Newspaper: Final Index

1) Newspaper: Introduction

2) Newspaper: Daily Mirror - Language and Representations

3) Newspaper: Daily Mirror - Audience and Industries

4) Newspaper: The Times - Introduction

5) Newspaper: The Times - Language and Representations

6) Newspaper: The Times - Audience and Industries

Newspaper: The Times - Audience and Industries

Audience

1) What are the main audience demographics for The Times newspaper? Add as much detail as you can.

The main audience demographics for the Times newspaper consists of an older audience, with over half being aged 55 and over. 62% are from social groups AB, meaning that the Times' target audience is mostly in the ABC1 social classes, making them likely to be professionals, managers or company owners. Overall, they are likely to be in the Succeeder psychographic group (people who prefer established, premium brands that signify status and quality).

2) What aspects of the front page of the Times CSP edition suggest that their readers are likely to be more educated and interested in hard news rather than entertainment?

On the front page, the Post Office scandal is not framed as being incredibly dramatic or shocking, merely being referenced as a "scandal" with the focus being on Paula Vennells and her CBE. This places emphasis on the politics side of the story, a central aspect of hard news, showing that their readers are more likely to be interested in hard news rather than entertainment. Moreover, there is less of a colour scheme in general as there is an high text-to-image ratio, suggesting that the Times' readers are likely to be more educated as they would be more willing to read large sections of text in order to learn new information.

3) Times readers are mostly over 55 years old. Why is this and how is this reflected or challenged by the design and news stories in the CSP pages we have studied?  

This is reflected through the extremely conventional layout of the Times' pages - it is laid out in separate, distinct columns, without much experimentation, paralleling the preferences of the older generation who would be more used to newspapers with traditional layouts as they grew up reading them. This is also illustrated through the lack of colour and high text-to-image ratio, mirroring the older generations' tendency to read more and seek surveillance and education rather than diversion. The news story itself is highly political and also reflects the older generation, as much of Fujitsu is closely intertwined with the conservative party through Simon Blagden (ex-chief), and people over 55 are likely to be conservative and traditionalist, leading them to be more interested in the story and reflecting the actual audience of the Times.

4) What are the main audience pleasures offered by the Times? Use Blumler & Katz Uses and Gratifications theory.

The main audience pleasures offered include: surveillance - the Times' readership can educate themselves and learn more about the Post Office scandal, and the causes and repercussions surrounding it; personal relationships - readers may have relations to subpostmasters affected by the scandal and therefore have more connection to it; personal identity - readers may be subpostmasters themselves. In this case, diversion doesn't apply heavily as the story is highly negative and occurred in real life - most readers would therefore be unable to find escapism within it as the consequences and scandal itself are not fictional.

5) Why might a reader enjoy this CSP edition of the Times? Use Blumler & Katz Uses and Gratifications theory categories and write as detailed an analysis as you can.

A reader might enjoy this CSP edition of the Times as it provides: surveillance - through the high text-to-image ratio, the Times is able to provide a considerably large amount of information on the Post Office scandal itself, allowing their readership to learn more about what occurred and the political ties to the scandal (as many political parties are mentioned in the newspaper); personal relationships and personal identity - through the fact that some readers may have connections to subpostmasters negatively affected by the faulty IT system, leading them to feel more closely connected to the scandal itself and wanting to know more about what happened and why it did, or they may be subpostmasters themselves, thus amplifying these effects. Diversion (defined as an activity that diverts the mind from tedious or serious concerns; a recreation or pastime) would be less likely to apply in this CSP edition of the Times as the scandal affects real people - however, those who have no close links to the scandal at all would perhaps be able to find diversion in the fact that it draws their mind away from the problems that they face, by allowing them to focus on the problems of other people on a wider scale.

Industries

1) Who owns the Times? Write the name of the company AND the billionaire who owns the company.

The Times is owned by News UK, a subsidiary of News Corporation. News Corporation is a conglomerate owned mostly by Rupert Murdoch, an Australian media mogul with business links worldwide (e.g. the Fox network in the US, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post, 20th Century Studios, etc.) Overall, him and his sons are estimated to have a net worth of £17.6 billion.

