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LMP and CHH Example

The presentation of Caroline Flack by the British Media November 2007 - March 2020

Caroline Flack was a television personality who was known for presenting the popular ITV shows Love Island and The Xtra Factor, alongside being the winner of Strictly Come Dancing in 2014. She was also known for her tumultuous love life, with the media speculating about her relationships with Prince Harry, Harry Styles and Andrew Brady.

At the end of last year, Flack faced assault charges which resulted in even more media coverage of her life. She tragically committed suicide in February 2020.

Caroline Flack had a turbulent relationship with the press throughout her life: they covered both the extreme highs and lows of all aspects of her life. She is the focus of my investigation as there are widely differing headlines about her from a variety of mainstream news outlets which will provide me with a diverse corpus to then analyse. Furthermore, the media coverage spans many years and reflects big events in her life, allowing the presentation of her in the press to be explored in more depth.

The corpus of data collected can be found in Appendix one.

The reporting of Caroline Flack, and the way that she was portrayed by media outlets differed depending on the events happening either in her personal life, or his professional career.

Both tabloid and broadsheet media outlets covered elements of Flack’s life. Interestingly, in contrast to the images of the front covers from the Sunday Mirror and The Sunday Times from after her suicide, the LMP and CHH Example corpus data does not show a significant difference in the language used to describe her. This is most evident through the use of the noun ‘assault’ in headlines from both The Guardian and The Sun (17.12.19); the negative connotations are inescapable, however it could be argued that both media outlets are merely reporting on the attack, using legal terms.

The majority of the negative headlines about Flack herself are associated with times when Flack was experiencing either personal or career lows, for example her break ups with partners. This is most evident following her break up from Harry Styles where she recalls ‘It was a laugh, until I started being called paedophile in the street’ (The Independent, 2015); interestingly, this negative headline was published over three years after the breakup. Through quoting Flack herself using ‘paedophile’, which in itself is a highly controversial term, The Independent is arguably sensationalising a news story which would otherwise be uninteresting to all those but her most ardent followers. The retrospective negative portrayal of her relationships is furthered by Brady, her ex-finance, labelling their relationship as ‘toxic’ (The Sun, 2019).

Whilst Caroline Flack was alive, the majority of the positive headlines about her were linked to her career and her appearance. She was referred to as a ‘star’ (BBC Newsbeat, 2014) and a ‘pin up girl’ (Daily Mail, 2015) in relation to her appearance on Strictly Come Dancing and its subsequent tour. In itself, Strictly is known as an extravagant Saturday night TV programme which further contributes to the positive presentation of her as a desirable figure.

After her death there was a marked change in media representation of her from someone accused of assault to someone whose death had a devastating impact. The Guardian reported upon her ‘tragic’ death (2020) and that those who knew her were ‘devastated’ by her death (2020). The conscious use of such emotive language clearly portrays her as a positive figure, thereby negating the previously negative coverage.

Whilst the majority of the headlines conform to Grice’s Maxims (1975), there are a few which flout them, such as:

● ‘Caroline Flack death: Former Love Island presenter found dead at flat, aged 40’ (The Independent, 2020). This flouts the maxim of quantity as ‘aged 40’ is unnecessary information, however it does clearly highlight the tragedy of her death at such a young age. ● ‘She's a pin-up girl! Caroline Flack oozes retro glamour in tight top and high-waisted shorts... as she kicks of Strictly Come Dancing tour’ (Daily Mail, 2015). This arguably flouts the maxim of relevance as the focus of the article is the Strictly Come Dancing tour, not her outfit! As such, the headline places emphasis upon Flack as a desirable figure, making her seem more important than the tour itself.

Whilst exploring the corpus headlines, the ethics of journalism and media bias cannot be ignored as often this will frame the perspective of the story. The editor of a media outlet will have an awareness of who LMP and CHH Example their target audience is, and isn’t, and will ensure that the news stories they produce reflect this.

