Newspaper ownership and funding notes

IPSO - independent press standards organization

Signed up to IPSO :

• Daily telegraph

• Sunday telegraph

• weekly telegraph

• daily mail

• mail on Sunday

• Metro

• Times literary supplement

• daily express

• Sunday express

• daily star

• daily mirror

• Sunday people

Not signed up to IPSO :

• The guardian

• The financial times

• The independent

Daily mail - owned by DMGT - Daily mail general trust

Lord Jonathan Harmsworth 4 th viscount rothermere - current chairman - controlling shareholder of DMGT

Guardian - GMG - Guardian media group - company which owns both the guardian and its sister paper the observer

Group owned by Scott trust

Scott trust - set up in 1936 to :

• appoint editors

• ensure the editorial dependence of newspapers ( meaning they have freedom to express the news in any way they wish)

• ensure the newspapers remain liberal and are not affiliated with and political party

• promote ' freedom of press'

Traditionally print newspapers rely on circulation price and advertising to generate income

Broadsheets - more attractive to advertisers because of the wealthy up Market readerships - smaller circulation - higher cover price - larger adverts to generate income

circulation of print news has also dropped significantly - since popularity of social media sites

Advertising space worth more than online print still important for income

Other funding :

• online advertising (page views ) : paid by advertise3rs for amount of readers exposed to adverts

• Pay walls : paying to access exclusive content

• Donations and subscriptions : contribute through becoming a member, subscribing or donating

• Events : Runs courses, meetings and conferences

• product sales : sells holidays and books linked to their travel and review sections

• Sponsored content : Brand will supply the content or pay to be connected to content

Impact of Covid - 19

• Local newspapers severely affected by losses in advertising revenues from Covid

• Journalists laid off

• publications folded

• many newspapers with pay walls lowered them for some or all of their coverage of Covid - 19

• Journalists in some countries threatened or arrested for coverage of Covid - 19

• In July 2020 guardian announced it would cut 180 jobs

• figures at the newspaper said revenues would be £ 25 mil less than years budget

• Daily mail best selling in 2020 - could be because offered incentives for readers if subscribed online

exam question

Explain impact of media ownership and digital technology on industries and audiences. refer to the guardian and daily mail newspapers you have studied to support answer