2) What was the The Times's circulation in 2019? How many papers did the Times used to sell back in the 1990s? You can find all of these statistics in the blogpost above.

While the Times' circulation was 800,000 in the 1990s, this has since decreased in 2019 to 376,000 - a drop of 12%.

3) How has the Times reacted to the decline in print sales and the growth of the internet? Watch the two videos above for more on this.

The Times has, in response, moved towards a multi-platform landscape, meaning that it publishes and synchronises across its print, desktop and mobile platforms. The Times also has a paywall on their content, simultaneously bringing in a small amount of profit, yet also excluding much of the working class who do not have dispensable money in order to access their content. However, the Times does experiment with making their content available for free. The Times has also promoted themselves on different platforms, such as on the Times Radio, and on a phone app - their own app, and also Apple News Plus, allowing any user with an Apple device to access their content through a subscription.

4) What does IPSO stand for and what is IPSO's job?

IPSO stands for the Independent Press Standards Organisation. Their role is to regulate 1500 print and 1100 online titles, to listen to complaints about press behaviour and help with unwanted press attention, advise publication editors, provide information to the public, and provide a journalist whistleblowing hotline (a space for people who have important secrets to tell them to journalists in order for them to be published). They replaced the PCC (Press Complaints Commission), a voluntary regulatory body for British printed newspapers and magazines, on Monday the 8th of September 2014 after criticism following the phone hacking affair.

5) Why do some people want stronger regulation of British newspapers? Look at the information above on newspaper regulation to find out more on this.

Some people want stronger regulation of British newspapers as they believe that they cannot be trusted to regulate themself using IPSO, and that stronger regulation should therefore be introduced instead.

Newspaper: The Times - Language and Representations

Language

1) What is the main story on the front cover of the Times CSP edition and why does it appeal to Times readers?

The main story on the front cover is the Fujitsu Post Office scandal, where thousands of innocent subpostmasters (people who operate independent branches of the Post Office) were wrongly prosecuted for false financial issues created by Horizon, an IT system owned by the company Fujitsu. This would appeal to Times readers as it is hard news - it is closely involved with politics and business due to Fujitsu being a company and also Simon Blagden's (ex-chief of the company) ties to the Conservative party.

2) How is the presentation of this story different to how the Daily Mirror presents it? 

The presentation is different as the "retired IT experts" are painted as the villain instead of Fujitsu themselves, with the paparazzi photo of Gareth Jenkins beside the anchorage text of them knowing about "secret bugs in the system." Conversely, the Daily Mirror presents Fujitsu themselves as the villain, utilising a smug central image of Simon Blagden with negative connotations to reinforce this idea. However, both newspapers present the victims of the scandal as unfortunate, innocent people.

3) How is the Times front page designed to reflect broadsheet newspaper conventions?

The Times reflects broadsheet conventions through its lack of colour scheme, with it mostly being black and white (besides the images). Moreover, the headline of "Post Office chief to give up her CBE over scandal" is extremely impartial and shows almost no bias, reflecting the formal, objective tone of most broadsheet newspapers. The front cover is also comprised mostly of text, with only three images (two silhouettes and one central image), further mirroring broadsheets which often have a higher text to image ratio. The masthead is also in serif font, paralleling broadsheet newspapers which often represent themselves as being educated and informative by using serif fonts. Therefore, the Times is an extremely conventional broadsheet newspaper.

4) How can you tell the inside pages of the Times are a broadsheet newspaper? 

The inside pages of the Times are easily seen as being a broadsheet newspaper as there is a higher text to image ratio, and a lack of a colour scheme if the images are ignored. This reflects broadsheets which similarly have a small amount of images and almost no colour scheme, as they often aim to present themselves as being more informative and high-brow.

5) What does a close analysis of the news stories in the Times CSP edition suggest about the Times's political beliefs?

