The move towards churnalism

It was recently reported that Birmingham Live editor Graeme Brown last month emailed journalists on his team to say that they should file at least eight stories per day unless they were newsgathering out of the office.  

“We need to make more of shifts where people are not going out as drivers of volume," said Brown, as first quoted by Hold The Front Page. "In practice, if you’re on a general shift and you’re not on a job, it should be at least eight stories a shift.” 

Urgh. I can imagine the intense pressure these journalists are under already and then to be told they need to file eight stories a day.  

I know local, like national, publishers are struggling but insisting on such a number of stories just creates even more churnalism; if you want good quality local journalism, then you can’t insist journalists knock out eight stories a day.

There's plenty of important stories that don’t have to involve stepping outside the office, but instead battering the phones and say, calling the emergency services to follow up on as story, chasing leads, and conducting interviews. This can't be achieved if journalists are forced to write eight stories a day. I can just imagine the burn out, exhaustion and low levels of job satisfaction these journalists are living with when it's all about volume, and not quality. 

When the story broke, journalist Olivia Devereux-Evans commented on X: “As someone who has done this… a 7-3pm shift means writing at least a story an hour, sometimes more. Sometimes I didn’t take a proper lunch break as I felt pressure to hit 8 stories and was consistently stressed about page views…” 

Similarly Louis Staples said: “As someone who used to work in clickbait content farming: this puts reporters at professional and personal risk. It burns them out and leads to mistakes and a loss confidence, not to mention questionable ethical judgements in pursuit of traffic. End this model!”

Maybe instead they should focus on creating useable websites that doesn't bring up annoying pop-ups every time you try to read an article.

My first radio package

It’s been a long-held dream of mine to work in radio, and to create my own radio packages from overseas was probably beyond what I thought was possible.

I’d tried - and failed - at pitching radio shows over the years. They'd like my ideas but to them I was just a random person, even though I've worked as a journalist for 15 years and write for BBC Online. But as soon as I walked into the BBC building in Manchester in June having started a freelance producer role, opportunities jumped out. Within an hour or two I was chatting to a BBC World Service editor who’d seen my Amsterdam circular economy piece online and asked for story ideas. I pitched him a day or two later. This BBC World Service package on one of my favourite subjects - sustainability (and travel, so make that two) - is the result.

The package, which broadcast about a week ago, featured on a programme called The Newsroom; it was supposed to feature on another show for starters but apparently this non-business programme nabbed it first, which my editor was super pleased about as it’s a “massive” programme). I'll be finding out more about the programme when I freelance at BBC World Service in Manchester over the next few months.

The three-plus minutes may sound easy but there were hours and hours of work involved as unbeknown to me at first, the reporter actually produces it too, injecting sound and editing it into shape (with final edits by the editor). A huge learning curve and hopefully just the start of this side of my radio career.

Here’s a link just in case you’d like to hear my radio voice.

Dreaming of down time

I’m writing this from Wales where I’m staying with my dear friends S & L who recently left London to live out their countryside dreams. I’ve woken up to birdsong and the view from my window is a square of trees. Dreamy. The stay was supposed to be a little break (aka no work) but perhaps that was always going to be impossible. As a freelancer, I find taking time off a huge challenge. During these few days in Wales, there's been a newsletter to write, an interview with the Met Office, emails to answer, a brainstorming session between a journalist and an eco organisation to organise, a BBC World Service radio programme to edit (and a lot of this I tried to sort out before my trip but it wasn't meant to be). Shall I go on?

Although I'm in Amsterdam A LOT, it’s never a holiday, while my trip to Berlin in July involved a workshop and a hotel review (ok, the latter wasn’t too enduring). I think my last few consecutive days off were over Christmas.

In her newsletter last week, journalist Anna Codrea-Rado wrote about how perhaps we should incorporate more breaks into our daily lives rather than focusing so heavily on the big holiday every year. This I can do. I definitely take time out of my daily life to exercise, head down to the beach for a swim, go on day trips, volunteer, and catch up with friends. But as a freelancer, it's hard to down tools completely. Do you agree?

