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9699 · 9.1

Traditional media and the new media — practice questions

Practice and worked examples for 9699 Traditional media and the new media. Short previews only — attempt the full question in MarkScheme against the official scheme.

Worked example 1

A national newspaper, 'The Daily Herald', had an average daily print circulation of 800,000 in 2012. By 2022, its print circulation had fallen to 200,000. Over the same period, its website's unique monthly visitors grew from 3 million to 21 million. (a) Calculate the percentage decline in print circulation. (b) Calculate the percentage increase in unique monthly online visitors. (c) Briefly explain one way this trend illustrates the concept of media convergence. [10 marks]

Show solution outline

Part (a): Percentage decline in print circulation

  • Step 1: Find the absolute decline. 800,000 (2012) - 200,000 (2022) = 600,000
  • Step 2: Calculate the percentage decline. (Decline / Original Circulation) × 100 (600,000 / 800,000) × 100 = 0.75 × 100 = 75%
  • Answer: The print circulation declined by 75%.

Part (b): Percentage increase in online visitors

  • Step 1: Find the absolute increase. 21,000,000 (2022) - 3,000,000 (2012) = 18,000,000
  • Step 2: Calculate the percentage increase. (Increase / Original Visitors) × 100 (18,000,000 / 3,000,000) × 100 = 6 × 100 = 600%
  • Answer: The unique monthly online visitors increased by 600%.

Part (c): Sociological Explanation

This trend clearly illustrates media convergence (Jenkins). The 'Daily Herald' is no longer just a print entity; its content is delivered across different platforms. The decline in print and massive growth in online readership shows the audience migrating to the converged digital platform. The institution has had to converge its operations to deliver its product via the internet, accessible on various devices. This demonstrates a fundamental shift in production and consumption patterns driven by digitalisation.

Worked example 2

Assess the view that new media have democratised the production of news. [15 marks]

Show solution outline

Democratisation case: Citizen journalism — phone footage, Twitter reports; lower barriers to publish; diverse voices bypass gatekeepers; Arab Spring optimism (debated).

Counter: Platform ownership concentrated (Meta, Google); algorithms curate visibility; fake news and misinformation; digital divide excludes some; professional journalism still sets agenda for many.

Evaluation: More participants but not equal power — corporate platforms control infrastructure and profit.

Conclusion: Partial democratisation — many can publish, few reach mass audiences without platform approval.

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