A little journalism for the old days!
The new Swiss online magazines range from age-related hobbies to self-realization and service orientation. None of them have a viable business model. Guest commentary by Hans Stutz, freelance journalist.
We don't want to claim that it's already a trend! But it is worth noting that three online magazines have gone online in German-speaking Switzerland within a short space of time: Journal 21, Clack and, most recently, Neuland. They are all run by (formerly salaried) media professionals, many of them well-known journalists, from Heiner Hug and Claudia Kühner to Ralph Pöhner, Anita Hugi and Judith Stofer. A few advertising banners indicate a small income. All of them operate outside the media agenda dictated by offices, parties, organizations and companies. So far so good. But: quality journalism is always free, only Neuland, which is otherwise ad-free, offers the option of a "voluntary subscription". (If you pay, you get access to the archive. But this is not yet important, as only one issue has been published so far).
Otherwise, the free mentality is explicitly part of Neuland's business model. According to the illuminating announcement, the online magazine is "a platform for freelance media professionals who can no longer find buyers for their work in the traditional media. Or simply customers who no longer pay money for good work". If you'll pardon the pun: a surprising argument because the editorial offices are hardly awarding any more contracts and hardly paying any more fees, are the beleaguered media professionals making their quality work available for free? With respect, such offers accelerate the economic decline in the value of journalistic work.
The business model of Journal 21, a nostalgic product of journalists who had their professional roots in pre-electronic media times, is similar. The journal spreads classic political journalism with extensive foreign reporting: lots of texts, long texts, hardly any pictures, the sections are called politics, culture, economy and society. Hardly any self-researched news, but lots of up-to-date background. The claim: "We are inundated with news and short news items. But to understand the news, we need in-depth analysis, commentary and background reports." However, the texts give the impression that the writers are mourning old print titles. Or to put it another way: Journal 21 brings the comeback of the lead desert on the Internet. Nevertheless, it makes for stimulating reading. These are elderly journalists who continue to indulge in a bit of journalism in their old age. Journalism as a retirement hobby, supported by the income from AHV and pension funds. This is also not a business model for journalism, which is supposed to ensure social and political discussion in a democratic society.
The third project, Clack, is more suitable for the Internet and covers topics relating to the (daily?) battle of the sexes, characteristically entitled "When the egg cracks, the hormones crack too". The site has a conspicuous service orientation, right down to the last-minute recipes. Otherwise, Clack has the social relevance of a women's magazine, so it will attract some attention.
Conclusion. The three online portals are practising journalism out of desperation, in the hope that the creators will make some money at some point, for example by taking it over in a print product. This is also not a viable business model: in Friedrich Dürrenmatt's "An Angel Comes to Babylon", it is the beggars who provide the poets with a living. It remains to be seen who will take the place of the beggars in the 21st century!
For those who want to see for themselves, here are the relevant links: www.journal21.ch; www.neuland-mag.net; www.clack.ch.
Otherwise, the free mentality is explicitly part of Neuland's business model. According to the illuminating announcement, the online magazine is "a platform for freelance media professionals who can no longer find buyers for their work in the traditional media. Or simply customers who no longer pay money for good work". If you'll pardon the pun: a surprising argument because the editorial offices are hardly awarding any more contracts and hardly paying any more fees, are the beleaguered media professionals making their quality work available for free? With respect, such offers accelerate the economic decline in the value of journalistic work.
The business model of Journal 21, a nostalgic product of journalists who had their professional roots in pre-electronic media times, is similar. The journal spreads classic political journalism with extensive foreign reporting: lots of texts, long texts, hardly any pictures, the sections are called politics, culture, economy and society. Hardly any self-researched news, but lots of up-to-date background. The claim: "We are inundated with news and short news items. But to understand the news, we need in-depth analysis, commentary and background reports." However, the texts give the impression that the writers are mourning old print titles. Or to put it another way: Journal 21 brings the comeback of the lead desert on the Internet. Nevertheless, it makes for stimulating reading. These are elderly journalists who continue to indulge in a bit of journalism in their old age. Journalism as a retirement hobby, supported by the income from AHV and pension funds. This is also not a business model for journalism, which is supposed to ensure social and political discussion in a democratic society.
The third project, Clack, is more suitable for the Internet and covers topics relating to the (daily?) battle of the sexes, characteristically entitled "When the egg cracks, the hormones crack too". The site has a conspicuous service orientation, right down to the last-minute recipes. Otherwise, Clack has the social relevance of a women's magazine, so it will attract some attention.
Conclusion. The three online portals are practising journalism out of desperation, in the hope that the creators will make some money at some point, for example by taking it over in a print product. This is also not a viable business model: in Friedrich Dürrenmatt's "An Angel Comes to Babylon", it is the beggars who provide the poets with a living. It remains to be seen who will take the place of the beggars in the 21st century!
For those who want to see for themselves, here are the relevant links: www.journal21.ch; www.neuland-mag.net; www.clack.ch.
