Murdochization of the Indian Press

It appears that Rupert Murdoch, has monopolised and ‘tabliodised’ the Indian press- in turn creating political implications, and possibly the notion of bias, which could be transmitted onto television screens in India. According to table 2 ‘National reach of main news networks’ (the Murdochization of news? The case of Star TV in India) Murdoch owned network ‘Star TV’ reaches 38.4% of the Indian population- which as of 2013 had 1.27 billion residents.

   The rapid growth of the Indian economy may be partly due to, Murdoch’s investment in media organisations. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF, 2013) India has the tenth largest economy in the world, worth $2 trillion. However, according to the same organisation, before Rupert Murdoch bought ‘Star TV’ India was in financial difficulty, with countries such as Spain, Canada and Mexico having a bigger economy.  This point is exemplified by the Murdochization of news report, when it states ‘Star news has the resources to influence the news market substantially.’

  Murdoch appears to promote sensationalised news, demonstrated in the UK with his ownership of News Corporation, which is responsible for producing titles such as ‘The Sun’ and the controversial now defunct ‘News of The World.’ He appears to have taken this approach to India, validated by the study discussing a relationship between two famous Indian actors: ‘The grainy pictures intercepted through the mobile telephones of the two young actors, were repeatedly aired on Star News as an exclusive news scoop.’ This is the kind of image printed by tabloid newspapers, and therefore, implies that Star News places a heavy reliance on celebrity, gossip, news and scandal.

  Rupert Murdoch’s successful business ventures in India appears to stem from a desire to produce, localised content and sport which matters to the Indian people. This is shown by Star News transforming itself into a ‘Hindi-only channel to widen its appeal in the language spoken by the largest number of Indians.’ Murdoch has widened his demographics, by producing content into India’s main language; therefore, localising news and possibly gaining the respect of the Indian people, they may also be far more responsive to content that is created, produced and distributed into their mother tongue.

  Murdoch has popularised television in India, verified by a quote from the Indian commentator Ninan (2004) ‘thanks to Mr. M, we watch more TV than ever before.’ In addition, when Murdoch purchased Star TV in 1992, it was estimated that only 1.2 million homes in India had access to television. However, by 2005, this figure rose to 400 million, with cable and satellite television reaching 61 million homes (Satellite and Cable TV, 2005, Vasudev)

   Murdoch’s obsession with his rivals stems from a desire for his company, to be the number one broadcasting service in India. Reliance, one of India’s biggest corporations was in the spotlight in 2005. Star News, reported heavily on a feud between the brothers who co-own Reliance, discussing every minute detail about the argument between the brothers, on how best to re-organise the institution. However, during the same period, there was a major story constantly evolving, about a path-breaking agreement between Pakistan and India, regarding a gas pipeline, which would have ‘benefited millions of rural Indians’ and this issue was hardly given a mention on Star News.

  In conclusion, Murdoch’s vision to conquer the Indian media market, has given the Indian people more ways to consume media. He has also seen his organisation, accumulate profitability and respectability, by ‘tabliodising’ the market, and concentrating on celebrity, sport and controversial topics. Murdoch has in turn boosted the Indian economy considerably, and offered an alternative to the existing media on offer in the Asian co

How my understanding of death has changed

To begin with, I was somewhat sceptical about this task. I thought that analysing an image related to death, by investigating signs and symbols, would be straightforward and not challenging in any way; how wrong was I? Firstly, I realised that by selecting a picture which was indirectly linked to death, my analysis could be deeper and more thought provoking. I had  heard about Picasso’s ‘blue period’ on a game show, and it was mentioned that all of his paintings during this time were a tribute to his friend, who committed suicide at the age of twenty one. I then trawled through a website honouring the work of Picasso, and the ‘Old Guitarist’ painting appealed to me. I could see the anguish clearly in the face of the protagonist, and realised that there must be a story of symbolical importance behind it.

   The essay also demonstrated that identifying signs and symbols is a complicated task. This has increased my knowledge and overall awareness of semiotics and death.

