Institutional Research

 INTRODUCTION: In this post I will be researching an idolised institution well-known as The Spectator, which is linked to my chosen brief, Current Affairs. I will be paying close attention to the type of company they are, alongside their reputation, and I will be particularly looking into the type of media products they produce. I will also be looking at how the company's ethos as well as their political affiliations is reflected in their products, this will give me a range of ideas on how I can incorporate this into my own production of both the main task and the website. By understanding this institution linked to my chosen brief, I belive it will enable me to produce a media text that follows and reflects their style, ideologies and ethos more effectively.

MAIN TASK:  Answer the questions below that link to the companies in your chosen brief.

The Spectator 

1. What type of media products do they produce? (print, audio visual, audio, online).

"We stock a wide range of branded items as well as cartoons featured in the weekly magazine that make ideal gifts for family and friends who are devottes to The Spectator brand". The items include:

• Magazine (printed copy)
• Online Website (offers online subscriptions)
• Diaries 
• Cartoons
• Mugs
• Pens 
• Socks

2. What type of company is it? (independent, etc.)

"We are members of IPSO, the independent press regualtor, and abide by the Editor's code". 

The Spectator is a British magazine first published in 1828, and is owned by both David and Frederick Barclay, who also own The Daily Telegraph newspaper, via Press Holdings. 

A conglomerate is a parent company who owns smaller companies called subsidairies. A subsidairy runs independently, but supports the goals and objectives of its parent company.

3. How does your chosen company make money?

The Spectator's total circulation outstands at 85,267; its paid circulation measures at 77,942.

"In 2020, The Spectator became both the longest-lived current affairs magazine in history and the first magazine ever to publish 10,000 issues".

The institution's annual capital, is a sum of all sales from customer purchases and subscriptions, via online or in store. The average online issue retails at £6.68; there are 52 issues per year. 

4. What is the ethos/ mission statement/ values/ vision of the company? How does this reflect on the company's products?

The Spectator's editorial look is generally supportive of the Conservative Party (Right Wing). This can have an effect in the way they chose to portray certain individuals, due to their political bias and views.

Its aim is "to enliven morality with wit, and to temper wit with morality". Wit defines a type of 'humourous intelligence', therefore when it states "temper wit with morality", it's suggesting that The Spectator while being light-hearted and comical, still maintains a certain kind of class and formality. This ensures all publishing are reliable and trustworthy before prioritising the institution's political bias. 

"The principal object of a Newspaper is to convey intelligence. It is proposed in The Spectator to give this, the first and most prominent place, to a report of all the leading occurrences of the week. In this department, the reader may always expect a summary account of every public proceeding, or transaction of interest, whether the scene may lie at home or abroad". 

CONCLUSION:

How will you incorporate the values/ethos/mission statement/vision from your chosen companies into your idea? Give examples of what you would do, and try to be precise and detailed.

From my institutional research I have identified, the delicate way in which The Spectator publishes enthnocentric content (concerning issues 'close to home'). This is done in a respectable manner, in order to protect any representatives from and legal issues, as part of human confidentiality, but to also preserve their loyal and trusting reputation. In responce, I will follow their approach "to enlive morality with wit, and temper wit with morality", to ensure I project my message both clearly and effectively, but while also being considerate of my audience. Using a child representative on a COVID-19 magazine may be questioned by many as too 'daring' and by some 'extremely inapropriate', however, by ensuring images are not too graphic or explicit, I will have the ability to deliver a message, value or ideology more effectively. Alongside this, some may disagree that using a male representative in a sexual harrassment magazine is appropriate, due to the numurous female victims within society, however, my aim is not to disregard those individuals, but to show awareness the men are too sexually harrassed and are not always these 'heartless' preditors, that dominant ideologies have presented them to be.