You will analyse the media language and media
representation of the following issue of The Big Issue:
- Issue 1277: Money for Good (October 9th - 15th 2017)
The main colour included on the front cover of this specific issue of The Big Issue is green. Green is usually associated with the idea of money and finance. In the top right corner of the magazine, there is a puff that states that this specific issue is a 'finance edition', which suggests to the reader that the main focus of the issue is money, and that there will be different stories and advertisements that include the subject of money in some way. The picture inside of the puff is a piggy bank, which is also something associated with money, finance and being able to save money. The colours featured on the front cover of this issue are predominantly green and orange, which are complimentary colours and contrast each other but make the issue more eye catching for the reader. There are also different variations of green within the issue, which is in keeping with the colour scheme and the theme of money. The main coverline 'Money for Good' is the largest piece of text which is main focus of the composition and the font used in sans serif, giving it less traditional and more modern feel. The text in front of the main coverline says 'How to save it, spend it & make the world a better place'. This could suggest to the audience that this issue will focus on how to help people save money, spend it in the right way and use it to make the world a better place. Additionally, it could connote that by buying a copy of The Big Issue, you are helping to make someone's life better. The banner at the top of the page is orange, which immediately draws the readers attention to the top of the page. The play on words 'the only way is ethics' has connotations towards The Only Way is Essex, but also that the issue is about money and ethics.
The use of celebrities in promoting the magazine's values is extremely important and in this particular issue of The Big Issue, Paolo Nutini and Dawn French are the main celebrities featured on the front cover. Paolo Nutini is a singer who grew up in Paisley in Scotland. Paisley is considered to be one of the most deprived areas in Scotland. They have recently put in a bid for the UK City of Culture 2021. Paolo Nutini has been featured in the Big Issue to discuss why he feels that Paisley deserves to win City of Culture, but also what can be done to help the urban renewal of the city. This relates to The Big Issue, this issue in particular, due to the fact that money is needed to make this happen. In relation to the front cover, they have used a direct but informal mode of address in the picture of him. It is direct as he is facing the audience and looking directly at the camera. The mode of address is informal due to the way that he is dressed, for example with his top button undone. These modes of address help to engage the audience with The Big Issue, but also to engage the audience with the story on Paolo Nutini and Paisley. In my opinion, the government is investing more money on the south than it is in the north. For example, the development of the crossrail, in the south alone, has cost the government £14.8billion so far. This particular issue may want to address the urban renewal of the north due to the fact that the north is more underdeveloped than the south, and this is possibly where more homelessness and poverty occurs.
Brexit has had a significant impact on the poorer communities and individuals throughout the UK. There was predictions that immigration was expected to reduce due to the fact that Brexit could possibly weaken the country and reduce job creation throughout the UK. According to The Express, there has been a significant fall in the value of the pound, which would make it less attractive for people to come and live and work in the UK. Additionally to this, due to the fact that there has been a significant fall to the value of the pound, food prices have been fluctuating unpredictably since Brexit, but predominantly food prices have risen since the UK decided to leave the EU in early 2017. This means that the poorer individuals may not have been able to afford enough food to feed themselves and their families. The value of the pound has been increasing since, meaning that food prices may be lowered in the coming months. Unemployment has also been at the highest it has been until the 1970s, meaning that it is possible that homeless individuals, as well as already unemployed people may find it harder to find a job and get back onto their feet. In my opinion, the poorer communities and poorer individuals of the UK would not be better off if the UK leave the EU due to the fact that unemployment has risen meaning it is harder to find a job, food prices have risen and as have housing prices. This means that it would be significantly harder for them to continue to survive on their current income due to the effects of Brexit.
Dr. Muhammed Yunus is the founder of the 'Microcredit' concept and won a Nobel Peace Prize for his work in 2006. The Microcredit concept uses small loans made at affordable interest rates to transform the lives of people living in poverty, mostly women living in poverty. This links with the ethical position of The Big Issue due to the fact that The Big Issue was founded and designed to help homeless individuals earn a decent living and to use the money to help them live a slightly better life, as demonstrated by the 'hand up not a hand out' slogan used by The Big Issue. Unlike right wing press, The Big Issue is an organisation that delivers news stories to people, but also presents a counter stereotype of homeless individuals rather than the typical 'lazy, drug addicted' stereotype that most right wing press use in their news articles about the homeless. In my opinion, this does not fit with the commonly held notions that the poor are flawed individuals or lazy (according the Shildrick and MacDonald (2007) and Butsch (1992). Through homeless individuals or people living in poverty going out to apply for these Microcredit loans, they are defying against the stereotypes and proving to people that they are far from lazy and that they are doing something to help themselves and their situation. Muhammed Yunus now has an idea for a new plan that could redesign the world's economic engine, proposing a world with zero poverty and zero unemployment. To do this, society would have to redefine the notion of 'self-interest' and the way that they view our roles in the jobs market.
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