Newspapers - Intertextuality and News

Recap

• Who was the theorist who developed genre theory? Steve Neale
• When genres are combines in media we call this...Hybridity
• What genre is the Daily Mail? Middle Market - hybrid of both tabloid and broadsheet
• Which theorist studied semiotics? Roland Barthes
• What is a symbolic code? A connotation we link to an object/ subject (symbolism)
• What is an enigma code (hermeneutic)? An event within a media product that influences the audience to keep watching/ reading - creates mystery
• What is the genre of The Big Issue? A hybrid of entertainment, lifestyle and political. It is defined more by its distribution method and audience.
• How is The Big Issue distributed? By Street Vendors
• How would you describe the ideology and viewpoints of The Big Issue? It is a liberal publication which often highlights social issues such as homelessness, poverty, attitudes to disability etc (CAGED) 

Magazines and The Big Issue Recap

Intertextuality

When a media text references another, different media text in order to shape meaning and emphasise ideas (can be directly or indirectly).

• Intertextuality sometimes depends on your overall knowledge of the world. 
• References require a producer’s understanding of their audience. 

How does this cover use intertextuality?

• Andy Warhol - art style

What is the meaning behind this intertextuality?

• Marilyn Monroe has been replaced with the portrait of Florence Nightingale. 
• A lot of Warhol’s work concerned ideas around celebrity and consumerism. 
• Maybe this cover is suggesting that in this time of crisis, the people who should be featured on covers of magazines, the real ‘celebrities’, are nurses and ‘keyworkers’. Florence Nightingale is a symbol of these people.
• We are reminded at a time like no other, how important a seemingly simple discovery, such as washing your hands to prevent disease, can be.

Intertextuality and News

The reasons for using intertextuality in the news are varied. They may include: 

• To create humour 
• To parody (criticise) the referred text of person (eg. Political cartoons). 
• To honour the referred text 
• To create a flattering mode of address for the audience- the product may be assuming that they are clever or well informed enough to understand the intertextual reference (give yourself a pat on the back if you identified the Andy Warhol reference).
• To attempt to transfer value of the referred media product to the referring one (eg. A newspaper quoting Shakespeare or references to currently high-status celebrities) 
• To create a sense of shared experience with the audience (eg. References to last night’s television)  

News: Headlines and stand-firsts are often good sources of intertextuality as they draw attention and summarise in a pithy manner. 

References the well known Latin phrase ‘Carpe Diem’ which means ‘Seize the Day’ by creating a pun by replacing the ‘Diem’ with ‘DM’ to discuss Dr Martens boots. You could argue that this aims to flatter the audience in their knowledge of the Latin phrase. It also adds value to a fashion item by associating it with Latin!