From a connotative perspective, there is no boundary to analysis; and that there are many and varied interpretations for one image. It occurred to me that death was a vague, yet an identifiable concept. Previously, I have never really given death a second thought, I have always recognised the inevitability of it, but did not understand the complexity of the signs and symbols that might be associated with it. I have since recognised that death is not just about funerals and the colour black but through sound, mise-en scene, camera angles and lighting etc, it can be conveyed in numerous forms.

  

An Anaylsis of Semiotics (Picasso- The Old Guitarist)

Introduction:

The Old Guitarist is a piece of artwork, created by Picasso in 1903; it is one of the most prominent paintings in the Italian’s ‘blue period’ which started in 1901 and ended in 1904. I discovered the image on www.pablopicasso.org, which features a range of his artwork, famous quotes and a biographical section. I plan to, analyse the image with semiotics in mind, linking this to the subject of death; using various theorists, composition, paradigmatic and syntagmatic, as well as the referent etc. 

   The image depicts a blind, almost skeletal individual playing solemn music on the streets of Barcelona. Picasso uses monochromatic shades of blue, to emphasise the misery of the depleted and fatigued protagonist.

   Semiotics is defined by Louise Cummings in her book ‘The Pragmatics Encyclopaedia’ (2009) as ‘a discipline that aims to study, classify, and explain signs as they are used in intellectual and artistic forms, from gestures and words’ (insert page number). In essence, semiotics is more than just the ‘study of signs,’ the unique interpretations offered by individuals, demonstrates that there are no boundaries to analysis; every interpretation brings a new perspective and life to the image. Through semiotics we delve deep into the implied and the hidden meaning, attempting to decipher how the artist wishes us to view their creation.

Context: 

The ‘blue period’ began as an unorthodox tribute to Picasso’s friend Carlos Casagemas- a Spanish art student who committed suicide at the age of just twenty one. Many of Picasso’s paintings highlighted the abject penury that some people were forced to endure, he often attempted to sympathise with the sick and those who were cast away by society. The protagonist in the Old Guitarist painting is a blind man, who appears lonely and separated from others. Picasso’s friend Carlos, was a troubled young artist, many of his paintings featured similar individuals to the man depicted in the Old Guitarist- whose state of mind appeared to be fragile. Perhaps Picasso through the illustration, was conveying how Carlos felt during this period of his life- it is possible that loneliness and separation are contributing factors to Carlos’ death. 

  The hermeneutics of this painting, is complicated due to the subtle notion of death. Without prior research, an individual may be unable to fathom how the artwork is related to this subject. However, the name of the painting, gives us identifiable clues, through denotation and connotation. The adjective ‘old’ from a denotative point of view, is ‘having lived for a long time’ we know that once we have been alive for a considerable number of years, death becomes closer and inevitable. From a connotative perspective, a stereotypical outlook suggests that once an individual becomes ‘old’ they no longer have the zest for life, that youth once afforded them. Their mental capacity is not as alert as it once was, the body becomes weaker and the senses begin to deteriorate. Some may arrive at the conclusion that with age the body begins to ‘die.’

Language and the sign

Semiotics requires us to interpret the sign, and conjure up phrases and words that are implicit rather than explicit; this allows to us to define an image exactly how we wish to. For example, as cited in the book ‘Visible Signs’ (Crow, D, 2010) the French artist Rene Magritte painted a smoking pipe with accompanying language that translated to ‘this is not a pipe’ (1928). Magritte often chose a repertoire of standard objects such as an egg, a shoe, a hat and a candle; and then debated if the names that society has labelled them is indeed correct. In essence, there is no reason why an egg isn’t in fact a table. Invariably, many people will view this argument as illogical, but it does teach us subtly to look behind the denoted meaning and search for what the object represents. David Crow points out that the arbitrary nature of the sign, often decides the language that we use to describe it (p21).

   Gill Branston and Roy Stafford (2010) highlight in the Media Students Book that ‘semiotics does not assume that the media works as simple channels of communication, as windows on the world.’ (p12). This quote highlights the intrinsic connection between the Old Guitarist and the subject of death. Semiotics does not hold a mirror up to the world, every interpretation will be different and unique; it is impossible for different people to share the exact same explanation.

