Is it just money down the drain?
I am a news junkie and love the printed media. But I love citizen journalism too and the social media.
So I was fascinated to read that the a very generous French President Nicholas Sarkozy is pumping 600 million euros in emergency aid into France’s troubled newspaper industry. He has declared that every 18-year-old in France will get a free newspaper of their 
choice to boost reading habits.
If I had the time, I would love to do a vox pox of our British 18-year-olds and ask them what newspaper they would read every day for a year if they had a similar choice.
Sarkozy’s plan seems very bizarre to me. If an 18-year-old hasn’t already developed finely tuned reading habits, a daily read of the Sun, Star or Mirror is unlikely to further stimulate their literary potential. How many of our teenagers would choose to read the traditional high brow press instead?
Interestingly, Sarkozy has also extended tax breaks for investors in online journalism and said the state would double its advertising in print and online papers, as well as allowing investors outside Europe to take higher stakes in French titles.
Maybe Sarkozy feels some personal responsibility because the 
public’s trust in the French media is at an all-time low as politicians are said to rewrite their own interviews for publication, with the president’s powerful business friends, from construction to arms manufacturing, own several major papers or TV stations.
The fact is that the the British newspaper industry is collapsing, particularly in the regions, they are making catastrophic reductions in the newsroom. I met a former journo hack today who has volunteered for redundancy in Cambridge. She was told that future journalists will be known as "aggregators". What an ugly word that is. One can only imagine what it means, and I shudder at such a thought. But it sadly confirms the worst fears for journalists – that the quality of news a publication provides is second to advertising revenue. The spirit of creative journalism is dead. I know this is not new, but….
Journalists are idealistic and free spirited by nature, I know I am. That’s why the internet is our perfect domain. That is why citizen journalists like Richard Taylor who take the trouble to attend local council meetings will flourish because the local press has sacked half its reporters and is unable to keep its communities informed of democratic procedures and decisions.
My heart goes out to journalists, especially those at The Press in York who want to buy out its Newsquest ownership. Its brave journalists have stated:
"This chapel (union members) believes in the importance of local journalism and believes that Newsquest’s continued ownership of The Press and Gazette and Herald is detrimental to the newspaper, to the quality of journalism in York and North Yorkshire, and therefore to the local community.
"This chapel laments and opposes the repeated cutbacks made by Newsquest, and believes its profit targets to be excessive and damaging to quality and reputation of the papers.
"This chapel formally requests that executive officials of the National Union of Journalists obtain a market valuation of Newsquest (York) Ltd and a market valuation of Newsquest North East; explore ways of ending Newsquest’s ownership of The Press and the Gazette and Herald; report back to the chapel accordingly, with recommendations; and contact figures in the local business and economic community, to ascertain interest in a buy-out."
I wonder if any of this is of interest to our Culture Minister Barbara Follett? Is she aware of the number of journalists losing their jobs in East Anglia, an area she also represents as Minister for the East of England?
Does she share the same concerns of Sarkozy for British newspapers readers?
The only business that isn’t cutting back is government.
As with the economic storm our politicians are failing predict the public storm which is about to descend upon them.
If many more people lose their jobs and their homes (no-one’s future is certain) do they really think they’ll be sitting around in quiet resignation ?
[…] She was told that future journalists will be known as “aggregators”. What an ugly word that is. One can only imagine what it means, but it confirms the worst fears for journalists – that the quality of news a publication provides comes … More […]
I was unaware the newspaper industry was suffering so much. When that Russian bought The Evening Standard, it could have been a clue.
I guess the print medium has come to a time of change when so many people get their news fixes from TV and even on the internet. But of course those online news services have to have something to collect.
I think Sarko’s idea is a good one. It has to be a newspaper of the young people’s choice, otherwise they would just treat the whole project with disdain.
[…] Ellee Seymour – MCIPR, PRESS CONSULTANT, JOURNALIST, POLITICAL AND … […]
I think it is a shame that the press is struggling. I have a lot of time for our local newspaper and it’s journalists. They spend a lot of time researching local issues and putting them into the wider context.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/4316058/Crisis-meeting-called-on-violent-protest-across-Europe.html
Let’s worry about our own media. Why aren’t the TV stations reporting on this ? Are the British people being kept in the dark deliberately ?
I’ve just been over to Boris Johnson to tell him that the political class missed completely the threat of economic bust whereas everyone at my level could see it was headed for trouble.
The political class are also missing the fact that the honest productive classes are going to revolt if this recession turns out to be a depression after all (I’m afraid it will)
The reason is simple. The featherbedding of the idle, the dishonest, the violent, the feckless, those not even meant to be here …
It is the political class – not the bankers – that brought us to this sorry pass. People are beginning to realise it.
Hi Kevin,
I couldn’t get your link to open, do you want to try again? Yes, it looks like we could be heading for a depression. And yes, we are a pretty selfish society. Everyone is wiser after the event. My experience of this govt is that it does nothing until push comes to shove.
Regarding the media, couldn’t believe the Cambridge News had a page lead story with a video about the shortage of courgettes available locally after a reader rang in to complain. Page 3 is the prime newspaper spot after p1. That’s why we need great citizen journalists.
Thanks to Geoff http://geoffjones.com/ for pointing me in the direction of Richard Taylor whose blog I know he greatly admires.
If you’d read the Press Gazette site more fully you would have found that the Government has said that it is considering subsidising the regional press:Minister: State subsidy for regional press is possible
http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=1&storycode=42868
Hi Sarah, thanks for the link. I didn’t hear about this from the Press Gazette, but Guardian online. I personally think the regional media should be totally independent and not reliant on Government subsidy. I can’t see it happening for one moment. It’s far too late in the day any way, the damage has been done.
He’s also trying to set up a French equivalent of the BBC
I think there is a problem with nepotism in the national dead tree media village, journalists such as giles coren throw a hissy fit at editors and others generally suffer from the unpleasant bloom of incredible arrogance. Which would be ok if journalism was journalism but sadly it seems either comment, sensationalism or just made up. There is now very little real reporting.
So what is there to save? Has it already gone? I think you are correct, Ellee, that in local newspapers real journalism hangs in there. There is a demand. But I agree that there is a value in citizen journalism and comment. Rather than resenting the intrusion canny mainsream media embraces that and uses it.
I don’t think Kev popped round to Boris’s house and had a word, I think he just put a comment on the Boris Johnson blog, here: http://www.boris-johnson.com/2009/01/20/musical-instrument-amnesty/
My own thoughts are that a bigoted attitude based on prejudice is no real answer to a number of problems born from a bigoted attitude based on prejudice.
“My own thoughts are that a bigoted attitude based on prejudice is no real answer to a number of problems born from a bigoted attitude based on prejudice.”
Of course, I’m such a fascist aren’t I Phillipa !
I don’t actually think there is an answer. I just want to see that the right people get the blame.
I think there’s an answer, Kev but flip-flopping between extremes isn’t it and I don’t think you can get a fag paper between the political parties at the moment even though they claim to oppose each other! Same policies, different name is all.
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