britain needs a strong and stable government to get the
best Brexit deal for our country and its people.
• Now more than ever, Britain needs strong and stable leadership to make the most
of the opportunities Brexit brings for hardworking families.
• Now more than ever, Britain needs a clear plan.
• This manifesto, Forward, Together: Our Plan for a Stronger Britain and a
Prosperous Future will meet the great challenges of our time, beyond Brexit.
• With this plan and with a strong hand through Brexit, we will build a stronger,
fairer, more prosperous Britain, for all of us.

10. Party 3
• …………………………………………. are the only party fighting to keep Britain open, tolerant
and united.
•
• Open means open-hearted, open-minded, forward-looking, modern, green, internationalist and
pro-European. We believe Britain is at its best when it is creative, innovative and outward-
looking, comfortable in the fast-changing modern world and open to the opportunities and
challenges of globalisation and the digital revolution.
•
• Tolerant means diverse, compassionate and generous. We will always fight injustice and stand
up for the underdog, the outsider, the individual, the minority and the vulnerable against the
powerful.
•
• United means we will always put the interests of the whole United Kingdom first. We reject the
divisions in society, whether between young and old, urban and rural, leave and remain, or
between regions and nations. We believe we are stronger – as communities, as a country and
as a world – when we work together in our common interest.
•
• We believe in Opportunity. That everyone, no matter what your background, should have the
same chance in life. We want to fight injustice, reduce inequality and break down the barriers
that hold people back, whether it is in schools, the workplace or anywhere people are denied a
fair chance.
•
• That starts with a strong and stable economy, fit for the long-term, without which we can’t have
a strong NHS, good schools and decent public services, and without those creating opportunity
is impossible. We are the only party that combines economic competence with a plan for strong
public services and an optimistic vision for a Britain that is open, tolerant and united.

11. Political Context
• Which party said which
statement:
• We will spend £8 billion over
5 years on the NHS
• We will spend £6 billion per
year for five years, this will
split between the NHS and
health and social care
• We will spend more than £30
billion on the NHS

12. ANSWERS
• We will spend £8 billion over
5 years on the NHS
• We will spend £6 billion per
year for five years, this will
split between the NHS and
health and social care
• We will spend more than £30
billion on the NHS

13. Political Contexts
• When we discuss the political context of a media product,
we are focusing specifically on the following:
• 1. Reflection – Does the product give the consumer any
information or knowledge about the political climate at the
time of its production?
• 2. Messages – is the product biased? Is it trying to
promote any particular political viewpoint? Is it trying to
disparage or criticise any other political viewpoint?
• 3. Influence – Has the product been influenced by
political viewpoint or ideology?

14. The Big Issue - Background
• The Big Issue is a niche magazine (has
a smaller, specialised audience)
outside the commercial mainstream.
• The magazine is part of a larger
organisation and movement to help
homeless people. It is financially
independent and therefore not owned
by a commercial company.
• The organisation allows registered
vendors (homeless people) to work
selling the magazine and receive half of
the cover price for each copy sold.
• It provides a contrasting example of
how media language can be used to
construct alternative representations
that appeal to particular audiences.

15. Textual Analysis Recap
• You must pay attention to how the texts are using specific
elements of media language.
• Aspects of Media Language for magazines that may be
particularly important:
• Symbolic Codes: Locations, Costumes, Props, Make up
• Technical Codes: Lighting, Camera Shot/Angle
• Written Codes: Typography, Layout, Mode of Address

16. The Exam
• The exam is likely to ask you
to analyse an unseen Big
Issue front cover.
• It may however ask you to
respond to a question using a
text you have studied in
class.
• You must therefore study
TWO case study front covers
from The Big Issue
magazine.

17. MAGAZINES - KEY TERMS
Masthead - the title of the
magazine
Plug - text that ‘plugs’ a feature that
will appear inside the magazine
Cover Star – the ‘star’ featured on
the cover
Banner – text that runs across the
lower section of the cover
Puff – a story that is given
prominence on the cover
Anchorage Text - text that anchors
the main image and gives it
context/meaning
Skyline – text that runs across the
top of the cover

18. Textual Analysis Exercise
• Perform a basic denotation/connotation textual analysis on the following
page.
• Consider all the usual areas of media language:
• Written codes
• Symbolic codes
• Technical codes
• As you try to identify what the meanings are for each aspect of media
language consider the following:
• WHY has the media language been used in that particular way?
• WHAT does it suggest or assume about the target audience?
• What relation does it have to society in general?
• What relation does it have to any particular culture or sub-culture?
• Does the magazine show any particular political affiliation or viewpoint?