For example, it is widely recognised that the target demographic of the Daily Mail are lower-middle class British women, who have an interest in celebrity and gossip. This is exemplified through the headline ‘Strictly stylish: Caroline Flack shows off tanned legs in glitzy signature shorts at the Strictly Come Dancing launch’ (Daily Mail, 2014) which does not actually share any new information with the audience, but rather has been sparked by an image of Flack where she is deemed to be looking ‘Stylish’. This may be particularly interesting to the target demographic as they wish to follow the lives of celebrities, even when there is nothing new to report. The subheading ‘Low key look: Caroline Flack sported her favourite leg- baring shorts at the Strictly Come Dancing launch’ (Daily Mail, 2014), further supports this notion, implying that the way a celebrity looks is worthy of reporting as ‘news’.

Approaching the headlines in the corpus with a constructionist view, it would be argued that the representation of Caroline Flack in the media is at times a sensationalist version of events in real life, sometimes foregrounding trivial elements which are not unbiased news. Furthermore, taking this approach it could be perceived that the coverage of the alleged assault was manipulated in order to create a depiction of Flack as violent, a representation which altered entirely following her suicide. As such, this sudden shift in portrayal may call into question the earlier presentation of Flack and therefore lead to the reader having a negotiated reading of the previous headlines.

It can be argued, based on our study of Caroline Flack, that the British media will create sensational headlines around both a celebrity’s personal life, and their career, in order to appeal to their target demographic and maintain their readership. Furthermore, through the headlines analysed from the corpus, it appears that the representation of the celebrity is reflective of the events being reported, whether they be actual news or merely speculative. Through this, the media are able to consciously manipulate the public perception of the celebrity, in this case Caroline Flack.

LMP and CHH Example

Appendix One

Caroline Flack Headline Corpus

Date Headline Subheading Source URL 30.11. Caroline Flack - Since drinks with Amy Winehouse, Daily Mail https://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/home/mos 07 She's not your parties with Pete Dohery and dates live/article-498734/Caroline-Flack--Shes-

typical childrens' the drummer from a hip indie band. typical-childrens-television-presenter.html television So what is Caroline Flack doing on presenter Saturday morning TV?

13.07. I'm A Celebrity, The I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Maxim https://web.archive.org/web/201107161349 08 Get Me Out Of Here! Now host did a shoot with us 38/http://www.maxim.co.uk/girls/celebrity/1

These Clothes! when she was an up-and-coming 3908/caroline_flack.html presenter. Flacking-hell indeed!

13.12. Caroline Flack The Xtra Factor co-host was Capital FM https://www.capitalfm.com/artists/one- 11 Teased About mocked for her reported romantic direction/news/harry-styles-never-mind-the-

Harry Styles Kiss tryst with the teen pop star. buzzcocks/ On Never Mind The Buzzcocks 27.01. One Direction's One Direction singer Harry Styles BBC Newsbeat http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/1675 12 Harry Styles and has confirmed he has split from TV 4845/one-directions-harry-styles-and-

Caroline Flack presenter Caroline Flack. caroline-flack-break-up break up

25.03. Caroline Flack And with Olly Murs busy on his tour, Mirror https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/caroline-

13 will return to Xtra will last year's contestant Rylan flack-return-xtra-factor-1779888 Factor after Clark be her new co-host? Simon Cowell tells her the job is still hers LMP and CHH Example

28.08. Caroline Flack to Former Xtra Factor host Caroline BBC Newsbeat http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/2896 14 star on BBC Flack is joining rival show Strictly 3582/caroline-flack-to-star-on-bbc-ones-

One's Strictly Come Dancing. strictly-come-dancing Come Dancing 03.09. Strictly stylish: Low-key look: Caroline Flack Daily Mail https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/articl 14 Caroline Flack sported her favourite leg-baring e-2741809/Strictly-stylish-Caroline-Flack- shows off tanned shorts at the Strictly Come Dancing shows-tanned-legs-glitzy-shorts-Strictly-

legs in glitzy launch at the Elstree Studios in Come-Dancing-launch.html signature shorts Hertfordshire on Tuesday at the Strictly Come Dancing launch 26.09. Caroline Flack We knew the outfits would be glitzy The Mirror https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv- 14 gets Strictly and full of sequins but just how news/caroline-flack-gets-strictly-come-

Come Dancing short are the girls willing to go? 4331110 2014 party started in bottom- skimming 'flash of gold' 29.11. Strictly Come We are getting to the business end Metro https://metro.co.uk/2014/11/29/strictly- 14 Dancing 2014: of the competition in Strictly Come come-dancing-2014-caroline-flacks- Caroline Flack’s Dancing and it is starting to become charleston-was-full-of-turkish-delight-to-top-

Charleston was a must to get those ten’s from Len the-leaderboard-4967435/ full of Turkish and have Bruno springing out of his delight to top the seat in ecstasy as he judges the leaderboard contestants.

