“Off the record”
Challenges within the journalism industry, from a former intern
Hello and a happy new year to you all!
If you haven’t read my previous post on my internship, here’s a brief synopsis- for six months in 2019 I worked for a company called Redpin Publishing, the producer of the UK’s leading equestrian magazines and Wiltshire’s lifestyle magazines. It was my first experience within the journalism industry and I’d say I got a pretty sufficient overview of how a small independent publishing company works. Here are some things that really struck me as challenges currently faced by the journalism industry, which I will discuss in more detail in further posts. I have also included some other obstacles I faced that new, aspiring journalists may come across.
1) Avoiding bias
Journalists have a duty to be truthful, factual and honest. When I started my internship, I admit I was quite shocked by how little of my own opinion I could include, especially when writing about events I had actually witnessed. This is not a criticism of journalism, however, simply a reality of writing for an objective publication.
That being said, writing from a neutral point of view really is an art, and there is plenty of criticism out there for the term neutrality. In the Teen Vogue article ‘Journalistic Objectivity Isn’t Realistic’, Sara Li talks to various young journalists about how avoiding bias can contradict their values and beliefs. One speaker, Kamrin Baker of The Uni of Nebraska’s The Gateway, commented that “a part of this notion is the assumption that journalists, reporters, and editors are subhuman and expected to be on the periphery of the human experience […] there should be no shame in being equal parts human and fourth estate.” She argues that journalists have a right to defend their views, since they too are working citizens who require the support of the government.
The challenge here seems to be that journalists must understand that their industry is a vital tool in the processing of the information, but they do not have to be part of the machine; they are individuals who choose to assist in it’s function. Therefore a balance must be achieved, and this is no easy task.
2) The struggle to keep up with the digital age
The internet spews out information faster than print publications can keep up. This means that traditional print companies are having to expand their platform usage and move into multimodality to compete with each other and digital media sources.
I observed while I was working in equestrian publishing that the leading publishers in this sector were in a race to come up with new innovations. The print magazines were quickly having to shift into the realms of video and social media. Not a day went by in the office where the different teams weren’t brainstorming ideas for marketing, reporting and social engagement.
This puts enormous pressure on print media companies of all sizes and their staff, and multimodality has many issues in itself. One advantage for young journalists is that many of us have grown up using social and digital media, so using these platforms for writing seems like a natural progression.
3) Advertisers have (or had?) the upper hand
Before 2020, the line separating editorial from advertising was becoming increasingly hazy. There had been a significant increase in sponsored content, advertorials and “native advertising”, which is when advertisers supply text directly to publications, which is then framed to have written by the publication’s journalists.
Working for a small independent publisher which produced multiple free local magazines, native advertising was vital for producing income. However it was a great shame when good potential content had to be vetoed because advertising was the priority. You’d like to think that big corporation publications would prioritise quality journalism, but we know this is not true; for many companies, profit trumps all.
During Covid 19, advertising has taken a rapid decline. But is this such a bad thing? I’ll be looking at this in my upcoming post.
What I wasn’t taught in the lecture hall…
1) The difficulty of getting responses
Having numerous contact details (Facebook, phone number, email, etc.) of a person that you’re trying to produce a piece on does not mean that you will be able to get hold of them.
2) Deciphering English
Getting a response from the person you’re trying to produce a piece on is not particularly helpful if you can’t make sense of it. Blurry photos of handwritten notes sent over Facebook are particularly challenging.
3) Improvisation
Handling being put on the spot to conduct an interview where you know neither the interviewee or the subject matter. A skill that can only be taught through experience!
4) “How did it feel?”
Can only be asked so many times, as it tends to produce the same responses. The words ‘amazing!’, ‘shocked!’ and ‘speechless!’ come up often and do not make for interesting writing.
5) “Don’t put this in your article, but…”
Some of those who were amazed, shocked and speechless suddenly become much more expressive when the cameras are turned off. Watch out for conversations that are ‘off the record’.
I hope you enjoyed this post and let me know if you have any other points to add to my list! Thanks for reading.
www.ethics.journalists.org/topics/advertising-and-news/
www.teenvogue.com/story/objectivity-neutrality-not-option-some-journalists