Beyond expectations: My first rodeo in radio

While I adore print and online and will continue to work in those fields, I’ve yearned to move into radio for years (so much so it even made an appearance on my one and only mood board in 2020). Last week, to my amazement, there I was up Salford, Manchester helping produce BBC Four’s prestigious Today programme and Radio 5’s Wake Up to Money. I absolutely loved getting stuck in, thrashing around ideas for the next day, finding and briefing guests, and learning first-hand how a radio show is produced. I was only in for two days for a test run but it made me realise how much I love being part of a team. I used to freelance in-house at magazines and at the Guardian but apart from volunteering at the food bank, winter shelters, and Crisis and so on, I haven’t worked as part of a team for years.

Like most people facing a new challenge, I’d had pangs of self-doubt before entering Quay House so I was taken aback when the editor told me how impressed they all were with me and that he’d already shared his thoughts about me with the two bigwigs above him. To have that level of feedback obviously made my heart sing, especially as I’d spent the last six weeks worrying about how it might go. At the end of my last day, he said they’d like to properly train me up.

After longing to move into the format for so long, I'm surprised by how quickly doors have opened. On the first day the editor asked where I lived. “Margate, and actually, kind of also Amsterdam now,” I replied. Ears pricked up behind me. “Did you write the piece “Can Amsterdam make the circular economy work?” asked the BBC World Service editor sat behind me. I nodded. “We were just discussing you yesterday. Would you be open to pitching me ideas?” This was exactly the situation I wanted to be in – reporting on the radio from overseas. I discussed some ideas. This is exactly the stuff we want, he said. We’ve been in touch since and I’m thrilled to say (and I'm still in full pinch-me mode) that he’s commissioned me my first audio piece for BBC World Service (well, as long as there's no tech issues).

While there's a huge learning curve ahead of me and as self-indulgent as all of this is, I wanted to share this as I thought it might help any readers who are faced with barriers when it comes to achieving their ambitions. I never thought this chance might happen, even though I knew I could definitely I'd give it a good shot if it ever came my way. Now, hopefully, I’m at the start of the journey and a new chapter in my career. Of course, it’s all new and anything could happen, but just to get a foot in somewhere I was starting to think was impossible feels like a huge milestone.

What this means for my current mode of semi living in Amsterdam I don’t know, although I’m hoping that the opportunities with BBC World Service means I can get my foot in the door and report from overseas in a different way and more than I currently do.

As for yourselves, obviously I’ve only worked there for a few days so far but it’s been super useful in making me understand how businesses and PRs can pitch radio producers. My learnings will come through in another post, or as part of my course/workshop soon. When I’m working regular shifts, I will let you know what kind of pitches I’m open to and how best to pitch.

Does AI spell the end of journalism?

It’s no secret that journalists have had a rough ride for a long time: hello stagnating rates, falling print circulation rates, publishers dropping out of the sector. Shall I go on? Well, yes, because we have another huge challenge hurtling at us. Come on at us, artificial intelligence (AI).

ChatGPT has prompted huge debate and column inches since its launch at the start of year. Standing for Generative Pre-trained Transformer, the machine-learning platform is a very nifty tool enabling users to type in queries and the AI responding in just seconds. If you haven’t tried it already (it’s quite easy to sign up and give it a whirl), you can see the gist of it with the picture below.

I started by asking ChatGBT to first write an article on the impact of Airbnb on communities across the globe. I followed this up by requesting a closer look at the impact of Airbnbs in Margate in the UK. You can see the response below:

Ok, so after testing the technology, I've decided I won't start rereading What Colour Is My Parachute? just yet.

As you can see, the very basic response did cover some of the key concerns of the platform, but I couldn’t see a national newspaper replacing its human crafted articles with this pared down content just yet. It’s lacking depth, critical thinking, and facts - and then it would need to be fact checked. But arguably, it forms the start of an article (or a GCSE essay). However, one of many other concerns is that the AI isn't providing you with unique copy; instead it's regurgitating the same content to people who have asked similar questions.

Still, some titles have jumped in and are already experimenting with the automated technology. CNET for one has been trialling the tech and using it to help write news articles or gather information for stories.

Editor-in-chief Connie Guglielmo said their plan was to find out whether the tech could “efficiently assist” their journalists “in using publicly available facts to create the most helpful content so our audience can make better decisions”. She said the articles were always “reviewed, fact-checked and edited by an editor with topical expertise” before going live.

