It's tough being a tabloid newspaper sub-editor. Generally, it's agreed that articles are easier to read if they have a picture, but it's too expensive to send a photographer to get an original photograph for every story.  So, to fill the gap, stock photo companies, such as Alamy, build massive databases of weird and wonderful pictures to use in generic stories. However, the stock nature of the pictures means that certain clichés become entrenched into British newspapers without us realising. So, here are the rules of tabloid newspaper pictures. All of these pictures are taken from articles in the Daily Mail this year. You will never look at newspapers in the same way again!

1. Laptops are only used at night by shady looking men. An article about the perils of the Internet or hacking (heh) wouldn't quite look right if placed next to a picture of a sweet old dear using a Mac. As a result, all laptop users are sinister looking blokes who browse unidentifiable websites in total darkness (or greenness if they're extra shady).

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2. Kids are mean. When was the last time you saw a picture of a child doing what it's told in a paper? If they're not stealing cake off you whilst you look on helplessly, they're putting their teachers in a headlock or standing on the table.  Kids today eh!

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3. People around the country are putting their head in their hands and spreading their bills, cards and loose change on their desk in despair at rising prices. This is a perennial favourite of which there are literally hundreds of examples. Every article about any sort of financial woes, whether personal or national, will be accompanied by someone looking rather downbeat with all of their financial documents sprawled out in front of them. However, you do get a bit of creativity..

 Long range depressed man (article)

Close range depressed couple

As above, but with an adding machine!

4. Young people are usually used to show 'old people' conditions to make them more interesting. This one is slightly more sinister. Articles about conditions which are traditionally associated with older people usually feature rather more attractive models in their pictures. They could simply be trying to push an anti-ageist and open-minded news agenda. Or they could be trying to make their papers look nicer. We'll leave it up to you..

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 both suffering from angina

 breast cancer (article)

5. Readers only understand what something is if shown in bulk. At some national editors conference a few years ago it was evidently decided that readers are unable to comprehend the significance of an item unless it is shown as part of a set.

 (article) BREAD

 SAUCEPANS

 MARSHMALLOWS

6. Angry people just look weird. The Alamy files feature pictures for the full range of emotions- sad, happy, bemused, excited, sinister etc etc. However, whenever there is an article about anger management or stress, it's very hard to find a picture where the subjects don't look angry but instead just look a bit.. odd.

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So next time you read a tabloid article or website, sit back and enjoy the bizarre mundaneness of stock photography!

You cannot hope to bribe or twist,
thank God! the British journalist.
But, seeing what the man will do unbribed,
there's no occasion to.

Humbert Wolfe (1885-1940)

A rather amusing leader  piece from a 2009 edition of the News of the World has come to light today as the NOTW releases its final issue.

LAST week the News of the World was the subject of some ferocious and, at times, hysterical attacks on its credibility, integrity and journalistic standards.

The onslaught was led by a series of reports in the Guardian newspaper and hastily followed by the BBC, Sky News, and ITN.

The essence of their campaign was that members of our staff have engaged in a widespread and unlawful conspiracy to access "thousands" of mobile phones…

So, if the Guardian has any fresh evidence to support their claims against us, we invite them to pass it on to the police without delay.

Looks like they did…

Image via CrunchBase

I wrote my initial blog post regarding the phone hacking affair just hours after the story about Millie Dowler broke on Monday night. The post was partly fuelled by disbelief and shock, but still tried to make a few predictions about how the whole thing may pan out and what the ultimate effect would be upon the British media. The story has snowballed over the past few days, with the News of the World now announcing its termination as a newspaper, and some of what I said has proved to be accurate and some of it well off the mark. However, having had days to unravel, it seems that a few points are becoming clear.

1. It is MUCH worse than it first appeared- We all thought that nothing could top the Dowler revelations, however since then it has emerged that the phones of 7/7 victims and the families of dead servicemen have all also been hacked. News International have warned that there is still worse to come, but the News of the World's already poor reputation has fallen through the floor in the past few days. It is no wonder that the NOTW has had to disband themselves as the NOTW brand has become absolutely toxic and repellent to advertisers and potential contributors.

