I have a confession to make. Please do not think any less of me.
There was a time, when weak, susceptible and vulnerable, I harboured a dark thought.
I’m not talking ‘pulling legs off spiders’ dark.
Worse than ‘once contemplated buying a Sisters of Mercy CD’ dark.
Even beyond ‘mild mannered psychopathic character with a penchant for mass murder in Marigolds, spuriously bought in to boost waning viewing figures for Emmerdale’ dark.
I’m talking a dark, disgusting, repugnant thought.
I once… I’m ashamed to even think it, let alone write it… I once… wanted to be a journalist.
I didn’t pursue this path, this road to recklessness. A spell doing work experience at a newspaper in West Yorkshire put paid to that ambition: when it came to unhealthily pallid skin complexions and humourlessly operating at unearthly hours, the bloodsuckers of Twilight could pick up some tips from those at The Daily Flat Cap ‘n Whippet.
However, if a journo today announced during a Channel 4 News interview that he was a flesh-tearing, blood-guzzling vampire (“Krishnan – you appear to have a smudge on your neck. Would you like me to… remove it for you?”), the public would merely shrug their shoulders and say, “Yup. Stands to reason, dunnit?”
July 2011 has already become the month journalists became less popular than a Lib-Dem policy U-turn. In an industry beset by competition, could this monthus horribilis be the stake in national print journalism’s heart?
It began with Johann Hari, award-winning columnist for the Independent. Hari had built up a devoted following for his pugnacious interviewing style, targeting those that the liberal-minded found most objectionable – be they corporate fat-cats, warmongers or sex industry tycoons.
Unfortunately, Hari’s halo was dislodged by accusations of plagiarism – eagle-eyed bloggers discovered Hari attributed quotes to some of his interviewees that had actually already been published (the halo’s now been mangled further out of shape by his suspension earlier this week).
Naturally, this doesn’t reflect too well on Hari, whose response was that he’d always intended his articles to be ‘intellectual portraits.’ It also reflected badly on his journalist sympathisers, many of whom intially sprang up on Twitter to suggest that although Hari was probably wrong, it wasn’t as bad as some of the dastardly deeds done by those naughty tabloids.
It amounts to an unseemly mess – someone who castigates people for misappropriation had been accused the same. Will his readers’ trust in him (and his media apologists) ever be the same?
He wasn’t the only national journalist in hot water. Two national tabloids saw themselves facing contempt of court charges for their coverage of the Joanne Yeates murder case.
Christopher Jefferies (Miss Yeates’s landlord) was the subject of articles so strongly worded, the Attorney General told the High Court last week that there was “substantial risk of serious prejudice” if Mr Jefferies was to face trial.
Mr Jefferies was cleared of any involvement in Miss Yeates’s death. He’s currently pursuing libel proceedings against a number of national newspapers.
Judging by either of these stories, it’s fair to say the image of the national media has taken a bit of battering. But it wasn’t the end of the world. Until, of course, we faced the end of the World.
You may have heard of a recent news story involving a newspaper, mobile phones and an Australian octogenarian.
Sufficed to say, the reputation of this newspaper had reached such a low that the newspaper ceased to be viable. Not a failing, new-to-market, gamble of a newspaper, mind – the nation’s best-selling, still-profitable, 168-year-old newspaper.
Whether or not you see it as a daring business move, an inspired PR stunt or a crazy-go-nuts diversionary tactic to protect a single employee, the fact remains a successful national, print newspaper was deemed expendable.
The actions of a minority of journalists, private investigators and executives sullied print media to such a degree, there was no point in carrying on publishing.
In the long-term, there’s going to be less and less money to be made in paid-for print news media.
TV? Like a cash carousel. Online? Well, it’s the future innit, though news corporations still haven’t quite worked out how to make the future pay. However, sales for the national hard-copy newspapers have been in decline for years, and that decline will only get faster thanks to the competitive environment they face.
Advertisers have plenty of other options as to where to commit spend. And now, on top of that, we have the declining loyalty the public has to its national newspapers, a loyalty eroded even further by the developments of this month.
Look at the contemporary home of all futile, kneejerk campaigns – Facebook. At the time of writing, the most popular ‘Save News of the World’ page had mustered 44 ‘Likes’. Way to go, the three million-plus people who purchased the paper’s valedictory edition.
People can obtain news virtually instantaneously. Why wait to pay for tomorrow’s dailies when you can find news online at home, at work, or travelling to work? If it’s trash we’re after, won’t the glossy gossip mags meet our needs? How much should we value the newsgathering skills of a profession whose foremost exponents have recently been found to be truth-bending, contempt-courting and phone hacking? Why continue to support an institution if the trust is gone?
As public trust in the nationals is on the wane, I wonder if one of the beneficiaries will be an area of journalism that’s suffered most in recent times.
Good local newspapers thrive on a close connection with their readership, whether it’s through campaigning on behalf of local communities, holding civic leaders and institutions to account, or raising the profile of a region’s business community. It’s a connection gained without prurience, dishonesty or foolhardy law-breaking.
At a time when journalists have become the nation’s bad guys, we should remember there’s plenty of good ‘uns working in the regions, on stories that matter to you – not ‘stories’ about who that famous berk is doinking, or who that tragically bereaved family member is contacting.
This month has been a defining one for British journalism. Let’s hope the public acknowledges this by increasingly supporting the work of journalists that won’t let them down.
* Keith Gabriel is a Birmingham-based PR account manager. The views expressed do not represent those of his employer or clients