For now journalists with insider knowledge and a book of strong contacts can’t be replaced – I’m not sure the robots have learnt how to door knock just yet, and I feel we’ll still be yearning to read opinion pieces from actual real-life journalists. But this is just the beginning, and of course, it doesn’t just impact journalists. There’s thousands of other jobs this will have a huge impact on.

Writing in The Spectator, author Sean Thomas believes the end is nigh for writers. “That's it. It's time to pack away your quill, your biro, and your shiny iPad: the computers will soon be here to do it better. ... The machines will come for much academic work first - essays, PhDs, boring scholarly texts (unsurprisingly it can churn these out right now). Fanfic is instantly doomed, as are self-published novels. Next will be low-level journalism ... then high-level journalism will go, along with genre fiction, history, biography, screenplays. ... 5,000 years of the written human word, and 500 years of people making a life, a career, and even fame out of those same human words, are quite abruptly coming to an end.”

Sober reading but hopefully it will spawn a huge creation of jobs we'd never heard of (hopefully beyond just servicing the robots and machines), like many of the past industrial changes have.

Thanks for reading.

Susie

Why isn't mainstream journalism paying enough attention to the climate crisis?

Happy New Year. I hope you had a pleasant break away from the laptop. I succumbed to the flu after our freelancer Christmas lunch in Margate and it was touch and go whether I’d make it back to my parents. But I slogged it to the north east in the nick of time and had a joyful Christmas with my family (after two years of festive separation due to Covid playing havoc).

I know I should probably start the year on a positive note but after reading yet another article from the weekend papers which frustrated the hell of me, I wanted to chat about the disconnect between journalism and the climate crisis. However, it’s not all doom and gloom (I hope), and I’ve outlined a few positive actions you could take away from this, if interested.

My anger was first ignited after reading a travel article in a Sunday paper which outlined the devastating impact of climate change (highlighting last year’s floods in Pakistan in which 33 million people were affected and a third of the country was UNDER WATER) and flagged up regions to avoid due to wildfires and extreme temperatures, instead suggesting alternative places to explore. I assumed that the journalist would then naturally talk about how we need to rethink the way we travel, encouraging us to holiday more local, fly less often, and turn to more sustainable modes of transport given we’re living in a climate emergency with parts of the world on fire or flooded, causing famine, death and homes being washed or burnt to the ground, but no. I reread the article in case I was missing something. Nada.

In the arts section of the same paper, I came across a double-page spread encouraging people to book flights purely to see exhibitions across the world. “Fly there for the weekend", was the gist of it. Given what we know about the climate emergency, I feel articles like these are a parody to the reality of the situation (hello Don't Look Up). Sometimes it feels like parts of the media are intentionally trying to end the future of humanity. You just need to recall all the front-page images of whenever it’s a heatwave, with images of people at the beach, rather than pictures of people running out of water, for example, and ignoring the alarming reasons why it’s happening – and what the future looks like, i.e. this could be the coolest summer on record. 

Last year I wrote about the rise of dedicated climate desks, and while this is great news, what doesn't seem to be happening are conversations about the climate across other desks. We are in desperate need of climate training across all editorial. I see food features with are back-to-back meat and fish dishes. I’m not saying all features should focus on us living off-the-grid in the woods (sounds idyllic, though) but I think there needs to be reality check. Time is literally running out and the media has a huge role to play in relaying the urgency of it. 

But we know many of these news desks and TV stations are in the hands of billionaire owners who provide a voice to climate deniers and certainly don’t want a move away from the current system of focusing on growth and more growth (which is harming us all).

So what can you do?

Ditch the fossil fuel clients. I wrote a couple of articles last year about agencies moving away from fossil fuel clients. Many people are rethinking their careers and moving to green jobs, a trend I wrote about for the BBC and Positive News. Could you encourage your clients to run more eco-friendly press trips? For example, in this past newsletter I looked at how one PR company were reducing flying and encouraging press trips by train. Is there a way to follow suit or bring in journalists who live in that region rather than flying journalists out? 

Join a climate training workshop. I received a message on LinkedIn last week from a facilitator and trainer from Climate Clarity, which organises workshops for individuals and organisations designed to spread climate knowledge and provide tools to help them look at their specific power in position in society and look at what meaningful action they can take. More information here.