14.12. Strictly Come The TV presenter is now the The Independent https://www.independent.co.uk/arts- 14 Dancing: Caroline bookies' favourite to win the entertainment/tv/news/strictly-come- Flack scores first competition dancing-2014-caroline-flacks-salsa-scores-

perfect 40 of the first-perfect-40-of-the-series-9923830.html series LMP and CHH Example

20.12. Strictly Come Television presenter Caroline Flack BBC News https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-

14 Dancing: Caroline and partner Pasha Kovalev have arts-30536720 Flack lifts been voted winners of Strictly glitterball trophy Come Dancing.

22.12. Caroline Flack SHE may have had a 'testing year' The Express https://www.express.co.uk/celebrity- 14 admits Strictly but Caroline Flack has admitted news/548268/Caroline-Flack-Strictly-Come-

Come Dancing that taking part in Strictly Come Dancing-love-split got her through Dancing has helped her love split enormously. 17.01. She's a pin-up She is the reigning champion of Daily Mail https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/articl 15 girl! Caroline Strictly Come Dancing. And e-2914147/Caroline-Flack-looks- Flack oozes retro Caroline Flack made sure that the sensational-plunging-silver-frock-kicks-

glamour in tight opening night of the Strictly tour Strictly-Come-Dancing-tour.html top and high- started with a bang as she danced waisted shorts... up a storm with her fellow as she kicks of contestants. Strictly Come Dancing tour 23.01. Caroline Flack Daily Mail https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/articl 15 nails off-duty e-2923608/Caroline-Flack-nails-duty-style- style in Burberry Burberry-scarf-Rachel-Stevens-indulges- scarf... while retail-therapy-ahead-Strictly-Come-

Rachel Stevens Dancing-tour-Leeds.html indulges in some retail therapy ahead of Strictly Come Dancing tour show in Leeds 23.05. Caroline Flack: The new X Factor presenter on The Telegraph https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebrity 15 'I'm as single as Harry Styles, Strictly and 'nearly news/11625760/Caroline-Flack-Im-as-

single can be' fancying' Olly Murs single-as-single-can-be.html LMP and CHH Example

11.10. Caroline Flack on Caroline Flack has spilled the The Independent https://www.independent.ie/style/celebrity/c 15 Harry Styles beans about her friendship with elebrity-news/caroline-flack-on-harry-styles- romance: 'It was Prince Harry and One Direction's romance-it-was-a-laugh-until-i-started- a laugh, until I Harry Styles being-called-paedophile-in-the-street-

started being 31599690.html called paedophile in the street' 12.10. 'He could have SHE recently revealed that she was The Express https://www.express.co.uk/celebrity- 15 waited' Caroline Prince Harry's "bit of rough" and news/611451/Caroline-Flack-Jack-Street- Flack slams Jack now Caroline Flack has lifted the lid Strictly-Come-Dancing-ex-boyfriend-book-

Street for on another romance of hers. Storm-in-a-C-Cup dumping her during Strictly 28.11. The X Factor host AS The X Factor approaches its Express https://www.express.co.uk/life- 15 Caroline Flack: I quarter finals, Caroline Flack looks style/life/621701/The-X-Factor-host- feel incredibly back at her year on Britain’s Caroline-Flack-Olly-Murs-Strictly-Come-

lucky favourite reality shows. Dancing

02.01. Caroline Flack X Factor host Caroline Flack says BBC Newsbeat http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/3521 16 cried after first she cried after the first live Sunday 4581/caroline-flack-cried-after-first-live-

live Sunday X show in early November after being sunday-x-factor-show-after-she-was-trolled Factor show after trolled on social media. she was trolled 22.02. The X Factor: But she says she's had a "brilliant Digital Spy https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/reality- 16 Now Caroline time" on the show. tv/a784324/the-x-factor-now-caroline-flack- Flack officially officially-quits-just-hours-after-co-host-olly-

quits just hours murs-but-says-shes-had-a-brilliant-time/ after her co-host Olly Murs 07.04. Caroline Flack: Caroline Flack has denied that she BBC Newsbeat http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/3598 16 No fallout with has fallen out with her former X 5905/caroline-flack-no-fallout-with-olly-