The choice of news stories suggests that the Times is a right-leaning newspaper (although they market themselves as being entirely unbiased), as Fujitsu is not presented as the villain - this is seen through the use of impartial language in the headline on the front cover ("Post Office chief to give up her CBE over scandal"), implying that the newspaper does not condemn the Post Office for the scandal, instead seeing it as not being their fault as the focus is put on the repercussions experienced by Paula Vennells, rather than the hugely negative impact on innocent subpostmasters. Moreover, this idea is exemplified through the newspaper's choice of language in the anchorage text in the inside cover ("Retired IT experts 'knew about secret bugs in the system'"), which implies that the entire Post Office scandal was the fault of IT experts who did not fix the issue, solidified through the paparazzi photo of Gareth Jenkins that has secretive connotations through body language, implying that the IT experts are guilty instead of Fujitsu themselves - the company who actually owned the IT system in the first place.

Representations

1) How does the Times represent the Post Office workers and Fujitsu in the CSP pages?

The Times doesn't have much representation of the Post Office workers themselves, with the newspaper focusing more on who is to blame for the scandal itself occurring. The IT experts, however, are presented as being guilty and shameful - the paparazzi image of Gareth Jenkins helps exemplify this due to its secretive connotations, redirecting blame from Fujitsu onto the IT experts instead. This presents a lack of focus on Fujitsu who have government ties and contracts, instead giving Gareth Jenkins and Anne Chambers as a targe for people's hatred.

2) What representation of the Conservative Party can be found in the CSP pages of the Times?

The Conservative Party is perhaps represented as being heroic and helpful through the heading of "MPs could pass emergency law to quash postmasters' convictions" alleviating blame and hatred from the Conservative Party by painting them as heroes, preparing to save those who lost money from the scandal. Moreover, in the bottom half of the paper below the subheading "Vennells faces..." the newspaper mentions the Lib Dems (Liberal Democrats) Party, shifting blame to the opposing side as the scandal began under a coalition government, not under exclusive conservative rule. The usage of the colour blue at the top also reinforces their connection to the conservative party as it matches their colour scheme.

3) Consider the subheading about Vennells "Vennells faces call..." - How does this newspaper present her involvement in this story? 

The subheading "Vennells faces call to return £2.2m bonuses as well as CBE" illustrates the Times taking an objective stance - there is no call to action from the newspaper to rescind her role as the Times isn't saying she should relinquish her CBE herself. This, therefore, presents her as having a small amount of involvement in the story, suggesting that she may have perhaps been wrongly dragged into the scandal through the fact that the text uses the conjunction "as well as," with the written code highlighting that it is a potentially unfair amount for her to give up (through the tedious repetition of "as" in "as well as").

4) What representation of Fujitsu can be found in the CSP pages of the Times? What does The Times journalist think of Fujitsu and Horizon's role in this scandal? 

There is overall a lack of focus on Fujitsu's role in the scandal as the newspaper focuses much more on the "IT experts" instead, painting them as the villain (Propp's Character Theory), shifting blame away from them and moving it onto the IT workers instead. The Times journalist perhaps thinks that Fujitsu was not to blame for the scandal as they had no control over what happened - the IT experts should have called out the bug and fixed it themselves (instead of relying on the company that actually owns it).

5) What opinion would Times readers be likely to have about Vennells, the Post Office workers and Fujitsu from reading these pages?

Concerning Paula Vennells, Times readers would likely have a positive opinion of her considering the shifting of blame from her onto the IT workers - the subheading "Vennells faces calls... " solidifies this idea that Vennells herself had almost no involvement in the scandal, and that expecting her to give up her CBE is far too harsh of a punishment. As the Times has given her a platform to speak through the caption on the cover image where she apologises from the scandal, Times readers may view her situation as being unfortunate and may feel sympathetic for her more than the subpostmasters themselves through the preferred reading pushed forward by the Times newspaper themselves.

Concerning Fujitsu, the Times overall has a lack of focus on the company, instead focusing more on the legal process the case took and shifting blame onto IT workers. Therefore, Times readers would view them as not being responsible for the scandal. Instead, readers would be much harsher on the IT workers through the subheading of them "kn[owing] about secret bugs in the system" alongside the paparazzi photo, painting them as being the true villains (Propp's Character Theory) behind the Post Office Scandal instead. 

 

Newspaper: The Times - Introduction

1) What year was The Times founded and when did it start using the Times name?

The Times was founded in 1785 under the name 'The Daily Universal Register,' changing its name to The Times on the 1st of January 1788.

