Today's bad news is...

By Graeme Whitfield on Apr 28, 09 04:22 PM

I sometimes wonder whether this blog about life in the Journal newsroom should be re-titled "Dispatches from an industry in crisis".

Today's bad news is:
(a) independent newsagents are closing at a rate of more than one a day (according to the National Federation of Retail Newsagents);
(b) Ofcom chief executive Ed Richards saying that urgent action is needed to ensure the BBC is not the only supplier of regional and national broadcast news;
(c) the media is "shackled" to such an extent that the UK does not really have a free press (according to the editor of the Daily Express).

You may agree or disagree with some or all of those points, but taken together they show how depressed people in the news business are at the moment.

As I look around me in the Journal offices, people are not walking around with frowns on their faces and worry lines growing by the minute (no more than normal, any way). They are getting on with the job of getting good stories, and by the look of tomorrow's paper, I'd say they are succeeding.

But constant talk of newspapers being in trouble does tend to wear you down. It's getting clear that action is needed.

As if to prove my point, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has this afternoon announced that Culture Secretary is holding a summit with "key figures" from the media industry to discuss the challenges facing local newspapers.

"Strong local media are vital to a healthy democracy and provide a crucial and trusted service to their communities," said Mr Burnham.

"There are very real pressures facing local newspapers across the country, partly caused by the economic downturn, and partly by the transformation brought about by the digital age.

"Today's summit will explore how we can support the local media industry in meeting these challenges, and continuing to thrive in the future."

It will be interesting to see if that concern translates into actual action.

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2 Comments

bentonbag said:

If you really want to depress yourself (as a newsperson) have a look at Charlie Brooker's Newswipe on BBC3 (you can get it on i-player too). I sometimes think I'm a cynic when it comes to the news media, but he makes me feel like Pollyanna.

April 28, 2009 9:26 PM

Anna Heywood said:

Hi Graeme, I've just written about this in my Ethical Churnalism blog below your post.
Some lines need to be drawn in the sand highlighting to the public the difference between lifetsyle websites/blogs and proper reputable journalism. The important job of free press needs to be drummed home.
When I was doing my Masters degree, use of reputable information was paramount and we even had classes on checking the source of information in this digital age (wikipedia was banned).
All you have at the moment are websites quoting other websites.
Where is the asking of awkward unbiased questions that we need in today's culture of spin?

April 29, 2009 12:07 PM

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