Some of you may have already seen this, others should pay close attention.
The seven biggest media companies with most to lose set up an organisation called the Local Media Alliance.
It represents the worst of this business in the form of Trinity Mirror, Johnston Press Newsquest/Gannett, Northcliffe, Guardian Media Group, Archant, and DC Thomson (do they do the Beano?).
I imagine you either work or have worked for one of these newspaper companies. They represent all that is greedy and evil in this world.
They hired a chump called Roger Parry to head their bullshit cabal.
He wrote this: "Journalists are often busy doing things the audience no longer want. The traditional professional output is no longer valued by readers. Much, but not all, of local news gathering, feature production and photography are better done by enthusiastic amateurs for next to nothing.
"Want a critique of local rubbish collection policies? Ask a local resident for 500 words. It matters to them and they are more connected than a journalist sent over in a taxi. Want passionate reporting of local sports? Ask the fans. There will remain a vital role for trained journalists in investigations, analysis and quality control.
"But it will need fewer of them. They will need new skills of assembling user-generated content including video, digital pictures and audio."
So the head of a consortium of the companies that publish 72 per cent of all local newspapers in this country thinks -
a) journalists are out of touch, not valued and too busy
b) amateurs can do it better and cheaper
c) People actually watch the shitty videos we knock out
d) we travel around in taxis
Read his sentences again.
Then read the utter shit your online community correspondents spew out (if you haven't got 'em yet you will, I guarantee it)
This man represents seven of the largest organisations in this business.
This is why we are fucked.
ps We wouldn't need taxis (read public transport) if the arseholes hadn't decided that having offices outside the area was a fucking master stroke. I used to walk to jobs from my High Street offices Parry, you absolute cunt.
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I would like to ask if you are a treditionalist journalist, or a technologist one heppy to move with the times? It's not obvious from your pieces whether you are or not. Great articles though, but I would say tone down your language, sir!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.plenty2say.com
I am a journalist who moves and evolves with the times. From a standing start as a trainee with no mobiles and no internet all the way through to now.
ReplyDeleteI am happy to change the way I work. Most of it makes my life easier.
As for the language. It's a tough old game, dear boy. Not one for sensitive souls.
Jesus this is frightening. I knew the bastards were going to destroy themselves and all our jobs with it, but I didn't realise it was planned - I'd put it down to blind incompetence.
ReplyDeleteThey honestly believe they can get their newspapaers written for nothing.
Is there any chance of setting up a fund to hunt down Mr Parry and have him boiled in oil? I think I can run to twenty quid as it's a good cause.
Please excuse tyop. The edotir was coming over...
ReplyDeleteIt's many years since I was on a National and even longer since I finished my Identures. But this is just to let you know your blog is helping me stay sane (stay?) as I was beginning to think no one out there shared my values of sending out staff to actual meet people, ask questions and generally make a nuisance of themselves. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteHere's my four points in response to Mr Parry.
ReplyDeletea) Most journalists who are out of touch are so because they're doing the work of three or four people who have been 'released' against their will to increase profit margins for shareholders. Thus, this makes them too busy, and, believe me, they hate you and your kind for that, right to your rotten core.
b) amateurs can do it cheaper, but asking a citizen blogger to cover an inquest or write objectively is akin to having a natural remedy enthusiast perform brain surgery.
c) Yes, people do watch the shitty videos we knock out, but you're delusional as well as a Satan's cock sucking cash whore if you think people will pay for it in the age of YouTube and P2P websites.
d) the only time I ever got a cab on paper expenses was after working an all nighter (after being in the office all day) covering an election - and then the cab took me straight back to work to write up the copy.
So in short, Mr Parry - fuck off is the answer.
Never give this up - even when you are sacked.
ReplyDeletePerhaps we can appear in front of some House of Commons Select Cttee and tell the real truth, before getting hammered.
This is from someone who ran away rather than take an appalling job in a news warehouse where not one of the numerous titles retains an editor.
Instead, low grade Nervous Nigels just chuck incoming stuff at a shrinking bank of traumatised subs and digital monkeys.
Trinity Mirror and the hubs of shitness - go down to the Chertsey one if you think Fort Dunlop is bad. Take a look at management. Your frequent use of my favourite word (cunt) doesn't do them justice. My advice? Get out now. It is never going to get better.
ReplyDeleteOn a serious note,I work in TV land now and the scarcity of local news stories is having a massive impact on all the creative industries - the nationals pick up on trends from the locals, and TV picks up on them from the nationals. We're all well and truly fucked.
As a local hack myself - it is sickening to hear these views.
ReplyDeleteModernisation and progress is feared in every industry across the land and has been since the knuckle-heads invented the wheel way back when.
But in journalism, like most, it is vital.
But reducing the number of trained and specialist journalist's and replacing them with citizen journalism and amauteur's is not the answer.
The key is funding. Newspapers have never been about making money - nor can they ever be.
From the owners to the hacks, subs and editors - it is the desire to uncover falsity and seek out truth. It is the chance to have a voice and to hold those in power to account.
Newspapers need more saviours, a Roman Abramovich, a Bernie Ecclestone...
Not a round table of braindead's from the failing newspaper groups lead by a 'non-believer' in journalism.
Must dash - the cab is here for my next job!
From a photojournalist (trained at Stradbroke and all):
ReplyDeleteI gave up on national papers some years ago because it was more trouble than it was worth to spend 12 hours or more doorstepping some dumb celebrity for less than minimum wage.
I gave up on regional papers because £10 a job doesn't even begin to cover the expense of buying, maintaining and insuring cameras and all the other equipment.
And ten years ago, when journalists were happy to see photographers laid off just as long as the journalists got to keep their jobs, I knew the newspaper industry was screwed. Not because of the internet, and the news groups like so often to say, but because of the voracious buy-ups, asset stripping and generally shitisization of news.
You have my sympathy, even though it would have been nice to have had support from journalists when things started (and continue to this day) to get tough for the people who made your dull stories look interesting.
These news groups have only one plan - to make all content free, while still persuading gullible businesses to pay for ads that will sit right next to all this horseshit parading as citizen journalism.
One day, somebody with half a brain will realise that there is a market for real news and real photography that advertisers will want to be associated with and maybe a mini renaissance will occur. We can live in hope, but not while these news groups are merrily pissing the industry away.
It will all end in tears and libel suits. Fuck 'em all. The newspaper industry died in the early nineties, they just didn't know it yet.
ReplyDelete