Olly Murs after X Factor co-presenter Olly Murs. murs-after-x-factor Factor LMP and CHH Example

24.04. THE BRADY The pair started dating in February The Sun https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/613 18 BUNCH Love and are already smitten 1867/love-island-caroline-flack-wants-

Island’s Caroline babies-andrew-brady/ Flack ‘wants to have babies with Andrew Brady and thinks he’s The One’ 29.04. Caroline Flack Love Island host Caroline Flack has Evening Standard https://www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/celebrit 18 engaged to revealed she is engaged to y-news/caroline-flack-engaged-to-andrew- Andrew Brady boyfriend Andrew Brady after just brady-after-three-months-of-dating-

after three three months of dating. a3826341.html months of dating

27.05. CAN'T BEAR TO The TV host has jetted out to The Sun https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/639 18 BE APART prepare for the launch and her man 1395/caroline-flack-andrew-brady-majorca-

Caroline Flack has come along for the ride love-island-selfies/ has taken fiance Andrew Brady to Majorca with her for Love Island filming – and they’re already sharing loved-up selfies 30.05. Love Island: It's not often you come across a TV BBC News https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-

18 What makes series which is groundbreaking, arts-44002130 Caroline Flack revolutionary, genre-defying, turn into a 'melt'? innovative, challenging and entertaining all at the same time. LMP and CHH Example

12.07. WHAT THE Just 24 hours after Apprentice's The Sun https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/675 18 FLACK? How the Andrew Brady dumped her on 6738/love-island-caroline-flack-andrew-

Love Island host Instagram without telling Caroline, brady/ Caroline Flack’s he spoke to producers from Celebs intense love affair Go Dating with Andrew Brady turned toxic 12.08. IT'S FLACK ON The couple were spotted on a The Sun https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/699 18 Caroline Flack is make-or-break trip in Ibiza as well 9444/caroline-flack-back-with-andrew-

back with her ex as kissing at a restaurant in London brady/ fiancé Andrew recently Brady after romantic reunion — but vows to take things slow 29.02. Caroline Flack Caroline Flack is said to have Metro https://metro.co.uk/2019/02/12/caroline- 19 ‘moves on from moved on from her ex-fiance flack-moves-ex-fiance-andrew-brady-

ex-fiance Andrew Andrew Brady with new boy and personal-trainer-8572104/ Brady with personal trainer, Bradley personal trainer’ Simmonds.

17.10. Caroline Flack to Contestants will try to win the ATV Today https://www.atvtoday.co.uk/136234-bbc/ 19 present plastic chance to go under the knife in a surgery new Channel 4 series. entertainment show for Channel 4 17.10. UNDER THE CHANNEL 4 bosses have insisted The Sun https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/101 19 STRIFE Caroline that Caroline Flack’s new show The 55077/caroline-flack-plastic-surgery-show- Flack’s plastic Surjury is designed to reflect the-surjury-channel-4/ surgery show shifting attitudes towards plastic bosses insist ‘ops surgery. are mainstream in UK’ as they LMP and CHH Example

face major backlash

17.10. Caroline Flack's Contestants will try to convince a I News https://inews.co.uk/culture/television/carolin 19 plastic surgery jury they should go ahead with a e-flack-plastic-surgery-the-surjury-channel-

entertainment plastic surgery of their choice. It's 4-816220 show The Surjury dangerous and exploitative is a new low for television 29.11. FLACK ATTACK CAROLINE Flack's bitter ex fiancé The Sun https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/104 19 Caroline Flack’s Andrew Brady has slammed her as 42948/caroline-flacks-ex-andrew-brady- ex Andrew Brady "toxic" and admitted their break-up slams-her-as-toxic-and-says-split-saved-

slams her as "saved my life." his-life-as-he-covers-up-tattoo/ ‘toxic’ and says split ‘saved his life’ as he covers up tattoo 12.12. Caroline Flack The 39-year-old Love Island host The Mirror https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity- 19 worried work will 'feels like she is being selfish' as news/caroline-flack-worried-work-stop-

stop her having she puts her career first 18915055 kids as she nears 40th birthday 13.12. Caroline Flack Presenter was taken into custody The Independent https://www.independent.co.uk/arts- 19 arrested and by officers at the home she shares entertainment/tv/news/caroline-flack- charged with with her boyfriend in London arrested-fight-boyfriend-love-island-lewis-

assault after fight burton-domestic-abuse-a9245736.html with man believed to be boyfriend