19. The Big Issue: Case Study 1
• Begin by simply describing
each aspect of the media
language used in turn:
• Written Codes
• Symbolic Codes
• Technical Codes
• Once this is done you can
move on to identifying
connotations.

20. Overall Meaning
• A celebration of
George Michael and
his work including the
idea that he is a
universally recognised
musical ‘genius’.
• A celebration of gay
culture.
• Left wing progressive
views regarding
homosexuality.
• Criticism of the
Conservative
government’s Universal
Credit system and the
view that this is unfair.

21. Part 3 – Independent Analysis
• In pairs you must complete the following work:
• Make notes on the Big Issue front cover on the next slide.
• Make sure that you cover a wide range of media language and that your notes are extensive.
• Develop your initial analysis into a full written piece which discusses the following areas:
• Overview – Effect and Meaning
• The Target Audience
• Social and Cultural Context
• Political Context
• Your written piece should be spell checked and proof-read. There must be no errors in basic
literacy.
• It should be approximately 1000 words long.
• It must cover all the areas in depth and detail.
• These will be read out in class and assessed.

22. Big Issue Case Study 2
• Overview – Effect and
Meaning
• The Target Audience
• Social and Cultural Context
• Political Context

23. Malcolm Tucker
• A creation of British comedy
writer, Armando Iannuci.
• Played by Peter Capaldi, he
is a fictional ‘spin-doctor’ from
the satirical political comedy,
The Thick of It.
• His political ideology is never
mind entirely clear though it
seems to be broadly left wing.
• He is known for his strong
views, aggressive
temperament and inventive
use of swearing.
• https://www.youtube.com/watc
h?v=DaMb-5w-V0Y

24. Alan Partridge
• Alan Partridge has been a
character in a number of
television shows though he was
originally a joint creation of
Armando Iannucci and Steve
Coogan who also plays the
character.
• Partridge is a buffonish character
who is rooted in old fashioned
values and ideas. He is always
politically incorrect and is
generally impatient and intolerant
of anything different or
outlandish.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=CdCfuZMD3L0

25. Big Issue Case Study 2
• The magazine is dealing with
the issue of Brexit in a comical
and irreverent way.
• It is showing Brexit to be
something which has divided
the United Kingdom very
strongly.
• It is poking fun at this fact and
portraying it to be something
absurd which fits into a
fictional comedy world better
than it does into reality.
• It is using intertextuality very
strongly with its references to
Alan Partridge and Malcolm
Tucker.

26. Key Representations
• The United Kingdom:
• Divided along very clear
lines. Both sides at war with
each other.
• Brexit:
• A ridiculous and rather
absurd idea which is
bringing division and
hostility to the United
Kingdom.

27. Media Language – Key Examples
• The font and style of the main headline, Tucker Vs Partridge resembles an old-
fashioned boxing promotional poster.
• The Union Jack in the background contextualises the whole text as regarding the
whole of the United Kingdom and has associations with patriotism and racism.
• The cartoon-style of the images shows that the issue is also somewhat cartoonish
and ridiculous.
• The use of intertextuality shows the magazine’s view that the issue is rather
absurd and fits well into a fictional satire rather than reality.
• The differences between the two figures are apparent even though the two are
actually very similar. The only real difference is cosmetic - the colour of tie.
• The smaller cartoon of Armando Iannucci himself is comical and perplexed,
showing the magazine’s attitude to Brexit.
• The black and white Big Issue logo represents the diametric opposition in views.

28. Homework
• Revise for a full mock exam on Unit
1b next lesson.
• The exam will ask you 3 questions
– one about each of the media
forms we have studied –
advertising, music videos and
magazines.
• There will be a question requiring
you to analyse an unseen media
text.
• It is important that you achieve an
acceptable grade on this mock (A-
C) exam as you will not be able to
continue the course until you do so.
You will need to re-sit the exam in
your own time.