The Voice has a significant place in the social and historical context of race relations and representation in Britain, launching in 1982 in the wake of the Brixton race riots. It is also the perfect case study to further develop our understanding of Paul Gilroy's postcolonial theory we studied last lesson.
The Voice - background and notes
The Voice, founded in 1982, is the only British national black weekly newspaper operating in the United Kingdom. It is owned by GV Media Group Limited, and is aimed at the British African-Caribbean community. The paper is based in London and is published every Thursday.
The first issue of The Voice was printed to coincide with the Notting Hill Carnival in August 1982. Its cover price was 54 pence, and was only sold in London.
The Voice, founded in 1982, is the only British national black weekly newspaper operating in the United Kingdom. It is owned by GV Media Group Limited, and is aimed at the British African-Caribbean community. The paper is based in London and is published every Thursday.
The first issue of The Voice was printed to coincide with the Notting Hill Carnival in August 1982. Its cover price was 54 pence, and was only sold in London.
You can read more background from The Voice website here.
The Voice: social and historical context
In 1981, the Brixton race riots shone a spotlight on race relations in Britain.
The Voice emerged in 1982 partly as a result of these riots – both due to the need to offer a voice and representation to black Britons and also due to a business loan from Barclays Bank. The bank was keen at the time to improve their reputation with the black community due to investments in Apartheid South Africa.
Social context - The Battle for Brixton documentary
The Voice analysis: production values
The Voice offers a strong contrast to Teen Vogue with significantly lower production values across its digital operations – website design, video content and social media. However, the growth of digital technology means that the Voice can effectively compete on the same playing field as Teen Vogue, albeit targeting a niche audience.
Watch this video on influential black women in business and compare it to Teen Vogue’s video content – similar in ideology but very different in production values (note the view count too):
The Voice offers a strong contrast to Teen Vogue with significantly lower production values across its digital operations – website design, video content and social media. However, the growth of digital technology means that the Voice can effectively compete on the same playing field as Teen Vogue, albeit targeting a niche audience.
Watch this video on influential black women in business and compare it to Teen Vogue’s video content – similar in ideology but very different in production values (note the view count too):
The Voice: representation
The Voice was launched to cater for the interests of British-born black people. Applying Gilroy’s work on “double consciousness”, it could be argued that the Voice was launched to give black audiences an opportunity to see the world through their own eyes rather than through the prism of white, often-racist mainstream British media.
The Voice: industries
The Voice is owned by Jamaican media organising the Gleaner company and published in Britain by GV Media Group. It is a significant contrast to Teen Vogue and the international giant Conde Nast.
Recently, in a similar move to The Guardian's request for donations, The Voice asks its readers to support the publication by paying donations via PayPal. This raises interesting questions regarding the financial viability of online news media and particularly niche publications such as The Voice (or indeed Oh Comely).
The Voice: case study blog tasks
Language and textual analysis
Homepage
Go to the Voice homepage and answer the following:
1) What news website key conventions can you find on the Voice
homepage?
2) How does the page design differ from Teen Vogue?
3) 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?
4) Look at the news stories on The Voice homepage. Choose three stories and discuss how they have presented the news from an angle or perspective that reflects The Voice's role as a voice for black Britons.
5) 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.
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?
2) What are the main stories in the Lifestyle section
currently?
3) How does the Lifestyle section of the Voice differ from
Teen Vogue?
4) Do the sections and stories in the Voice Lifestyle
section challenge or reinforce black stereotypes in British media?
5) Choose three stories featured in the Lifestyle section – how
do they reflect the values and ideologies of the Voice?
Feature focus
1) 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?
2) Read/watch this Lifestyle feature about the Black Magic Awards. How do the article and video content reflect the values and ideologies
of the Voice? What do you notice about the production values of the video interviews?
3) Read this feature about the Young, Gifted and Black Awards. What
does this story suggest regarding how The Voice is trying to change the representation of black people in British media?
Audience
1) Who do you think is the target audience for the Voice
website? Consider demographics and psychographics.
2) What audience pleasures are provided by the Voice
website? Apply media theory here such as Blumler and Katz (Uses &
Gratifications).
3) Give examples of content from the website that tells you
this is aimed at a specialised or niche audience.
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?
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’?
Representations
1) How is the audience positioned to respond to
representations in the Voice website?
2) Are representations in the Voice an example of Gilroy’s
concept of “double consciousness” NOT applying? Why?
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?
4) Applying Stuart Hall’s constructivist approach to
representations, how might different audiences interpret the representations of
black Britons in the Voice?
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.)
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?
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?
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.
4) How does the Voice website make money? What is your opinion of the 'asking for donations' approach that The Voice is now using?
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?
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?
7) What examples of technological convergence can you find
on the Voice website – e.g. video or audio content?
8) How has the growth of digital distribution through the
internet changed the potential for niche products like the Voice?
9) Analyse the Voice’s Twitter feed. How does this contrast
with other Twitter feeds you have studied (such as MailOnline or Teen Vogue)? Are
there examples of ‘clickbait’ or does the Voice have a different feel?
10) Study a selection of videos from the Voice’s YouTube
channel. How does this content differ from Teen Vogue? What are the production
values of their video content?
Homework and deadlines
There is plenty of work here - at least 3 to 4 hours - but this is the only blog task on the Voice and covers all four of the key concepts. You will also have two full weeks to complete this.
Finish for homework - exact due date specified by your exam teacher.
Homework and deadlines
There is plenty of work here - at least 3 to 4 hours - but this is the only blog task on the Voice and covers all four of the key concepts. You will also have two full weeks to complete this.
Finish for homework - exact due date specified by your exam teacher.
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