Saussure, Pierce, and the referent

Saussure (1857-1913) composed the notion of the signifier and the signified. The signifier refers to the form to which the sign takes, and the signified is the concept that it represents. (Berger, p22). For example, in the Old Guitarist the signifier is the guitar, it signifies the representation of music and the signified can be interpreted as the hope which music can bring. Interestingly, the brown guitar, is the only part of the image that is not painted in monochromatic shades of blue. This further reinforces the idea of the symbolic nature of the guitar, music can be comforting, and can be a way of immersing yourself within a completely new universe. Therefore, the guitar requires a different colour, to separate the sombre mood along with the connotations of death that the rest of the painting emits.

    In addition, the Guitar is the referent in the image. The referent can be defined as a ‘state of affairs in the world outside of language.’ (Baldick C, 2008) Furthermore, because music represents expression in an alternative way to language, it can be concluded that it exists in a world outside of language, as it enhances meaning in a creative fashion.

   Peirce’s (1926-1999) theory of the iconic, symbolic and indexical nature of signs, is an interesting phenomenon when considering semiotics. Iconic signs are defined as ‘resembling reality,’ and ‘symbolic signs are based on agreement about what certain connections between sign and reality mean.’ (C.M.J. Van Woerkum and M.N.C Aarts, 2009, p 434-436). For example, in the painting the Old Guitarist, the iconic signs are the haggard look on the protagonist, his skeletal body frame and his ripped clothing. This all adds to the realistic representation of a homeless person or busker, which is what we assume the man is in the painting. Symbolically it can be concluded that the image represents a time period, possibly the 19^th century when abject penury and a poor quality of life became a common occurrence in England and other European nations. In addition, the average life span was considerably shorter than it is today, and therefore, death at an early age was a common occurrence due to factors including: poor diet, lack of medicine and poor lifestyle etc.

     Indexical signs are ‘casually connected with what it serves to indicate’ (Moore, Bergmann and Dotterer, 1942, pp 367-375). Therefore, the indexical signs relate to the subtle notion of death, the sombre mood created by the monochromatic shades of blue, and the haggard, depleted protagonist are all examples of indexical signs.

  

Photographic Conventions

Composition describes the placement of objects in the image. It guides the audience to the most important part of the image, which in the case of the Old Guitarist is the guitar. As mentioned previously, the symbolic nature of the guitar is such that it requires a prime location in the image; to give the object a sense of importance.

  The rule of thirds is designed for the artist to place points of interest in the intersections or along the lines of the image; which allows the viewer to interact with it more naturally. Typically, a viewer will focus their attention on one of the intersection points, in the case of the Old Guitarist this would be the haggard protagonist. Therefore, through the rule of thirds Picasso has attracted the attention of the audience to the protagonist, further reinforces the links that death has in the image.

Conclusion

In conclusion, through semiotics I have explored how death is linked to the Picasso painting the Old Guitarist. I used Saussure’s theory of the signified and the signifier to explain the relationship between objects in the image and the subject of death. Peirce’s iconic, indexical and symbolical theory established the connections between enhanced meanings and how death could be applied to his theory.

  Investigating the correlation between language and the sign, enabled me to decipher how the arbitrary nature of language, dictates to us how we should interpret the image; but without language the image is open to our own interpretation. Rene Magritte’s’ idea of distorting the meaning of the pipe enables us to understand, the importance that language plays in comprehending the meaning of an image. Therefore, once language has been either manipulated or discarded in this context, it opens up additional interpretations for the viewer to consider.

   In addition, I have explored how certain photographic conventions highlight the subject of death and how they are conveyed by the artist.

Aisling Bea Profile

She’s a beautiful, Irish actress, comedian and writer, regularly starring on your TV sets in programmes such as ‘Russell Howard’s Good News,’ ‘8 out of 10 cats,’ and ‘The Town.’ But what else do you know about Aisling Bea?

 She attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, and has a degree in French from Trinity College in Dublin. Her comedic success is admirable, she emerged victorious in the ‘Gilded Balloon So You Think You’re Funny’ awards at the 2012 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, making her only the second woman to win the coveted prize in its twenty five year history.