2. Other newspapers have started, reluctantly, to join the outrage- In my earlier post, I commented on how no other tabloids were picking up the story, for the fear that they themselves will soon be incriminated. However, a look at yesterday's front pages has shown that all newspapers (except for the Sun and the NOTW as you may expect) are now giving it full coverage. Whether it means that other tabloids are confident in their activities remains to be seen (I very much suspect not), however it shows that they are at least in tune with the strength of feeling which surrounds this case. Also, no newspaper has yet dared to speak out against the planned public enquiry into tabloid journalistic practices, again due to the fear of a public backlash. This could perhaps be the media equivalent of the MPs expenses scandal. The News of the World being shut however may prove to be the industry's sacrificial lamb; the cancerous tumour which is removed in order to secure the stability of the rest of the News International empire.

3. Politicians are starting to stand up to Murdoch- The parliamentary debate yesterday showed the politicians have become fairly honest about the extent to which they were under the influence of Rupert Murdoch's publications throughout the past twenty years. They must now have seen a perfect opportunity to act upon the power of the media, with both party leaders calling for an enquiry and MPs such as Tom Watson and Chris Bryant bravely putting their heads above the parapet and keeping the momentum going. If proper media legislation is introduced and the BSkyB merger is put on ice, then we may see a change in political culture, as politicians release themselves from the grip of the Murdoch machine. The decision to axe the NOTW is clearly a Murdoch cost-benefit analysis, hoping that its removal will help to secure the much more lucrative BSkyB deal. Although with a constantly changing political climate, who knows..

4. The importance of Twitter power- No doubt Tweeters worldwide have already claimed victory, however it is certainly true that the NOTW would probably have still been fighting for its life without the Twitter influence. Twitter by its very nature seems to be create whirlwinds of outrage and action which seem particularly adept at applying pressure upon corporate entities. What ultimately killed NOTW was the withdrawal of nearly all of its advertising revenue, a move which was certainly helped by Twitter users messaging advertisers in order to apply a healthy dose of people power. As institutions such as Facebook and Twitter grow in strength, they could become a very powerful force. It will be interesting to see whether this Twitter outrage, or Twoutrage as it has become known (it hasn't really, I've just made it up) will keep up the pressure on Murdoch, especially if a new title such as the Sun on Sunday is introduced.

5. Paul McMullan is a horrible man- Understandably, very few News of the World journalists who took part in the phone hacking have been willing to put themselves into the spotlight, even if it meant missing out on a few quick bucks from interviews. Except for this man, who at various points this week, has described phone-hacking as 'a bit of a laugh', 'not a big deal' and 'the sign of a free press'. Even Hugh Grant is making himself immensely popular just for taking him on, which can generally be considered a decent barometer of public feeling.  Truly a walking PR disaster for News of the World and journalism as an industry.

6. Decent journalism still lives on- The Guardian, The Independent and the BBC are doing a fantastic job in unravelling and delving into what is truly the murkiest of stories. It goes to show that the British media has its heroes as well as its villains.

We knew it was bad, but not this bad. Tabloid hacks have to go some distance to really shock people with their antics these days, as stories of raiding through bins in order to find evidence, paying police officers for information and dressing up as nurses to interview terminally ill patients have pushed the reputation of British tabloids further and further downwards in recent years.

However, it is difficult not to be genuinely and severely outraged by the news that a journalist contracted to the News of the World hacked into and deleted messages on the phone of the missing schoolgirl Milly Dowler, actions which must surely be seen as both the destruction of vital evidence and a wilful disregard for the feelings and anguish of the Dowler family.

As Charlie Brooker remarked upon evidence that another tabloid Photoshopped out Jade Goody’s hair in order to create an instant picture of her looking terminally ill, it is hard to imagine anyone stooping low enough to even consider undertaking such a loathsome practice. The fact that not one member of the News International hierarchy either knew that this was occurring (which I do not believe for a second) and failed to put the brakes on this practice is remarkable when approached from legal, moral and professional viewpoints. Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson have a choice; whether they wish to appear incompetent or simply immoral.

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Hi all,

My name is Danny, a student conducting his first foray into the world of blogging. I am currently studying for an MSc in Defence, Diplomacy and Development at the University of Durham, after doing a BA in Politics there.

Alongside my masters, I also work part-time in both the political communications and tertiary education sectors. My main blogging interests are therefore the media and its impact upon politics, election strategy and public policy. I am also interested in international war crimes trials, having done my undergrad dissertation on the Nuremberg Trials, so may also blog on the the success (or otherwise) of the international tribunals which are currently in session across the world.

In my spare time, I do an array of random pursuits, including football refereeing and TV extra work.

I love to write, so if you have any feedback or counter-arguments then please do get in touch!