Compare and contrast: target market

There is a close relationship between newspapers and their target audience.

The way a news is presented depends on the newspaper's intention:

(a) to reflect opinions/attempt to appeal to a certain target group (thus, fulfilling the needs and interests of the target audience), and/or

(b) to form opinions/attempt to influence/direct the readers (thus, contain specific semiotic codes and signs).

Hence, I did some background research on the chosen newspapers in order to understand better.

Findings

1. The Guardian: The fact that Christians constitute more than two third of the Britain population (although mainly Anglicans), and this is a newspaper that takes the liberal stance which tends to focus more on individual rights and freedom, it is unsurprising that the newspaper tie this issue to the 2007 case where a Catholic church is barred from using "Allah" in its publications, showing concerns of the religious tensions under the Printing Presses and Publications Act in Malaysia

2. Sin Chew Daily: a Chinese Malaysian newspaper, showed more local images and interviewed a few Chinese politicians (from both the ruling government and opposition) to portray the local lifestyle and suggest how the Chinese community generally view on this matter

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References:

AdQrate Media Exchange. (2014) Sin Chew Daily | Newspaper. [Online] Available at: http://adqrate.com/newspaper/details?id=34&type=1 [Accessed: 27 June 2014].

Guardian Media (2014a) Guardian print readers. [Online] Available at: http://advertising.theguardian.com/guardian-print-readers/ [Accessed: 27 June 2014].

Guardian Media (2014b) Print reader profile. [Online] Available at: http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-files/Guardian/documents/2012/08/22/Printreaderprofile.pdf?guni=Article:in%20body%20link [Accessed: 27 June 2014].

Guardian Media (2014c) Audience profiles by platform ppt. [Online] Available at: http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-files/Guardian/documents/2012/05/14/Guaaudprofile2.ppt?guni=Keyword:feature-special%20main-2%20main%20trailblock:Editable%20trailblock%20-%20feature:Position1:sublinks [Accessed: 29 June 2014].

Guardian Media (2014d) Guardian website traffic and users. [Online] Available at: http://advertising.theguardian.com/guardian-website-traffic-users/ [Accessed: 28 June 2014].

Ipsos MORI (2005) Voting intention by readership quarter 1 2005. [Online] Available at: http://www.ipsos-mori.com/researchpublications/researcharchive/poll.aspx?oItemId=580 [Accessed: 27 June 2014].

Sin Chew Media Corporation Berhad. (2005)  Sin Chew Annual Report 2005. [Online] Available at: http://cdn1.i3investor.com/my/files/dfgs88n/2005/08/30/1449561638-1949415038.pdf [Accessed: 28 June 2014].

Compare and contrast: contents and images

Compare and contrast chart on contents of the two newspapers
** The Guardian had its coverage in the form of straight news while Sin Chew Daily had 4 in the form of straight news, 1 editorial (Malay version of Ultraman The Ultra Power banned. all because of translator's fault from "God" to "Allah")

Comparing images of both newspapers (captions included)

Findings about the images

1. both newspapers showed Ultraman toys/merchandises for children in the Malaysian scene (refer to captions)

2. Sin Chew had more images, including one from the social media platform showing the controversial line from Ultraman The Ultra Power

Question 1 it is

After some considerations, I've finally decided to pick Question 1 as my essay question.

Question 1: Analyse in detail the coverage of a single story, comprising of text and images, in two contrasting newspapers or magazines, one of which should be a South East Asian publication. Compare and contrast the techniques used and the target market for each sample.

Requirements:
1. choose 2 newspapers OR 2 magazines with the same story which have both text and image (with one a South East Asian publication) 
2. compare and contrast (similarities and distinctive features) between the two:
   (a) techniques
   (b) target audience

The news I've chosen is about the banning of Ultraman comic book over the usage of "Allah" by the Home Ministry of Malaysia. It is found in the world news section in The Guardian, an international British newspaper and the national news section in Sin Chew Daily, a Malaysian Chinese newspaper. Both coverage are online versions.

