No time for journalism
Column: “There have never been as many good journalists as there are today.” Anyone who says something like that probably doesn’t read Swiss newspapers, says Karin Müller.
Column There have never been as many good journalists as there are today. Anyone who says that probably doesn't read Swiss press products.Things are hectic in the media industry. The competition is getting bigger, but the stories are not getting more diverse. A wonderful thing for PR agencies. Who can write to some extent, finds its press texts one to one in the newspaper. Thank you very much, says the client to the PR consultant, who can't believe his eyes. It's even better when editorial offices use the PR agency as a ghostwriter. The cash register rings, because on the one hand the media manager has a stone in the board with the customer - because of the proximity to the editorial office. Studies show that around 40 percent of all reports in daily newspapers result from PR messages. A PR text, however, is not meant to be critical, but to promote a product. So media professionals who can read between the lines in press releases are in demand. Instead, they press "copy" and turn to the next piece of information. But where does that lead?
Everyone laments the uniformity of the multimedia world. But if you want to discuss this in an executive suite, you're told: "No time." In the hectic pace, there is no time for reflection. Instead, everything becomes fast food: texts, editors-in-chief, department heads, editors. Content and people become interchangeable. Cheap versus quality.
I often hear young people ask themselves, "Should I go into journalism or a PR agency?" Is there still a difference today? Critical journalists who occasionally question a topic are not really welcome. They are considered troublemakers. Editors-in-chief might even find themselves questioned by them. People who think a lot are often exhausting employees for managers. Instead, they are offered a job as a correspondent.
Which brings us to the next topic of quality: How much are the current leaders in the media scene worth? A good editor-in-chief with high social competence wants to have good people around him. He invests in his most valuable asset: his employees. He hires journalists with proven professional experience. Journalists with a thick address book full of connections. Journalists who know the ABCs of research and can tell good stories.
We have to make better use of these capabilities. Next year, new titles will come onto the market - fast, dynamic newspapers from major publishers who invest a lot of money in concepts. I spontaneously think of a new newspaper from Tamedia. What would it be like if a group like this were to invest more money in the future editorial department? A team of experienced quality journalists would set up a new daily newspaper. What they are looking for is not the news agency's rewritten report. What they're looking for is the story behind the story. Stories about exciting minds in this country. But such research takes time. I am sure that a title that would take this time again would find a loyal readership.
My heart bleeds, however. Journalism is degenerating into a casual transitional occupation for "youngsters. They meet in the scene bar and think it's "mega" that they can do editorial work. Let's be clear about this: It would be wonderful if journalism became a cult, so to speak. And I know that there are young people who take their chance and really throw themselves into the profession. But at the moment, these are individual masks.
The profession must not be watered down. Journalism means heart and soul, passion, trying to create the most exciting newspaper/magazine/broadcast every day. Journalism must not be "now I'm going to rewrite a few PR stories".
That's why I'm calling for more brain power in the publishing houses' executive suites and hope that some clear-thinkers will pull the emergency brake. Press releases can certainly serve as a source of information for a good story. However, from a journalistic point of view, they should be viewed critically and examined carefully. I know what I'm talking about. After all, I write new press releases for my clients every day.
Karin Müller, formerly a journalist, now runs her own communications office in Zurich.
Everyone laments the uniformity of the multimedia world. But if you want to discuss this in an executive suite, you're told: "No time." In the hectic pace, there is no time for reflection. Instead, everything becomes fast food: texts, editors-in-chief, department heads, editors. Content and people become interchangeable. Cheap versus quality.
I often hear young people ask themselves, "Should I go into journalism or a PR agency?" Is there still a difference today? Critical journalists who occasionally question a topic are not really welcome. They are considered troublemakers. Editors-in-chief might even find themselves questioned by them. People who think a lot are often exhausting employees for managers. Instead, they are offered a job as a correspondent.
Which brings us to the next topic of quality: How much are the current leaders in the media scene worth? A good editor-in-chief with high social competence wants to have good people around him. He invests in his most valuable asset: his employees. He hires journalists with proven professional experience. Journalists with a thick address book full of connections. Journalists who know the ABCs of research and can tell good stories.
We have to make better use of these capabilities. Next year, new titles will come onto the market - fast, dynamic newspapers from major publishers who invest a lot of money in concepts. I spontaneously think of a new newspaper from Tamedia. What would it be like if a group like this were to invest more money in the future editorial department? A team of experienced quality journalists would set up a new daily newspaper. What they are looking for is not the news agency's rewritten report. What they're looking for is the story behind the story. Stories about exciting minds in this country. But such research takes time. I am sure that a title that would take this time again would find a loyal readership.
My heart bleeds, however. Journalism is degenerating into a casual transitional occupation for "youngsters. They meet in the scene bar and think it's "mega" that they can do editorial work. Let's be clear about this: It would be wonderful if journalism became a cult, so to speak. And I know that there are young people who take their chance and really throw themselves into the profession. But at the moment, these are individual masks.
The profession must not be watered down. Journalism means heart and soul, passion, trying to create the most exciting newspaper/magazine/broadcast every day. Journalism must not be "now I'm going to rewrite a few PR stories".
That's why I'm calling for more brain power in the publishing houses' executive suites and hope that some clear-thinkers will pull the emergency brake. Press releases can certainly serve as a source of information for a good story. However, from a journalistic point of view, they should be viewed critically and examined carefully. I know what I'm talking about. After all, I write new press releases for my clients every day.
Karin Müller, formerly a journalist, now runs her own communications office in Zurich.
