The Voice CSP: case study
Language and contexts
Homepage
Go to the Voice homepage and answer the following:
1) What news website key conventions can you find on the Voice homepage?
main image, top menu, title
2) What are some of the items in the top menu bar and what does this tell you about the content, values and ideologies of the Voice?
news, sports, lifestyle, entertainment, competitions, opinion, faith - focuses on more positive subjects
3) Look at the news stories on the Voice homepage. Pick two stories and explain why they might appeal to the Voice's target audience.
1. 'Anne Mensah, Kanya King, among the winners at this years Black British Business Awards'
2. 'Making Black history today: the leaders shaping innovation in public health'
4) How is narrative used to encourage audience engagement with the Voice? Apply narrative theories (e.g. Todorov equilibrium or Barthes’ enigma codes) and make specific reference to stories on the homepage and how they encourage audiences to click through to them.
Lifestyle section
Now analyse the Lifestyle section of the Voice and answer the following:
1) What are the items in the sub-menu bar for the Lifestyle section and what does this suggest about the Voice audience?
Fashion & beauty, food, health & wellbeing, relationships, travel
2) What are the main stories in the Lifestyle section currently?
1: 'Stars unite at Black Women Rising’s first Awareness Luncheon '
2: 'Mimi’s Shebeen – a new show inspired by iconic music artist and civil rights activist Miriam Makeba'
3) Do the sections and stories in the Voice Lifestyle section challenge or reinforce black stereotypes in British media?
I think that the voice lifestyle section subverts black stereotypes in British media as it seems to be praising the black community and talking about their achievements positively.
4) Choose two stories featured in the Lifestyle section – how do they reflect the values and ideologies of the Voice?
1: 'London to lace up for the RunThrough Foundation 10k'
2: 'Stars unite at Black Women Rising’s first Awareness Luncheon '
Feature focus
1) Read this Voice opinion piece on black representation in the tech industry. How does this piece reflect the values and ideologies of The Voice?
This piece reflects the values and ideologies of The Voice as they want to be "Embracing a bold, Black British future in the tech industry means giving our community the opportunity to thrive and flourish in an environment where authenticity and talent is appreciated and celebrated." and in the future they want to "start challenging our workplaces to do better and work towards a more inclusive environment at all levels."
2) Read this feature on The Black Pound campaign. How does this piece reflect the values and ideologies of The Voice?
This piece reflects the values and ideologies of The Voice as they created "a social enterprise dedicated to supporting Black businesses, this program provides Black entrepreneurs with invaluable access to a range of free workshops and masterclasses specifically tailored to help them scale up their ventures, expand their networks, and explore new avenues of opportunity."
3) Read this Voice news story on Grenfell tower and Doreen Lawrence. How might this story reflect the Voice’s values and ideologies? What do the comments below suggest about how readers responded to the article? Can you link this to Gilroy’s work on the ‘Black Atlantic’ identity?
This story's comments about how the reader's responded to the article suggests that some people think that it is ridiculous to imply something like that and to suggest that there might have been some racism within the fire fighter community : " I can not believe the comments she made, how dare she, she is a disgrace and doesn’t deserve the baroness title, to say that the firefighters were racist and if the poor people who were in that tower had been white more would have been done is absolutely disgusting, those firefighters risk their own lives everyday they get called out"
Social and cultural contexts - 40 Year of Black British Lives
Read this extract from The Voice: 40 Years of Black British Lives on rapper Swiss creating Black Pound Day (you'll need your Greenford Google login to access the document). Answer the following questions:
1) What is Black Pound Day?
An event aimed at celebrating black-owned businesses and giving the black owned community a financial and emotional boost, after the anger at racial inequality in the UK evident by the protests that followed Floyd's death.
2) How did Black Pound Day utilise social media to generate coverage and support?
It encourages people to spend locally or online with black-owned businesses and invest in communities that have been historically and economically disadvantaged. It also attracts support from high profile celebrities and quickly became the top trending topic on Twitter in the UK.
3) How do events such as Black Pound Day and the Powerlist Black Excellence Awards link to wider social, cultural and economic contexts regarding power in British society?
Events such as Black Pound Day and the Powerlist Black Excellence Awards links to wider social, cultural and economic contexts regarding power in British society because it increases the coverage about what people of the black community have to experience in their daily lives.
Audience
1) Who do you think is the target audience for the Voice website? Consider demographics and psychographics.
The target audience for The Voice website would be the black-British community.
.2nd generation
.born and raised in London
2) What audience pleasures are provided by the Voice website? Apply media theory here such as Blumler and Katz (Uses & Gratifications).
Surveillance
3) Give examples of sections or content from the website that tells you this is aimed at a specialised or niche audience.
Most of the topics that are covered are positive things that have happened within the black community.
4) Studying the themes of politics, history and racism that feature in some of the Voice’s content, why might this resonate with the Voice’s British target audience?
This might resonate with the Voice's British target audience because they have a history with dealing with racism, prejudice and institutionalised racism within politics.
5) Can you find any examples of content on the Voice website created or driven by the audience or citizen journalism? How does this reflect Clay Shirky’s work on the ‘end of audience’ and the era of ‘mass amateurisation’?
'London to lace up for the RunThrough Foundation 10k'
Representations
1) How is the audience positioned to respond to representations in the Voice website?
The audience is positioned to respond to representations in the Voice website in a positive way because other news websites typically only represent the black community in a way that reinforces stereotypes about them whereas, The Voice represents the black community in a positive light, by choosing to show their accomplishments.