  Aisling Bea’s (30) first notable on screen role was in the Irish Soap Opera ‘Fair City’ where she played Cliodhna Norris in 2009. She then had a brief stint in Greg Davies’ Comedy ‘We are the Klang’ which aired on BBC 3 in 2010. In 2011, she played Amelia Warner in the popular BBC 1 hospital drama Holby City. Other television appearances include: ‘Come Fly With Me’ (as Mary O’Mara, 2011) ‘In With The Flynns,’ (as Naimah) and ‘Dead Boss’ (as Laura Stephens).

  However, it is perhaps her comedy that makes her such a likeable personality. The following are my favourite three jokes told by Aisling Bea.

1.      

       1.One Direction are a group of children, made up of fringes and inappropriate thoughts.

2.      2.Urban dance movies always have the same amount of prize money, that is needed to fix a community centre.

3.     3. Dance music is used to mop all of the egits on the side who think they can’t dance.

Comic Books sell for up to more than 20 times valuation

A pulsating experience at Cuttlestones Auction House Wolverhampton, saw over 2,000 comics sell for a combined total of £18,541. Gasps echoed around the room, when a collection of ‘Silver Age Marvel’ comics featuring The Avengers sold for a whopping £1,000; despite initial valuation placing it at a mere £40-£60. Staggeringly, a vast hoard of early silver and bronze Marvel comics featuring the Fantastic Four, were sold for £850; more than ten times the preliminary bottom price.

   A 1963 X Men #1 comic, supposedly the rarest in the collection sold for £750; this item was expected to fetch anywhere between £400-£600. Twenty three early issues of the Amazing Spiderman went under the hammer and were bought by an internet bidder for £700; four and a half times more than the lower estimate. Another shock, was lot number 161- one hundred and fifty American cent editions of Marvel comics, which featured characters such as Thor, Iron Man and Doctor Doom, and were bought for £550, a 500% increase on the highest valuation.

  People were bidding from as far afield as Australia and the United States, to get their hands on the comics, which were discovered in a routine house search, as revealed in the Express and Star last month. Many of the comics dated from the 1940’s and included obscure and now defunct titles such as ‘Charlton,’ ‘ACG and ‘Tower.’ The majority of the items were kept in pristine condition, and are thought to be extremely rare when found in any condition.

   The majority of sales came from internet bidders, whilst people also attended on behalf of others and kept in constant communication by telephone, as the prices continued to rocket. Even the auctioneer seemed taken aback, as buyers appeared desperate to become owners of the titles.

So, search everywhere for comic books, because some seem to be worth a bob or two!

  

An Unlikely Evening

Key:

(.) = Pause of less than a second

(2) = Longer pause-number indicates how many seconds it is

Bold = Emphatic stress

Hillback: (opens front door) Bradley (1) what on earth are you wearing?

Walsh: Paul Sinha’s suit (.) after season five of the Chase finished (.) Paul was going to take this bad boy down to the charity shop (1) and I thought ‘you know I need an outfit for this shindig’, so I paid ten quid for it.

Hillback: It looks (1) it looks (1) no (.) word in the English Language can describe how that looks.

Walsh: I know it’s a bit adventurous but.........

Bradley stops mid sentence as he casts his eyes towards the dining table, where exquisite champagne glasses, pristine silver cutlery and antique salt and pepper sellers are located. The mahogany wood table is covered with a cream table cloth, with illustrations of roses and tulips threaded through the fabric.

Walsh: Blimey (1) flippen eck (.) is the Queen coming?

Hillback: Cancelled last minute (1) she emailed (.) apparently Phillip’s coming down with the flu

Walsh: I’m used to simple dining me (.) its all a bit extravagant for a cockney.

Hillback: Beans on toast for you then?

Walsh: Yeah (.) loads of brown sauce (1) I’m sorted me with that (2) what is the scram anyway?

Hillback: It’s a surprise

Walsh: The last surprise I had (.) was fathering twins (1) so I don’t have good feelings about surprises.

Hillback: Let’s just say (1) I need to cater for all of our guests

Walsh: Speaking of which (.) who else is coming?

Hillback: Churchill...

Walsh: Fantastic (1) I could do with a better deal on my car insurance

Hillback: Winston

Walsh: Ahh (1) don’t mention the war

Hillback: King Harold....