LMP and CHH Example

13.12. Caroline Flack: Love Island host Caroline Flack has BBC News https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-

19 Love Island host been charged with assault by london-50785152 charged with beating following an incident at her assault by north London home. beating 14.12. Caroline Flack Caroline Flack is said to be terrified Metro https://metro.co.uk/2019/12/14/caroline- 19 terrified her about her future in TV after she was flack-terrified-future-tv-arrested-assaulting-

‘future in TV is arrested for allegedly assaulting her boyfriend-11908692/ over’ after being boyfriend Lewis Burton. arrested for assaulting boyfriend 17.12. Caroline Flack TV presenter says she does not The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/uk- 19 quits as Love want to ‘detract attention from the news/2019/dec/17/caroline-flack-quits-as-

Island host after upcoming series’ love-island-host-after-assault-chage assault charge

17.12. FLACK OFF CAROLINE Flack is standing down The Sun https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/lov 19 Devastated as Love Island host after being e-island/10568764/caroline-flack-quits-love-

Caroline Flack charged with assault following a island/ quits Love Island bust-up at her home, The Sun can after assault reveal. charge 19.12. CUT HER SOME WHETHER you know her for being The Sun https://www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/1057208 19 FLACK Caroline ‘the face’ of Love Island or as the 5/caroline-flack-career-bullied-kid-love-

Flack’s journey woman who dated Prince Harry and island-star/ from the ‘sickly’ Harry Styles, it’s fair to say Caroline Enfield kid bullied Flack rise to fame hasn’t been an for her skinny easy one. legs to troubled Love Island star 23.12. Caroline Flack: Former Love Island presenter BBC News https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-

19 Love Island host Caroline Flack has pleaded not london-50890079 denies assaulting guilty to assaulting her boyfriend boyfriend with a lamp. LMP and CHH Example

15.02. Caroline Flack Stars pay tribute after family The Independent https://www.independent.co.uk/arts- 20 death: Former confirms TV host took her own life entertainment/caroline-flack-dead-love-

Love Island island-host-a9337581.html presenter found dead at flat, aged 40 16.02. Love Island Presenter's management last night The Telegraph https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/02/

20 presenter attacked CPS and said prosecution 15/caroline-flack-dead-reports-claim/ Caroline Flack was a 'show trial' which was 'not in took her life three the public interest' weeks before assault trial 16.02. Caroline Flack's Like the Love Island contestants the The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and- 20 death is as tragic presenter rooted for, a hidden radio/2020/feb/16/caroline-flack-the-sparky- as it is anger- fragility makes her death all the presenters-death-is-a-stomach-churning-

inducing more devastating shock

17.02. Caroline Flack Former Strictly Come Dancing pro The Mirror https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv- 20 battled 'demons' Kristina Rihanoff said close pal news/caroline-flack-battled-demons-secret-

in secret after Caroline Flack was 'battling inner 21513726 Strictly win, says conflict' and had a lot of 'insecurities Kristina Rihanoff and vulnerability'

03.03. Caroline Flack Caroline Flack and Olly Murs hit it The Mirror https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity- 20 and Olly Murs' off the second they met on The Xtra news/caroline-flack-olly-murs-unbreakable-

unbreakable Factor in 2011 and kept fans 21615925 'flirty' bond and captivated with their chemistry their secret dating pact 05.03. Caroline Flack: Carolyn McCall addresses issue of The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and- 20 ITV boss says suicide and says channel focused radio/2020/mar/05/caroline-flack-itv-boss-

staff 'devastated' on its duty of care says-staff-devastated-by-her-death by her death

LMP and CHH Example

The presentation of Caroline Flack by the British Media November 2007 - March 2020 How the media perceived Caroline Flack Nov 2007 to March LMP & CHH Example 2020