2) Are representations in the Voice an example of Gilroy’s concept of “double consciousness” NOT applying?
Gilroy's concept of "double consciousness" is not applying somewhat because the representations of The Voice are not reinforcing the 'Black Atlantic' culture that he explains.
3) What kind of black British identity is promoted on the Voice website? Can you find any examples of Gilroy’s “liquidity of culture” or “unruly multiculturalism” here?
There are examples of the 'liquidity of culture' on The Voice's website as you can find both the black community celebrating their culture as well as them bringing their identity and culture to the British landscape. For example:
'World Afro Day does breakfast at Parliament'
4) Applying Stuart Hall’s constructivist approach to representations, how might different audiences interpret the representations of black Britons in the Voice?
Different audiences will interpret representations of Black Britons in The Voice through Stuart Hall's constructivist approach by using a "preferred," "negotiated," or "oppositional" reading, depending on their own conceptual maps and backgrounds. Audiences might accept the intended message (preferred reading), partially accept it while bringing in their own experiences (negotiated reading), or reject it completely (oppositional reading). This is because The Voice aims to construct a specific Black British identity, but individuals with different life experiences will decode its representations differently based on their own cultural and historical contexts.
5) Do you notice any other interesting representations in the Voice website? For example, representations or people, places or groups (e.g. gender, age, Britishness, other countries etc.)
Yes, The Voice website represents various groups, including specific attention to the British-born Black community, with content focusing on Jamaican heritage and culture due to its ownership by a Jamaican company. Other representations include sections like "Men of Excellence" that highlight successful Black men, and the inclusion of advertorials for Black-owned businesses and events. There are also references to a focus on a range of issues beyond race, such as LGBTQ+ issues.
Industries
1) Read this Guardian report on the death of the original founder of the Voice. What does this tell you about the original values and ideologies behind the Voice brand?
It tells us that The voice was founded to serve the interests of Britain's Black community, providing a platform for their voices, stories and news free from the often biased perspectives of mainstream white media. Its initial values were centred on community empowerment, giving the Black population a dedicated space in the media landscape, and campaigning against discrimination.
2) Read this history of the Voice’s rivals and the struggles the Voice faced back in 2001. What issues raised in the article are still relevant today?
Issues that remain relevant today include the precarious financial future of online news media, the importance of diverse and authentic representations for minority communities, and how to create a sustainable business model for niche publications.
3) The Voice is now published by GV Media Group, a subsidiary of the Jamaican Gleaner company. What other media brands do the Gleaner company own and why might they be interested in owning the Voice? You'll need to research this using Google/Wikipedia or look at this Guardian article when Gleaner first acquired The Voice.
The Jamaican Gleaner Company owns other media brands including the Jamaican Gleaner, The weekly Gleaner, and London Extra. Their interest in The Voice stems from a desire to expand their reach to the Caribbean diaspora in the UK, to serve these readers better, and to capture opportunities in a market experiencing declining print advertising.
4) How does the Voice website make money?
The Voice website makes money through donations, physical newspapers and digital newspapers.
5) What adverts or promotions can you find on the Voice website? Are the adverts based on the user’s ‘cookies’ or fixed adverts? What do these adverts tell you about the level of technology and sophistication of the Voice’s website?
The Voice website uses fixed, non-cookie based adverts, such as those for money transfers to African countries. This suggests a less sophisticated, older website technology that prioritizes its target audience over personalized, cookie-based ads. The lack of mobile optimization and rich media advertisements also points to a lower level of technological sophistication compared to modern websites.
6) Is there an element of public service to the Voice’s role in British media or is it simply a vehicle to make profit?
The Voice's role is primarily a public service for the Black British community, not a profile-driven vehicle. It functions as a public service by providing a platform for Black voices, addressing issues often ignored by mainstream media, and giving a sense of representation and cultural identity to its audience.
7) What examples of technological convergence can you find on the Voice website – e.g. video or audio content?
The Voice website likely showcases technological convergence by offering a single platform for multiple media types, such as integrating written articles with embedded audio (podcasts) and video content, which audiences can access on various devices. This combines different technologies, like text and audio, into a single user experience. For example, an article about an event could feature written text alongside a video clip of the event and an audio interview with an organizer.
8) How has the growth of digital distribution through the internet changed the potential for niche products like the Voice?
Digital distribution has democratised media by enabling niche products like The Voice to bypass traditional gatekeepers, reach targeted audiences directly, and compete on a more even playing field with mainstream content. This shift has led to a proliferation of content, allowing niche creators to build communities around specific interests, though it also presents challenges in discovering and monetising in a crowded market.
9) Analyse The Voice’s Twitter feed. How does this contrast with other Twitter feeds you have studied (such as Taylor Swift)? Are there examples of ‘clickbait’ or does the Voice have a different feel?
The Voice's Twitter feed focuses on news, entertainment, and politics, using direct, informational posts to drive traffic to its website and engage with a broad audience. In contrast, a celebrity feed like Taylor Swift's is more personal, focused on fan engagement and promoting her work through curated images, personal updates, and interactive content. The Voice does not rely on clickbait but uses a news-driven approach with strong headlines to entice users to read full articles, a strategy common in media outlets, but distinct from the emotional and personal appeals used by celebrities like Swift.
10) Study a selection of videos from The Voice’s YouTube channel. What are the production values of their video content?
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