The Guardian (7 March 2014): 
Malaysia censors Ultraman comic for 'irresponsible use of the word Allah'
AND
Sin Chew Daily (7 March 2014): 
1. Home Ministry: Only the Malay version of Ultraman The Ultra Power is banned. Ultraman did not break the law*
2. MCA: the statement 'threaten public safety' is not justified. "should instill positive values of Ultraman"*
3. "The explanation of banning Ultraman is ridiculous". Gerakan: Home Ministry should reconsider the decision*
4. Loke Siew Fook: improper wordings should be amended. 'what wrong did Ultraman do?'*
5. Malay version of Ultraman The Ultra Power banned. all because of translator's fault from "God" to "Allah"*

* translated from Chinese to English

The reason of me choosing this particular news is because it is interesting to know how and why different newspapers (in this case: different country, different language) chose different approach/techniques to report about religion-related media censorship, which is quite a sensitive issue in Malaysia.
eg. merely facts to inform OR uncover more details to inform or to clarify OR including other issues or information to distract or to provoke?

In the coming posts, I'll do 
1. a simple compare and contrast on the newspapers' contents and images 
2. compare and contrast between target audience and the contents of both newspapers
3. social semiotic analysis guided by Daniel Chandler

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References:

Sin Chew Daily (2014a) [Home Ministry: Only the Malay version of Ultraman The Ultra Power is banned. Ultraman did not break the law]. Sin Chew Daily. 7 March 2014. (In Chinese). [Online] Available at: http://news.sinchew.com.my/node/352794?tid=1 [Accessed: 26 June 2014].

Sin Chew Daily (2014b) [MCA: the statement 'threaten public safety' is not justified. "should instill positive values of Ultraman"]. Sin Chew Daily. 7 March 2014. (In Chinese). [Online] Available at: http://news.sinchew.com.my/node/352796?tid=1 [Accessed: 26 June 2014].

Sin Chew Daily (2014c) [The explanation of banning Ultraman is ridiculous". Gerakan: Home Ministry should reconsider the decision]. Sin Chew Daily. 7 March 2014. (In Chinese). [Online] Available at: http://news.sinchew.com.my/node/352802?tid=1 [Accessed: 26 June 2014].

Sin Chew Daily (2014d) [Loke Siew Fook: improper wordings should be amended. 'what wrong did Ultraman do?']. Sin Chew Daily. 7 March 2014. (In Chinese). [Online] Available at: http://news.sinchew.com.my/node/352805?tid=1 [Accessed: 26 June 2014].

The Guardian (2014) Malaysia censors Ultraman comic for 'irresponsible use of the word Allah'. The Guardian, 7 March 2014. [Online] Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/07/malaysia-censors-ultraman-comic-allah [Accessed: 26 June 2014].

Xu, J.J. and Wan, Q.S. (2014) [Malay version of Ultraman The Ultra Power banned. all because of translator's fault from "God" to "Allah"]. Sin Chew Daily. 7 March 2014. (In Chinese). [Online] Available at: http://news.sinchew.com.my/node/352818 [Accessed: 26 June 2014].

Another attempt on Question 3

Question 3: Explore either realism or fantasy in film in an era of your choice. Show how your examples reflect/ed the sociological and cultural changes of their life time.

Understanding the terms with Oxford Dictionaries
- realism
  1. The attitude or practice of accepting a situation as it is and being prepared to deal with it accordingly
  2. The quality or fact of representing a person or thing in a way that is accurate and true to life ~ an artistic or literary movement or style characterised by the representation of people or things as they actually are. Often contrasted with idealism.
  3. Philosophy: The doctrine that universals or abstract concepts have an objective or absolute exestence. The theory that universals have their own reality is sometimes called Platonic realism because it was first outlined by Plato's doctrine of 'forms' or ideas. Often contrasted with nominalism.

- fantasy
  1. The faculty or activity of imaging impossible or improbable things ~ a genre of imaginative fiction involving magic and adventure, especially in a setting other than the real world
  2. Music: A fantasia

- era
  1. A long and distinct period of history ~ a system of chronology dating from a particular event

- sociology
  1. The study of the development, structure, and functioning of human society ~ the study of social problems

- cultural
  1. Relating to the ideas, customs, and social behaviour of a society
  2. Relating to the arts and to intellectual achievements

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Possible discussion topics

1. Fantasy films in the 1930s

2. Realism P. Ramlee films in the 1950s and 1960s

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References:

Oxford University Press. (2014) Oxford Dictionaries. [Online] Available at: http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/ [Accessed: 16 June 2014].