2) What content did John Walter suggest the paper would offer in the first edition?

John Walter suggested the paper would offer "something suited to every palate," including hard news often covered by most broadsheets, such as politics, foreign affairs, trade, legal trials, advertisements, alongside more light-hearted "amusements."

3) What does the page say about the political views in The Times? 

The page says that political views in The Times are covered with respectful "fair argument," as the newspaper reserves the right to "censure or applaud either [political party]". It also discusses the integrity and honesty behind their political views, namely through how they supported both New Labour and the Conservatives in recent times. They are self-labelled as being "without bias," providing unique insight into politics.

4) Who owns The Times today and how is editorial integrity protected?

Today, The Times is owned by News UK under Rupert Murdoch, who bought the newspaper in 1981. They protect editorial integrity by featuring columnists from all areas of the political spectrum, ensuring that no political ideology is favoured over another.

5) What did The Times introduce in 2010 and why?

In 2010, The Times introduced multiple new announcements. For example, they launched the iPad edition in late May, allowing them to target a broader audience. Furthermore, they introduced a paywall on both The Times and The Sunday Times websites, announcing charges for paid-only content in order to increase profit. This is perhaps related to the general decrease in popularity of print across the world, meaning that newspaper companies potentially needed to find more ways to increase the money they gained as physical copies were being bought much less.

6) What was The Times named in 2018 by the Reuters Institute for Journalism at Oxford University?

In 2018, The Times was named 'Britain's most trusted national newspaper' by the Reuters Institute for Journalism at Oxford University, paralleling the general public's belief that The Times is overall an unbiased newspaper that presents political news in a fair light.

7) What does the section on Editorial Standards say about The Times and newspaper regulation?

In the section on Editorial Standards, it states that the company takes complaints about editorial content seriously, and that they are committed to abiding by the regulations held by the Independent Press Standards Organisations (Ipso) and the Editors' Code of Practice that they enforce, including clauses on accuracy, privacy, harassment, etc.

8) What does the section on Ownership say about The Times and who is the current editor? 

The section on Ownership states that the Times is currently published by Times Media Limited, a subsidiary under News UK & Ireland Ltd., which itself s owned by News Corp, a "global diversified media business," who perhaps aid in the editing process.

Newspaper: Daily Mirror - Audience and Industries

Audience

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

The Daily Mirror's audience is comprised of mostly older people, with almost half of their audience being aged over 65 years old. Most readers are of NRS social grades C1, C2 or DE, making them mostly working class. They are likely to be in the Struggler, Resigned or Mainstreamer groups in Young and Rubicam's Psychographics.

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

The CSP's stories concerning the Post Office scandal might appeal to Daily Mirror audiences as it affects an extremely large percentage of them, given that most of the Daily Mirror's audience is working class and so will be affected by Post Office issues. Members of the audience in the psychographic group of the Struggler are also likely to be affected by the scandal. Furthermore, the Daily Mirror's audience is mostly comprised of politically left-leaning people, who are more likely to engage with the Post Office scandal story given that it is closely tied to the Conservative Party in the UK.

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

A reader might enjoy the Daily Mirror as it provides information, through keeping audiences up to date on current events, world affairs and the opinions of people around them. Moreover, the Daily Mirror also provides readers with diversion / entertainment, as it is a tabloid and so often covers soft news such as celebrity gossip, providing readers with a sense of escapism for the struggles they face in life. Finally, a reader may enjoy the Daily Mirror due to their personal identity or personal relationships: a reader may be politically aligned with the Daily Mirror's progressive ethos, or they may trust the journalist / writer behind the newspaper issues that they read.

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

Print newspapers are generally read by older audiences as they are typically less familiar with technology and the internet, and will use newspapers as a means of keeping up to date with the world around them. Younger generations who are born into an already technologically-dense world are often more familiar with the internet and will therefore use it for news over physical print media.

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

The CSP pages are constructed to appeal to Daily Mirror readers as they utilise a scandal-based main splash head to entice and attract their audience, alongside a large main image of the company name Fujitsu to encourage those already familiar with the scandal to read the newspaper. This main image immediately paints Fujitsu as the villain (Propp's Character Theory), attracting the Daily Mirror's working class audience who will side with the subpostmasters affected by the Post Office scandal.