Walsh: I see (2) get it ‘I’ see

Hillback: Hilarious (1) and Brian Clough

A loud thunderous knock on the front door startles Bradley

Walsh: Cor blimey (.) nearly gave me a heart attack!

Hillback: It’s open

Churchill: Bradley Walsh (1) you could have invited any living or dead person to this dinner party great names such as (.) Jane Austin (.) Julius Cesar (.) Michelangelo (1) and you’ve invited Bradley ‘I find it difficult to pronounce simple words’ Walsh. Give me strength.

  

Walsh: (5) so, how’s life?

Churchill: Mine ended in 1965 (1) and thank goodness it did (1) because since then this country has......

Churchill becomes distracted by the waitress, who is placing cards on the table informing the guests of their seating arrangements. He whispers the following.

Churchill: I heard she won second prize in a beauty contest (1) a pig won

The front door swings open.

Clough: Lock up your daughters (1) Cloughie is hear (.) the best football manager there ever was (.) I am the greatest (.) better than all the rest (.) because I’m simply the best (3) I’ve brought Harold with me (.) so giz a sherry.

King Harold: It’s King Harold actually.

Clough: Do I look like a man who gives a damn (2) king my behind (.) from where I’m standing you could pass off as a member of Wham.

All the guests make their way over to the dining table

Clough (breaks into song): I want a glass of wine (.) sherry (.) port of whisky will also be fine. I don’t want a fancy meal (.) nothing like caviar or veal (.) I’m just happy with a bowl of cereal.

Walsh opens his mouth in the hope that he can perform a duet with Clough

Churchill: If you start singing (.) I’ll shove this fork where the sun doesn’t shine

Walsh: Why can Clough sing but I can’t?

Churchill: (in a mocking tone) ‘why can Clough sing and I can’t’

Clough: Churchill (.) you amaze me (.) I always imagined you to be an agreeable fellow but instead (1) instead (.) you’re just like me (1) and I can’t help but admire that (raises a glass).

King Harold: Hey Cloughie (.) I’m a miserable git too

Clough: Call me ‘Cloughie’ again and there will be another instrument sticking out of your eye.

The waitress brings the starters over. The food is some type of stew.

Churchill: No way (1) no way I’m eating that

Hillback: What’s wrong with it (1) its only stew

Churchill: Sick (.) is more atheistically pleasing than this

Walsh: Its bloody lovely this is (the sauce is dripping down his chin)

Clough: For effin sake Walsh (.) you eat like a pig

Churchill: This is disgusting (1) I’m going

King Harold: You know he has a point

Clough: Is there a pizza hut around here?

King Harold: I noticed a domino’s around the corner

Clough: I could murder a pepperoni feast right now

Churchill: What are we waiting for then?

Churchill, King Harold and Clough all get up from the table.

Hillback: What don’t go (.) I’ve got roast beef (1) and cheesecake.

The door slams shut

Walsh: (rubbing his hands together) how about that roast beef then?

The End

Laughing All the Way to the Bank

I find bus journeys laborious, I can’t read whilst the bus is in motion, as I get terrible travel sickness and apart from browsing a few smartphone apps, there really isn’t a lot else to do. Every weekday, I commute to work, taking roughly forty five minutes to get there and back, depending on traffic; I’ve become so accustomed to the bus journey, that I know every driver by name. We are that well acquainted, some of them have a nickname for me, I’m affectionately known as ‘briefcase man;’ because I’m probably the only individual that takes a briefcase onto a bus.

  This bus journey is slightly different, as I have a travel companion. Dave my work colleague stayed at my place last night, the initial plan was that he would come over and watch the football, have a kebab and a few beers; then he would make the twenty minute journey back to his own place. But the weather was so treacherous last night; I thought it would be best that he stayed over to avoid any potential catastrophes. So he caught the bus with me to work.