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Feedback:

- either Question 1 or 2 is fine

- if it is Question 2, choose an era and start watching movies

- P. Ramlee: fashion (songkok with suit and tie)

It may not be Question 3 after all...

I realised that I wrongly interpreted Question 3. To be on the safe side, I better continue my exploration on few more essay questions in this and the coming posts.

Question 1: Analyse in detail the coverage of a single story, comprising of text and images, in two contrasting newspapers or magazines, one of which should be a South East Asian publication. Compare and contrast the techniques used and the target market for each sample.

TIME (7 March, 2014): A Japanese Superhero Is Apparently Destroying Malaysia OR
Reuters (7 March, 2014): Comic superhero Ultraman slain by Malaysian censors

                                             VS 

Local Newspaper - The Star Online: 
6 March, 2014: Home Ministry bans publication of 'Ultraman the Ultra Power' over usage of "Allah"
7 March, 2014: Home Ministry bans Ultraman book, Use of 'Allah' in Ultraman comic main reason for ban, A brief history of Ultraman
8 March, 2014: Book banned but Ultraman can power on
11 March, 2014: Ultraman's most epic battles: But can he survive the ban?

Which one to choose? * ban reason before 8/3/14 are all based on assumptions
- TIME VS Reuters
  ~ generally, both have similar content but TIME should be a better choice as it contains images for visual semiosis discourse analysis 
  ~ having said that, Reuters's report on Khairy's statement is very interesting, as if the magazine is hinting that there is a different opinion within the government

- The Star Online

  ~ 7/3/14: to avoid bias and has more information compared to 6/3/14

  ~ 8/3/14 (maybe): as a follow up

What to do next?

D.I.Y. Semiotic Analysis: Advice to My Own Students  

- has a whole list of semiotic analysis examples which I can choose and apply in this essay

- the step-by-step guides should be helpful in making my essay more rational and organised

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References:

Backus, R.J. and Lee, S. (2014) Ultraman's most epic battles: but can he survive the ban? The Star Online, 11 March 2014. [Online] Available at: http://www.thestar.com.my/Lifestyle/Features/2014/03/11/Ultramans-most-epic-battles-But-can-he-survive-the-ban/ [Accessed: 13 June 2014].

BERNAMA (2014a) Home Ministry bans publication of ‘Ultraman The Ultra Power’ over usage of "Allah". The Star Online. 6 March 2014. [Online] Available at: http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2014/03/06/Ultraman-The-Ultra-Power/ [Accessed: 13 June 2014].

BERNAMA (2014b) Home Ministry bans Ultraman book. The Star Online. 7 March 2014. [Online] Available at: http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2014/03/07/Ministry-bans-Ultraman-book/ [Accessed: 13 June 2014].

Brown, V. (2014) A brief history of Ultraman. The Star Online. 7 March 2014. [Online] Available at: http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2014/03/07/Ultraman-through-the-years/ [Accessed: 13 June 2014].

Chandler, D. (2013) D.I.Y. semiotic analysis: advice to my own students. Semiotics for Beginners. [Online] Available at: http://users.aber.ac.uk/dgc/Documents/S4B/sem12.html [Accessed: 15 June 2014].

Grudgings, D. (2014) Comic superhero Ultraman slain by Malaysian censors. Reuters. [Online] Available at: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/07/malaysia-ultraman-idUSL3N0M42FZ20140307 [Accessed: 13 June 2014].

Stout, D. (2014) A Japanese superhero is apparently destroying Malaysia. TIME. [Online] Available at: http://time.com/15265/ultraman-banned-malaysia-allah/ [Accessed: 13 June 2014].

The Star Online (2014a) Use of ‘Allah’ in Ultraman comic main reason for ban. The Star Online. 7 March 2014. [Online] Available at: http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2014/03/07/Ministry-bans-Ultraman-book/ [Accessed: 13 June 2014].