Industries

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

The Daily Mirror is owned by Reach PLC, formerly known as Trinity Mirror from 1999 - 2018, a British newspaper, magazine and digital publisher who owns and published over 240 regional newspapers, in addition the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror, etc. They are struggling due to the general decrease in popularity of print media, as a result of the growth of the internet and its accessibility and cost-free nature in comparison to newspapers. This decline has led to a drastic decrease in circulation, from over 3 million a day in 1990 to around 200,000 a day in recent times.

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

The editor Alison Phillips, who was the Daily Mirror's first female editor since 1903, was announced to be leaving the newspaper after more budget cuts at Reach. She wrote the Partygate scandal that brought down the Prime Minister Boris Johnson, a scandal where parties took place in 10 Downing Street despite restrictions placed during lockdown.

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 now is 200,000 a day, despite previously being over 3 million a day in 1990.

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

The Daily Mirror reacted to the decline in print sales by creating the mirror.co.uk website, alongside social media accounts on major sites. This means that the Daily Mirror synchronises itself across print, desktop and mobile platforms, providing their online content for free (without a paywall) - this allows them to make money from advertising, despite this being a very small amount of money. Furthermore, the Daily Mirror now creates news-based content that updates regularly and is shared on social media channels, including a wide variety of video content which encourages audience engagement.

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.

• Immediacy: Links to the Daily Mirror being a newspaper published everyday
• Amplitude: The extremely large amount of people affected by the Post Office scandal
• Familiarity: The scandal occurs in Britain and affects people within the country
• Continuity: This scandal has shown in the news before, but has been re-covered
• Negativity: The Post Office scandal is an extremely negative story, engaging audiences

Newspaper: Daily Mirror - Language and Representations

Language

1) Write the definition of the following key language for newspaper front pages (you may want to add an example for each from our Daily Mirror CSP):

Masthead: the title block of the newspaper

Pug: something to catch the reader's eye

Splash Head: the lead story

Slogan: sums up the ethos (values, beliefs) of the newspaper

Dateline: date newspaper was published

Byline: gives the name of journalist / writer

Standfirst: introductory paragraph usually in bold

2) What is the main story on the CSP edition of the Daily Mirror (see above)? Make sure you learn the headline and what the story is about.

The British Post Office scandal involved the Post Office wrongfully persecuting thousands of innocent subpostmasters (someone who runs an independent Post Office branch for the company) for fake financial issues, caused by bugs / glitches in Horizon, an accounting software system developed by Fujitsu. As a result, Paula Vennells, who was the CEO of the Post Office, relinquished her CBE.

3) What is the 'pug' or smaller celebrity story on the front cover? Why might it appeal to Daily Mirror readers?

The 'pug' is usually something to catch the reader's eye. On the front cover, it reads "EXCLUSIVE: POST OFFICE SCANDAL" - this would appeal to Daily Mirror readers through the word "exclusive," which implies that the Daily Mirror is the only source of this information on the scandal. The bright red text is also extremely vivid and eye-catching in order to draw attention, and has connotations of drama and evil (in relation to how the scandal affected the lives of innocent people.) The smaller story is equally scandalous and therefore furthers readers' intrigue and interest.

4) Why is the choice of news stories, content and page design on the Mirror CSP front page typical of a tabloid newspaper?

Tabloid newspapers usually have a lot less text and are comprised mainly of images, mirroring the front cover of the Daily Mirror, as much of the space on the page is taken up by the main image rather than the text. Moreover, tabloid newspapers usually have a quite vivid colour scheme, further mirroring the usage of red and yellow on the front cover. The news stories blur the line between entertainment and information, combining soft news ("Eagle on ice" - ice skating story) with hard news (business and political affairs), paralleling the common presentation of soft news in tabloid newspapers.

5) What is the balance on the Daily Mirror front page between images, headlines and text?

Headlines and images are extremely large whereas text is significantly smaller, in order to emphasise the Daily Mirror as being a tabloid newspaper and increase accessibility and approachability for their audience.