Language use by the British media

Positive Negative Caroline Flack had a turbulent relationship with the press throughout ‘Not your typical’ (Daily Mail 30.11.07) ‘Teased’ (Capital FM 13.12.11) ‘Star’ (BBC Newsbeat 28.08.14) ‘Single’ (The Telegraph 23.05.15) her life: they covered both the extreme ‘Glitzy signature shorts’ (DM 03.09.14) ‘Paedophile in the street’ (Independent 11.10.15) highs and lows of all aspects of her life. ‘Delight’ (Metro 29.11.14) ‘Cried...trolled’ (BBC Newsbeat 02.01.16) She is the focus of our investigation as ‘Pin up girl’ (DM 17.0.15) ‘Quits’ (Digital Spy 22.02.16) there are widely differing headlines ‘Lucky’ (Express 28.11.15) ‘Intense… toxic’ (The Sun 12.07.18) about her from a variety of mainstream ‘Brady Bunch’ (The Sun 24.04.18) ‘Ex-fiance’ (Metro 29.02.19) news outlets which will provide us with a ‘Engaged’ (Evening Standard 29.04.18) ‘Strife’ (The Sun 17.10.19) diverse corpus to then analyse. ‘Loved up selfies’ (The Sun 27.05.18) ‘Flack Attack’ (The Sun 29.11.19) ‘Tragic [death]’ (The Guardian 16.02.020) ‘Arrested’ (The Independent 13.12.19) ‘Unbreakable ‘flirty’ bond’ (The Mirror 03.03.20) ‘Assault… beating’ (BBC News 13.12.19) ‘Devastated [by death]’ (The Guardian 05.03.20) ‘Assault’ (The Guardian; The Sun 17.12.19)

Inﬂuence of events on negative headlines Identifying overall patterns in negative and positive language use

The majority of the negative headlines about Flack herself ● Both broadsheet and tabloid newspapers use negative and positive language are associated with times when Flack was experiencing to describe Flack. either personal or career lows, for example her break ups ● The majority of negative headlines are associated with times when Flack was with partners. This is most evident following her break up experiencing either personal or career lows, for example her break ups with from Harry Styles where she recalls ‘It was a laugh, until I partners. started being called paedophile in the street’ (The ● The majority of the positive headlines are associated with Flack’s career Independent, 2015); interestingly, this negative headline was success and the reﬂections following her death. published over three years after the breakup. Through ● Her appearance is often seen positively (and only commented upon by tabloid quoting Flack herself using ‘paedophile’, which in itself is a newspapers), whereas her actions are seen negatively. highly controversial term, The Independent is arguably ● The majority of the language used in the headlines is mirrored in the sensationalising a news story which would otherwise be subheadings, further supporting the negative or positive view being shared by uninteresting to all those but her most ardent followers. The the article. retrospective negative portrayal of her relationships is ● Negative language isn’t just linked to Flack’s actions, they are also used to furthered by Brady, her ex-ﬁnance, labelling their describe projects she is linked to. relationship as ‘toxic’ (The Sun, 2019).

Broadsheet vs.’ tabloid media outlets Grice’s Maxims

Both tabloid and broadsheet media Whilst the majority of the headlines conform to Grice’s Maxims (1975), there are a few which flout them, such outlets covered elements of Flack’s life. as: Interestingly, in contrast to the images ● ‘Caroline Flack death: Former Love Island presenter found dead at flat, aged 40’ (The Independent, of the front covers from the Sunday 2020). This flouts the maxim of quantity as ‘aged 40’ is unnecessary information, however it does Mirror and The Sunday Times from after clearly highlight the tragedy of her death at such a young age. her suicide, the corpus data does not ● ‘She's a pin-up girl! Caroline Flack oozes retro glamour in tight top and high-waisted shorts... as she show a significant difference in the kicks of Strictly Come Dancing tour’ (Daily Mail, 2015). This arguably flouts the maxim of relevance as language used to describe her. the focus of the article is the Strictly Come Dancing tour, not her outfit! As such, the headline places emphasis upon Flack as a desirable figure, making her seem more important than the tour itself.

