Newspapers: Daily Mirror - Audience and Industries

 

Audience

1) What is the Daily Mirror's audience? List the key statistics here.

The Daily Mirror audience is older with almost half the audience aged 65+. In terms of social class, most are in the C1, C2 DE social classes. They are likely to be in the Struggler, Resigned or Mainstream psychographic groups. 

The audience is heavily skewed toward older readers, with 66% aged 55+ and almost half (46%) aged 65+.

2) Why do the Mirror stories on the CSP pages appeal to the Daily Mirror audience?

The stories are gossip based and this appeals to the lower class because it is more entertaining.

3) Why might a reader enjoy the Daily Mirror? Use Blumler & Katz Uses and Gratifications theory to add detail to your answer.

The main reason we read newspapers is to find out what is going on in the world around us.  We find out news, different opinions and catch up with the latest gossip and scandal. 

One of the main reasons we read newspapers is for entertainment.  Whether it’s enjoying reading the opinions of others, reading the cartoons or completing crosswords.  We want to be entertained. 

The newspaper you read reflects what type of person are.  A Daily Mirror reader will probably think very differently from a Times reader. Even if a reader does not always agree with a viewpoint the newspaper puts forward, they may still be agreeing with the values being shared and thus reinforcing their own values.

4) Why are print newspapers generally read by older audiences?

The younger generations prefer social media and scroll rather than spend money on physical copies when they can get free news. Older audiences grew up off of printed newspaper and didn't have access to social media and they may prefer it, also because it is more trustworthy than news online that anyone can post.

5) How are the CSP pages constructed to appeal to Daily Mirror readers? Think about text and selection of images.

The Daily Mirror CSP pages are constructed to appeal to a working-class, left-leaning, and older (65+) audience by using emotive, informal language and dramatic, image-led layouts. They feature bold, tabloid-style headlines that often simplify complex politics, using rhetorical questions or colloquialisms to engage readers.

Industries

1) What company owns the Daily Mirror and why are they struggling? 

Reach PLC owns Daily Mirror.

Despite maintaining a high-volume digital and print presence, Reach plc is struggling with a long-term, structural decline in its traditional business model. As of early 2026, the company is navigating a "material reduction" in digital referral traffic from platforms like Google and Facebook, alongside a continued decline in print circulation and advertising revenue. 

The Daily Mirror's circulation has fallen drastically over the years from over 3 million a day in 1990 down to around 200,000 a day now. Recent falls have been due to the rise of the internet which is why the Mirror's audience is much older now.

2) Who was the Daily Mirror editor between 2018 and 2024 and what was the Partygate scandal that the Daily Mirror exposed?  

The Daily Mirror last year announced its editor Alison Phillips will be leaving the newspaper after more budget cuts at Reach. Phillips was the Mirror's first female editor since 1903 and was loved by the staff at the paper. While Phillips was editor, the Mirror ran major investigations including into special advisor Dominic Cummings and Barnard Castle (one of the biggest stories from the first Covid lockdown) and later the Partygate scandal that brought down Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

3) What is the Daily Mirror's circulation? How many papers did the Daily Mirror used to sell back in the 1990s?

The Daily Mirror's circulation has fallen drastically over the years from over 3 million a day in 1990 down to around 200,000 a day now. Recent falls have been due to the rise of the internet which is why the Mirror's audience is much older now.

4) How has the Daily Mirror reacted to the decline in print sales and the growth of the internet?

-The move towards a multi-platform landscape means that it publishes and synchronises across its print, desktop and mobile platforms. The Daily Mirror provides this online content for free. Some newspapers (e.g. The Times) have a paywall on their online content which means that they charge subscription fees to read articles. Free providers make money from advertising but this is usually a very small amount of money.

-Create news based content that updates regularly, is shared on social media channels, includes a range of video content and encourages audience involvement.

-Reach's social media strategy backfired when Facebook changed its algorithm to deprioritise news content from sites like the Mirror and its revenue dropped sharply.

5) List five of Galtung & Ruge's News Values and explain how they link to the stories in our CSP edition of the Daily Mirror.

• Negativity: Is it bad news? Bad news tends to get more focus as it’s more sensational/ attention grabbing. 

They link because the Daily Mirror reveals scandals that happen in society, this makes it attention grabbing.

• Surprise: Is it a rare or unexpected event?

This is an unexpected event because this event doesn't come rarely, its unexpected because it shouldn't happen.

• Amplitude: Is it a big event or one which involves large numbers of people?

This is a big event because everyone, almost everyone was effected who used the post office to pay taxes and the scandal had ruined and ended some of their lives. especially because the criminal charges are permanent and not their fault..

• Familiarity: Is it culturally close to us in Britain?

It has happened in Britain so it is culturally close.

• Immediacy: Has it happened recently?

The CSP was in 2022 so it is quite recent, however, the newspapers at that time would've been recent.