Representations

1) What political party does the Daily Mirror support? Is there any evidence to support this in the CSP pages we have studied?

The Daily Mirror support the Labour party as they are left-leaning. This is solidified through their usage of the word 'Tories' in the double-page spread (a nickname used by the left against the Conservative party). Furthermore, the column of text on the left of the double-page spread exemplifies Labour's opposition to the scandal, especially through the inclusion of an emotive quote from a Labour MP where the scandal is clearly disapproved of.

2) How does the Daily Mirror represent the Post Office in the CSP pages? Why do you think they present them in this way?

The Daily Mirror represents the Post Office as incompetent and targeting innocent victims in order to draw sympathy from their audience, and to further emphasise the left-leaning ethos of the newspaper.

3) How is Fujitsu represented in the Daily Mirror CSP pages? Look particularly at the use of images on the front cover and the section on Fujitsu on the inside page. Give detailed answers with evidence from the CSP pages.

Fujitsu is also similarly represented as incompetent and perhaps even evil - the large image on the front cover highlights their involvement in destroying the lives of innocent people. Moreover, the inclusion of their company name on the double-page spread in "The Fujitsu Files" is used to link the brand's visual identity to the scandal, and, through the sci-fi connotations of the typography and the word "files" (relating to the 'X-files'), perhaps even representing them as an evil corporation, mimicking the common representation of villains in science fiction narratives.

4) How are the Conservative Party represented in the Daily Mirror? Again, provide evidence from the CSP pages to support your answers.

The Conservative Party are represented as being involved in / having a significant part in this scandal through the inclusion of easily recognisable party members (e.g. Rishi Sunak) in the boxes on the left-hand-side. with each box discussing a different aspect of the scandal. Moreover, the Daily Mirror shows clear opposition to the Conservative Party through their usage of the word 'Tories,' a nickname often used by those on the left in order to patronise / demean members and supporters of the Conservative Party alike.

5) Read the main articles on the inside pages. How are different people, groups and organisations represented in the Daily Mirror? Does this reinforce or subvert the stereotypes we usually see in the media?

In the main article, Fujitsu and the Conservatives are represented as having a large part in the scandal / being one of the main factors towards it happening in the first place. This is illustrated mainly through the smug / happy representation of Simon Blagden OBE, who was the former non-exec chairman of Fujitsu, and who gained a government position through large donations. This is because this representation, emphasised through his smile, folded arms and confident posture, exemplifies the notion that Fujitsu and the Conservative party are not taking this scandal seriously / are perhaps even happy it occurred. Conversely, the Labour Party are highlighted as being in opposition to the scandal through the separate column on the left-hand side of the double-page spread; this is mostly illustrated through the inclusion of a quote - "This is astounding - a kick in the teeth for victims." This emotive quote showcases a Labour MP clearly stating that this scandal is an issue, highlighting the Labour Party as being sympathetic towards the victims, while also highlighting the Conservative Party as being complacent with the scandal at the same time. This reinforces stereotypes usually seen in the media.

Newspaper: Introduction

1) What type of news can you typically find in a tabloid newspaper?

Soft news: News that leans heavily towards celebrity gossip, combining information and entertainment.

2) What type of news can you typically find in a broadsheet newspaper?

Hard news: Information on topics like business, politics and international affairs.

3) If someone is left-wing, which political party in the UK are they most likely to support? Which newspapers would they be likely to read?

Left-wing people are more likely to support the Labour Party, and would read left-leaning newspapers such as the Daily Mirror.

4) If someone is right-wing, which political party in the UK are they most likely to support? Which newspaper would they be most likely to read?

Right-wing people are more likely to support the Conservative Party, and would read right-leaning newspapers such as the Times.

5) Why has there been a decline in newspaper sales in the last 50 years?

As society becomes more technologically advanced and digitised, the news has generally shifted to become much more digital through websites and social media. Moreover, the rise of TV ownership and news programmes has also caused newspaper sales to decline.

6) Why is a free press important in a democracy like the UK?

Free press is important as it means that journalists and newspaper editors can edit content free from government influence - free press is part of being a democracy, as restricting their freedom means that the government can hold power over and influence decisions made by the general public.