The ethics of journalism

It is widely recognised that the target demographic of the Daily Mail are lower-middle class British women, who have an interest in celebrity and gossip. This is exempliﬁed through the headline ‘Strictly stylish: Caroline Flack shows off tanned legs in glitzy signature shorts at the Strictly Come Dancing launch’ (Daily Mail, 2014) which does not actually share any new information with the audience, but rather has been sparked by an image of Flack where she is deemed to be looking ‘Stylish’. This may be particularly interesting to the target demographic as they wish to follow the lives of celebrities, even when there is nothing new to report. The subheading ‘Low key look: Caroline Flack sported her favourite leg-baring shorts at the Strictly Come Dancing launch’ (Daily Mail, 2014), further supports this notion, implying that the way a celebrity looks is worthy of reporting as ‘news’.

Conclusion

Based on our study of Caroline Flack, that the British media will create sensational headlines around both a celebrity’s personal life, and their career, in order to appeal to their target demographic and maintain their readership. Caroline Flack Language Investigation

LMP & CHH Example Caroline Flack - who was she?

At the end of last year, Flack faced assault charges which resulted in even more media coverage of her life. She tragically committed suicide in February 2020. Caroline Flack - why is she my focus?

The full corpus is attached as a word document.

Language Use

As was shown through the graph, the headlines from our corpus differed in their presentation of Flack; some were highly positive whilst others were undeniably negative. These portrayals of Flack were created through the language choices, as summarised in the table below: Positive Negative

‘Not your typical’ (Daily Mail 30.11.07) ‘Teased’ (Capital FM 13.12.11) ‘Star’ (BBC Newsbeat 28.08.14) ‘Single’ (The Telegraph 23.05.15) ‘Glitzy signature shorts’ (Daily Mail 03.09.14) ‘Paedophile in the street’ (Independent 11.10.15) ‘Delight’ (Metro 29.11.14) ‘Cried...trolled’ (BBC Newsbeat 02.01.16) ‘Pin up girl’ (Daily Mail 17.0.15) ‘Quits’ (Digital Spy 22.02.16) ‘Lucky’ (Express 28.11.15) ‘Intense… toxic’ (The Sun 12.07.18) ‘Brady Bunch’ (The Sun 24.04.18) ‘Ex-fiance’ (Metro 29.02.19) ‘Engaged’ (Evening Standard 29.04.18) ‘Strife’ (The Sun 17.10.19) ‘Loved up selfies’ (The Sun 27.05.18) ‘Flack Attack’ (The Sun 29.11.19) ‘Tragic [death]’ (The Guardian 16.02.020) ‘Arrested’ (The Independent 13.12.19) ‘Unbreakable ‘flirty’ bond’ (The Mirror 03.03.20) ‘Assault… beating’ (BBC News 13.12.19) ‘Devastated [by death]’ (The Guardian 05.03.20) ‘Assault’ (The Guardian; The Sun 17.12.19) Tabloid/Broadsheet Presentation

Both tabloid and broadsheet media outlets covered elements of Flack’s life. Interestingly, in contrast to the images of the front covers from the Sunday Mirror and The Sunday Times from after her suicide, the corpus data does not show a significant difference in the language used to describe her. This is most evident through the use of the noun ‘assault’ in headlines from both The Guardian and The Sun (17.12.19); the negative connotations are inescapable, however it could be argued that both media outlets are merely reporting on the attack, using legal terms. Influence of events on negative headlines

Whilst the majority of the headlines conform to Grice’s Maxims (1975), there are a few which flout them, such as:

Whilst exploring the corpus headlines, the ethics of journalism and media bias cannot be ignored as often this will frame the perspective of the story. The editor of a media outlet will have an awareness of who their target audience is, and isn’t, and will ensure that the news stories they produce reflect this.

For example, it is widely recognised that the target demographic of the Daily Mail are lower-middle class British women, who have an interest in celebrity and gossip. This is exemplified through the headline ‘Strictly stylish: Caroline Flack shows off tanned legs in glitzy signature shorts at the Strictly Come Dancing launch’ (Daily Mail, 2014) which does not actually share any new information with the audience, but rather has been sparked by an image of Flack where she is deemed to be looking ‘Stylish’. This may be particularly interesting to the target demographic as they wish to follow the lives of celebrities, even when there is nothing new to report. The subheading ‘Low key look: Caroline Flack sported her favourite leg-baring shorts at the Strictly Come Dancing launch’ (Daily Mail, 2014), further supports this notion, implying that the way a celebrity looks is worthy of reporting as ‘news’. Stuart Hall: Reception Theory (1973)