Coverage of Liz Truss' resignation

1. Liz Truss
Resigns
20th/21st October 2022

2. Daily Mail - Cover
• This front cover focuses on the idea of a fight
between both Sunak and Johnson rather than on
Truss' resignation
• Conservative values are promoted in the phrase fight
for the soul of the Tories, a left-wing view would
understand the fact that the conservative
party indeed do NOT have any soul
• The use of the word 'fight' implies there is bravery
and strength which promotes a right-wing bias
• The indirect approach to conveying this message
conforms to Hall's reception theory and the idea that
these messages are encoded and decoded
subconsciously by the audience

3. Daily Mail - Website
• Portrays a potentially left-wing view due to its
anti-truss views
• However due to the topic one could argue its
negative look on the economic state complies
with Conservative ideologies
• The use of the phrase 'quickly lost faith' implies
again a conservative ideology because whilst
Truss may have had the faith of the party and the
backing of her peers, this did not correctly
correlate with a lot of the nation which at
the time had little faith in conservative reign
• When deciphering these articles, one can use
Hall's reception theory to understand that the
Daily Mail encode conservative values and
therefore their audience decode the preferred
meaning.

4. The Guardian - Cover
• Counter Typical cover Image with main story
covering 90% of the Front page
• Image is of her turning away/leaving
• "The Bitter End" presents the idea we knew it
was going to happen
• Sub stories using words such as "Turmoil" and
"Revolving door of chaos" which make clear The
Guardians left wing bias and lack of support for
the mistakes made
• Typical with the Star and Daily Mail with political
news being the dominant news story
• Not a flattering image showing prosperity and
instead a moment of defeat as she walks away
• Preferred reading of Liz Truss failing

5. The Guardian - Website
• Very much matches front cover with
dominant UK political news
• However maybe less left-wing bias on
stories with some reporting of the main
news
• However, some Tabloid tendencies with
Lettuce being brought up
• Compared to the Mail there is no right-
wing bias or protection of the tory party
• Preferred reading of the chaos within
politics

6. Daily Star - Cover
• Mocking and lighthearted tone contrasts
that of The Guardian and Daily Maily
• Uses a candid photograph of Liz
Truss with a ridiculous facial expression
• Anchoring text features several lettuce
base puns and emotive language which is
a common convention of tabloid papers
• The paper is aiming to construct a
preferred reading of Truss as unworthy of
respect with the main image chosen being
a lettuce dressed as her
• Additionally, the text "historic souvenir
edition" aims to represent the whole
situation as absurd and laughable

7. Daily Star - Website
• Emotive language is used in line with that on the
cover of the newspaper
• Soft news is displayed at the top of the page
• The puns found on the front cover on the
magazine are absent with the page having a
slightly more serious tone
• Despite this soft news is displayed at the top of
the page
• A preferred reading that the prime minister is
unworthy of respect after having been is again
present with her being described as being "took
down" by a lettuce