PORING over the finely-crafted pages of The Forester – “At the heart if the Forest
since 1874” – it might seem a stretch to take in the ‘Future of Journalism’ bon
mots delivered at the World Economic Forum in Davos of all places.
The
cut and thrust of life in Cinderford – “By-pass plans take step forward” – is
indeed a world away from the Swiss alpine town where 3,000 of the world’s great
and good gathered to wheel and deal and listen to where we’re headed on a wide
range of social and economic issues.
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| Reuters Institute director Rasmus Kleis Nielsen delivering the report (below) at the World Economic Forum in Davos |
The
report’s authors claim the five trends will impact the work of professional
reporters as well as everybody who works with them and relies on them, from the
general public to politicians, NGOs, and private enterprise.
Those
clever people from Oxford University seem to have got to the bottom of many of
the issues that publishers, editors and front-line journalists are facing on a
day-to-day basis. But the language is a bit academic so we are pleased to
include an exclusive PJ News interpretation of their findings, plus real-world
examples from a random selection of newspapers.
1 We have moved from a world where media organisations were gatekeepers to a world where media still create the news agenda, but platform companies control access to audiences.
PJ News interpretation: Most
of the news still comes from newspaper businesses but Google and Facebook
control how it’s read.
In
this ever-more competitive battle for attention, speaking is not the same as being
heard, says the report. “Far from the death of gatekeepers, we have seen the
move to two sets of gatekeepers, where news media organisations still create
the news agenda, but platform companies increasingly control access to
audiences.”
The Forester, a Tindle-owned title serving
the Forest of Dean on the England/Wales border, has a well-serviced website that
provides regular community updates. Yes, some of that information is also
available elsewhere but as the ‘gatekeeper’ of news from that particular corner
of the UK it is difficult to see how that position may be usurped.
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2 The move to digital media generally does not generate filter bubbles. Instead, automated serendipity and incidental exposure drive people to more and more diverse sources of information.
PJ News interpretation: While
the targeted, contained world of the newspaper is constrained by its shape and
size as well as the area it serves, digital media can take the reader off into hitherto
unimagined areas.
In
practice, most people only go directly to a few news sources on a routine
basis, rarely more than three or four, says the report. “For most people,
digital media use is associated with more diverse news use, but information
inequality is a real risk, as is political polarisation – risks that are
fundamentally rooted in political and social factors but can be amplified by
technology.”
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3 Journalism is often losing the battle for people’s attention and, in some countries, for the public’s trust.
PJ News interpretation: The
Brexit news overload and President Trump’s bleatings about ‘fake news’ seep
into public consciousness and they eventually start to give up on news.
In a
revealing study from the United States data from comScore suggests only about
three percent of the time spent online is devoted to news, and just half a
percent with local news. Put another way out of an hour online less than two minutes
is spent looking at news and only about 20 seconds on local news
Equally
strikingly, in an era of unprecedented abundance and ease of access, journalism
is facing widespread problems of ‘news avoidance’, says the report. “People
turn off the news because it feels irrelevant and depressing and does not help
them live their lives; they often turn to entertainment or social media instead.
“These
differences are not only a function of competition for attention. They also
reflect that much of the public is questioning whether journalism is in fact
helping them in their lives, and that people in many countries doubt whether
they can trust the news.”
Attacks
on journalism and news media can in turn further undermine trust demonstrating
how trust in journalism is dependent both on trustworthy reporting and on a
political context where public officials respect independent news media.
The
Devizes edition of the Gazette and
Herald in Wiltshire runs to 108 pages, plus a 12-page property pull-out. There’s
no lack of “trustworthy reporting” here or the commercial partners to support
such a vibrant product. There’s the traditional diet of police reports: ‘Cat
had its legs tied together’ and council news: ‘Parking spaces plan supported’,
plus schools, charities and community news. There is also a letters spread bristling
with local people eager to join the debate. No evidence of any attention being
lost here.
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4 The business models that fund news are challenged, weakening professional journalism and leaving news media more vulnerable to commercial and political pressures.
PJ News interpretation: If
the traditional news media can’t make it pay they may be tempted to go easy on
businesses and politicians.
The good
news is that the majority of professional journalism is still funded by
newspapers. An estimated 90 per cent of publishers’ revenues worldwide still
come from print and digital revenues are in many cases growing only slowly. “Most
of the existing forms of funding for professional journalism will decline as we
continue to move to a more digital media environment, leading to further job
cuts in newsrooms,” warns the report.
“The
sustainable business models for digital news developed so far are diverse and
promising - including a mix of advertising, reader revenues, and non-profit approaches
- but they also generally support far leaner newsrooms than those historically
found in legacy media.”
City A.M. – the “Business with
personality” daily distributed free in London – records the activities of
hundreds of companies in each issue, and there’s no evidence of anything but
robust reporting. If news media are to become “more vulnerable to commercial
pressures” it’s more likely to be in traditional go-to areas like travel,
property and motors where tie-ups make sense for all parties without
compromising any editorial integrity.
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5 News is more diverse than ever, and the best journalism better than ever, taking on everyone from the most powerful politicians to the biggest private companies.
PJ News interpretation: There
is lots of good journalism out there still
Journalism
is facing stiff competition for attention and its connection with the public is
threatened by news avoidance, low trust, and the perception that news does not
help people live the lives they want to live, says the report. “But in many
ways, the best journalism today is better than ever – more accessible, more
timely, more informative, more interactive, more engaged with its audience.”
Up
at the Northumberland Gazette, one
of England’s most northerly weeklies, not only is there a spread on drone “near-misses
in our skies” but also a page given over to the county council budget plans,
put together by the ‘Local Democracy Reporting Service’ that has given a new
lease of life to rummaging around at the local council.
SO, WHERE DOES THIS TAKE US?
In
conclusion, the movers and shakers at Davos heard that strong journalism is
essential for both the public good, politics, and private enterprise. “It can
help ensure that the rise of digital media and our current turbulence results
not in chaos, but in change for the better,” Reuters Institute director Rasmus
Kleis Nielsen told the forum.
He said
that everybody should be concerned by the risks posed by a combination of
shifts in how people get their news and what media they use, transformations in
professional journalism and the business of news, and change in the political
environment that independent news media operate in.
“In
the absence of independent professional reporting providing accurate information,
analysis, and interpretation, the public will increasingly rely on
self-interested sources and rumours circulating online and offline, a shift
that will hurt both the political process, civil society, and private
enterprise,” he said.
He
concluded with a rallying call to journalists and news media: “Continue to
adapt to the digital media that people all around the world are eagerly
embracing at the expense of print and broadcast, and build a profession and a
business fit for the future.”
Wise
words, no doubt, but a virtual trip down the streets of Cinderford, Devizes or Alnwick
via the pages of the legacy media weeklies that are still recording the
community’s comings and goings with enthusiasm, professionalism and not a
little wit and wisdom may point to a different present, if not the future.
--
Alan
Geere has never been to Davos in his 40-year newspaper career, but has
succumbed to the charms of Cinderford, Devizes and Alnwick. E: alan@alan-geere.com
T: @alangeere
- This article first appeared in the March 2019 issue of PJ News