There’s also the Carbon Literacy Project which offers training to individuals and organisations to help them become aware of the impact of everyday carbon emissions, and what action they can take.

Thanks for reading,

Susie

Don't ignore this segment of journalists

Photo by Mikey Harris

Hi everyone,

While not exactly The Devil Wears Prada standards of glam, working as a staff journalist can certainly bring its benefits: I can happily recall deliveries of Fortnum & Masons hampers, Krispy Kremes dropping every week from agencies, and packages of chocolate, books, clothes, and various other gifts landing on our desks.

I was about 24 when I entered journalism, starting my career as an editorial assistant on a salary of £18,000. I might have been living on a budget but when it came to work, I was in a privileged position of choosing which restaurants I wanted to meet a PR or founder at. And so began a chapter of breakfasts at The Wolseley or Charlotte Street Hotel, lunch at Yautcha or Andrew Edmunds, and partying on an evening at private members clubs or in a box at the O2. That wasn't my average day – we did have a magazine to get to press and we worked bloody hard – but the glitz, the glamour, and the fun were certainly there in rich abundance.

However, something happens when you go freelance. The lunch offers dwindle. The gifts stop rolling in. It's like you fall off everyone's radars in that sense (but not when it comes to pitching). It's a funny world as even if you're working for a variety of titles including the nationals, PRs and founders stop trying to build relationships with as much vigor. Now I'm certainly not asking anyone to start playing the violin or suddenly shower me in gifts; I understand, peering back with a new lens a decade or so later, that the level of consumerism was probably all a bit too much.

But I bring this up as we're in the height of the Christmas season and perhaps you're sending the odd card and gift to in-house journalists and editors. But also have a think about the freelance journalists you've worked with this year. Many self-employed journalists are struggling even more this year as a result of budget cuts. So could you send a little treat to a freelancer in your sector that you've worked with a few times this year on a campaign? Or a freelancer who continues to quote you? You could email them asking them if you could send them a little gift of your or your client's product (if that doesn't work you being some kind of tech solutions tool, perhaps some chocolate, a mulled wine kit, or a donation to their food bank?). The journalist might say no (many are cutting back on things they don't need), or they might just say yes – and you might put a smile on their face. What you will also do is put you on their radar. It doesn't mean they're going to write about you necessarily, but spreading a little kindness is all part of nurturing relationships.

Enjoy the rest of the week,
Susie

Why We All Need To Be More Sensitive During These Torrid Times

Photo by AbsolutVision on Unsplash

Journalism was already taking a battering pre-Coronavirus and now, with fewer companies advertising and people not venturing to the shops as frequently, we're seeing the industry face an even graver threat to its future. 

Last week Buzzfeed announced it was shelving its UK and US operations, Conde Nast revealed it was reducing its headcount by 100 while the Guardian said it was closing its dating arm, Guardian Soulmates (although this is largely influenced by changes in the dating market). While there's no doubt some publications focused on cooking, gardening and home are enjoying a rise in sales, overall it's a torrid time for the industry. Here in the UK quite early on we saw City AM close its print edition temporarily and the London Evening Standard reduce its distribution.

Against this backdrop, it's worth remembering that many journalists may have been furloughed, lost their jobs or seen their workload shoot through the roof as they take on their ex colleagues' work.

Many freelance journalists have lost work as a result of the pandemic. Personally a regular Guardian slot of my mine has gone (but will hopefully return) whilst across freelance journalist Facebook groups my peers are quite rightly concerned about the future as commissions drastically fall.

Although there are still plenty of opportunities for PRs and founders, for many freelancers, there are less places to pitch to. It's just something worth noting when you're pitching. It's a point made in my ebook as some journalists complained about getting chased needlessly at the peak of the coronavirus. Recently someone emailed me three times in a week regarding a pitch for a product I wouldn't usually cover. 

There can be upshots to waiting. A piece I pitched the Metro in April was responded to – and commissioned – without prompt, two weeks later.

Oh, and some good news, for those who haven't seen it already. The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) and newspaper group DMGT have joined forces to give away £3m worth of advertising space.

If you're looking for ways to improve your press coverage, I'm running two webinars this month. If you can't make it, the webinars will still be sent to your inbox afterwards for you to view for the next three months. 

Have a great week,

Susie