  Dave’s a good guy, we have similar interests, and he’s an excellent story teller. However, he takes prolonged and drawn out pauses before he says anything, and I absolutely loath silence. It was during another painful bout of silence, that I opened my wallet to ensure that I had picked up my staff ID card before leaving the house; and noticed a £5 note jutting out. I had a brainwave, a challenge for Dave. This challenge could potentially leave me seriously out of pocket, but I was so convinced he would be unable to complete it, I had no qualms about the stakes I was offering. ‘Got a challenge for you mate, if you can find the three Indians on this £5 note I’ll give you £2,500.’ Dave looked at me quizzically, as if I’d just arrived from another planet. Dave replied: ‘nobody bets anyone that kind of money without a catch.’ ‘No catch mate, find the three Indians and £2,500 is yours.’ ‘What’s in it for you?,’ he asked. ‘Nothing mate, apart from the satisfaction that you won’t be able to find them!’ He took the £5 from me and quickly began to survey it, he tossed and turned it, and frequently waved it.

  ‘How long have I got to complete this challenge of yours?’ ‘Until we get off the bus, so that roughly gives you half an hour.’

   The bus isn’t that packed for a Monday, which is strange, usually there isn’t a chance of getting a seat; there have been many occasions in the past where I’ve had to wait for the ten past eight bus, which cuts it fine for me arriving at work on time.  The bus driver is new as well, he had a massive smile across his face when Dave and I got on earlier, I assured him that in a few months his enthusiasm would diminish considerably. ‘Have you had any fare dodgers yet?’ ‘The bus driver shook his head and replied ‘this is my first shift.’ He looked backwards surveying the people on board ‘you are my 9^th passenger.’ ‘Oh right, I’ll warn you about the fare dodgers then, just let them on, it’s not worth the aggro for a couple of quid, you know what happened to Andrew right?’ He shook his head. ‘Well Andrew stood his ground, told three youths that if they didn’t pay he’d call the police, well the lads threw him out of the cabin and nicked the bus, fortunately there weren’t any passengers, so it could have been a lot worse.’ ‘And watch out for Mildred she gets on in a couple of stops, she’ll keep you talking for ages telling stories about her ill grandson and her daughter who she hasn’t seen for ten years; she’ll claim she’s an OAP and she suffers from memory loss so she can’t remember where she put her pass, but she’s 55 and in excellent health, she doesn’t have a grandson and her daughter lives next door; she’s been fabricating the story to newbies for years, so she can skip the fair.’ Dave interjected at this point ‘in fact she’s just started a club, giving tips on how to dodge bus, taxi and train fares, how to get money off essentials at the supermarket and how to get a free haircut.’ The driver muttered ‘Erm thanks for the warning.’

  ‘I’ve found two’ Dave pointed out the two Indians on the top right hand corner of the £5 note, only five minutes in and he’d found two. This could end in disaster for me, but I’m still convinced that he won’t locate the final Indian. He looked at me ‘nervous yet?’ I smiled and replied ‘nope as cool as a cucumber.’

   Ten minutes have passed, we have about ten stops left before getting off, Dave is still frantically searching for the final Indian; he wouldn’t know it, be he’s touched it about five times, I have palpitations every time his hand goes near it.

  Mildred’s on the bus, she didn’t get away with her scheme thanks to my heads up. Her face lit up when she saw the new driver, but her expression turned into a frown when her plan was rumbled.

  Time is passing by extremely slowly, and we are caught in a traffic jam caused by roadwork’s at the Vine Island, this gives Dave some precious minutes to become £2,500 richer.

   I distract myself, by chatting to some of my regular travel colleagues. I’ve learnt a few things this morning. Cora’s business is close to bankruptcy, Betty’s having a state of the art kitchen from Ikea, Maggie AKA Christine, scooped £20 on the Health Lottery, Phelma can’t decide whether to have her birthday party at the Bentlands or the Village Hall, Jan and her husband are going to Barcelona for two weeks, Rene is abseiling this weekend, Carol reckons the waiter in The Crown pub fancies her and Simon’s abandoning his DIY project, because in his own words ‘I can’t be arsed.’ There’s a lot of funny folk from Codsall.   

  Unfortunately for Dave his mission to secure £2,500 has failed, the bus has stopped outside our workplace. He slowly shakes his head, handing me back the £5 note, but I’ve told him to keep it as a consolation prize. ‘So where was the final Indian.’ ‘It’s the chief cashier mate.’