The Star Online (2014b) Book banned but Ultraman can power on. The Star Online. 8 March 2014. [Online] Available at: http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2014/03/08/Book-banned-but-Ultraman-can-power-on-Ministry-Usage-of-word-Allah-can-confuse-kids/ [Accessed: 13 June 2014].

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Feedback:

- to compare and contrast between 2 magazines or 2 newspaper

- consider newspaper in different language

- to tryout Chandler's semiotic analysis method on blog

- research about Ultraman in Wikipedia

So it is Question 3

Question 3: Explore either realism or fantasy in film in an era of your choice. Show how your examples reflect/ed the sociological and cultural changes of their life time.

- my understanding of the question
  ~ choose a film in an era which consists of some kind of realism and fantasy
  ~ decide how much of fiction and facts are in it, based on the sociological and cultural aspects of:
       (i) when the film was created AND/OR
      (ii) the setting (time and location) of the story itself **

- my film choice is Puteri Gunong Ledang (1961) OR Puteri Gunung Ledang (2004)
** since I am not sure which approach I want go for in the meantime, I'll use the checklist below as a guide to further expand my thoughts

- checklist 
  1. definition: realism and fantasy
  2. general Puteri Gunung Ledang (PGL) synopsis
  3. difference between PGL 1961 and 2004
      - the chosen one with reasons to support
  4. research about Gunung Ledang
  5. research about Puteri Gunung Ledang 
  6. tracking down history and discuss how did it affect the society *
      - the Malacca Sultanate
        ~ during the reign of Sultan Mahmud Shah
        ~ the fall of Malacca to the Portuguese 
      - Malaya/sia 1950s, 1960s
        ~ the Malayan Emergency (1950-1960)
        ~ Malaya Independence (1957)
        ~ General Plan of Development/First Malaya Plan (1956-1960)
      - Malaysia 2000s
        ~ from Mahathir to Abdullah Badawi (2003)
        ~ Anwar Ibrahim and Reformasi
        ~ Malaysia 11th election (2004)
     * may or may not complete, depending on the final film choice
7. what is PGL to Malaysia in the current scene (wrap-up)

Brainstorming

Question 1: Analyse in detail the coverage of a single story, comprising of text and images, in two contrasting newspapers or magazines, one of which should be a South East Asian publication. Compare and contrast the techniques used and the target market for each sample.
- possible topics to explore
   ~ Bersih 2013, kangkung meme, Malaysian couple detained in Sweden for child abuse, the term 'Allah'
- reasons
   ~ interesting to see how other countries with different ideology respond to these issues
   ~ eg. secular VS semi-theocracy, liberalism VS conservatism...

Question 3: Explore either realism or fantasy in film in an era of your choice. Show how your examples reflect/ed the sociological and cultural changes of their life time.
- Puteri Gunong Ledang (1961) or Puteri Gunung Ledang (2004)
  ~ popular Malaysian folklore during the Melaka Sultanate era
  ~ realism: timeline and setting as well as some characters involved do exist 
  ~ fantasy: the fairy princess with magic power
- points of discussion
  ~ loyalty, women's rights, freedom of speech
  ~ based on political, economy and social context during the reign of Sultan Mahmud Shah


Question 4: Analyse the work of a photographer or film maker of your choice, using appropriate illustrations to present your arguments and setting his/her work in a contemporary context. Show how their work has influenced your own, providing illustrations and examples.
- Dorothea Lange
  ~ documentary photographer
  ~ work: photos of the Great Depression, migrant farm families
- possible theme: foreign workers in Malaysia
  ~ subject matter: construction worker, maid
  ~ where and how they live, work..., how do they feel, working in Malaysia


Question 6: Analyse a soap opera or a reality show, considering aspects such asthe 'mise-en-scene' (setting, look or mood), audience, narrative and editing. What values and attitudes are being communicated?
- 'Dad, Where Are You Going?'
   ~ Korean variety show about five celebrity fathers and their children going on trips around the country
   ~ a show for all ages
   ~ values: father and child interaction and bonding, Korean traditional culture (eg. Food, games...)