Dogs do not eat dog meat
Media journalism is underestimated, rarely appreciated, and mostly underfunded: The European Journalism Observatory (EJO) offered some good solutions at its symposium in Lugano.
Media journalism is underestimated, hardly loved and usually underfunded: At its symposium in Lugano, the European Journalism Observatory (EJO) provided good remedies. "When finances shrink, the media departments are rationalized away first," said Hugo Bütler at the start of the two-day EJO* workshop at the University of Lugano, describing the approach of many other publishers. The editor-in-chief of the Neue Zürcher Zeitung, on the other hand, is sticking to his weekly media supplement, but is also relying on the other sections to communicate media topics. Even if the readership may be small, media journalism is absolutely necessary in order to keep an eye on media that observe society. In addition, Bütler says, the continuous media coverage of his paper makes a decisive contribution to its credibility. "Press freedom is not only a political issue, but increasingly also an economic one," says the former ombudswoman of the Washington Post, Geneva Overholser. The professor, who now teaches journalism at the University of Missouri, recommends introducing ombudsmen in Europe too, "who are far more than just answering readers' letters".
In the USA, they also publish criticism of their own medium independently and regularly - even without external requests. In addition, their editorial "memos" are an important tool for internal quality control. However, as the example of the New York Times following the Jayson Blair forgery scandal shows, ombudsman offices are often only set up and taken seriously on the other side of the Atlantic when something has gone seriously wrong.
Nevertheless, there is a more open culture of criticism in US media journalism. Constructive complaints against one's own organization - for example by industry icons such as Howard Kurtz from the Washington Post or David Shaw from the Los Angeles Times - are at least occasionally possible there. After all, journalism is a human activity and everyone makes mistakes, says Brent Cunningham, Managing Editor of the Columbia Journalism Review.
In most European countries, media journalism encounters structural difficulties and reservations: "Dogs don't eat dog meat," is how media professor Bettina Kohlhaas from Santiago de Compostela characterizes the inhibitions of Spanish journalists to criticize competitors or even colleagues from their own publishing house. Serious media journalism hardly exists on the Iberian Peninsula. The so-called "media" pages only contain a mix of program PR and people topics - a practice that is also practiced here in Spain by Blick.
The situation in Italy is also not very encouraging: Luca Veronese, responsible for the media page at the business paper Il Sole 24 Ore, notes that media journalism at other Italian newspapers only takes place in the politics section at best. In a country whose head of state is also the owner of the largest media company, critical journalism is in any case a "tricky to impossible thing".
Whether media journalists actually have to fear sanctions from their own media company or are rashly subjecting themselves to self-censorship out of fear for their jobs is, however, controversial. "I got away with it", reported media columnist Bill Hagerty after an unflattering comment about his employer, the British Independent.
In Germany, too, the refuges of journalistic self-thematization are being cut back or at least understaffed. Michael Hanfeld, for example, is the only full-time editor of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and is responsible for its daily media page. Among other things, he describes the increasing influence of the PR departments of large publishing and TV companies on in-house media journalists as problematic.
On a positive note, German media journalism has seen an increase in corresponding (and appealing!) trade journals, including Cover, Berliner Journalisten and V.i.S.d.P. There is also an exciting development in France, where Pierre Hessler recently launched Médias, the first ever such trade journal.
Profundity and profitabilityJohann Oberauer, publisher of the special interest magazines Medium Magazin, Wirtschaftsjournalist and Der Österreichische Journalist, proves that differentiating the offering can make economic sense. With supplements such as Sportjournalist, he earns good money even with small target groups. Even his website newsroom.de is profitable.
Solid sources as a factual basis are crucial for well-founded, sustainable and profitable media journalism. Such data is provided by Medien Tenor, as its director Roland Schatz showed. The institute analyzes the content of opinion-leading media in several countries on a daily basis.
Martin Hitz, the man behind Medienspiegel**, reported on the weblog boom in this area. According to Rem Rieder, Senior President of the American Journalism Review, many of these private internet platforms that critically observe the media are subjective and hardly investigative. Some, on the other hand, could certainly be considered an innovative form of media journalism. The blog of American Jim Romanesko***, for example, is so professionally organized that Rieder says he has "long been addicted to it".
* www.ejo.ch
** www.medienspiegel.ch
Self-reflection is usually not welcome in publishing houses.
*** www.poynter.org/column
Andrea Höhne
In the USA, they also publish criticism of their own medium independently and regularly - even without external requests. In addition, their editorial "memos" are an important tool for internal quality control. However, as the example of the New York Times following the Jayson Blair forgery scandal shows, ombudsman offices are often only set up and taken seriously on the other side of the Atlantic when something has gone seriously wrong.
Nevertheless, there is a more open culture of criticism in US media journalism. Constructive complaints against one's own organization - for example by industry icons such as Howard Kurtz from the Washington Post or David Shaw from the Los Angeles Times - are at least occasionally possible there. After all, journalism is a human activity and everyone makes mistakes, says Brent Cunningham, Managing Editor of the Columbia Journalism Review.
In most European countries, media journalism encounters structural difficulties and reservations: "Dogs don't eat dog meat," is how media professor Bettina Kohlhaas from Santiago de Compostela characterizes the inhibitions of Spanish journalists to criticize competitors or even colleagues from their own publishing house. Serious media journalism hardly exists on the Iberian Peninsula. The so-called "media" pages only contain a mix of program PR and people topics - a practice that is also practiced here in Spain by Blick.
The situation in Italy is also not very encouraging: Luca Veronese, responsible for the media page at the business paper Il Sole 24 Ore, notes that media journalism at other Italian newspapers only takes place in the politics section at best. In a country whose head of state is also the owner of the largest media company, critical journalism is in any case a "tricky to impossible thing".
Whether media journalists actually have to fear sanctions from their own media company or are rashly subjecting themselves to self-censorship out of fear for their jobs is, however, controversial. "I got away with it", reported media columnist Bill Hagerty after an unflattering comment about his employer, the British Independent.
In Germany, too, the refuges of journalistic self-thematization are being cut back or at least understaffed. Michael Hanfeld, for example, is the only full-time editor of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and is responsible for its daily media page. Among other things, he describes the increasing influence of the PR departments of large publishing and TV companies on in-house media journalists as problematic.
On a positive note, German media journalism has seen an increase in corresponding (and appealing!) trade journals, including Cover, Berliner Journalisten and V.i.S.d.P. There is also an exciting development in France, where Pierre Hessler recently launched Médias, the first ever such trade journal.
Profundity and profitabilityJohann Oberauer, publisher of the special interest magazines Medium Magazin, Wirtschaftsjournalist and Der Österreichische Journalist, proves that differentiating the offering can make economic sense. With supplements such as Sportjournalist, he earns good money even with small target groups. Even his website newsroom.de is profitable.
Solid sources as a factual basis are crucial for well-founded, sustainable and profitable media journalism. Such data is provided by Medien Tenor, as its director Roland Schatz showed. The institute analyzes the content of opinion-leading media in several countries on a daily basis.
Martin Hitz, the man behind Medienspiegel**, reported on the weblog boom in this area. According to Rem Rieder, Senior President of the American Journalism Review, many of these private internet platforms that critically observe the media are subjective and hardly investigative. Some, on the other hand, could certainly be considered an innovative form of media journalism. The blog of American Jim Romanesko***, for example, is so professionally organized that Rieder says he has "long been addicted to it".
* www.ejo.ch
** www.medienspiegel.ch
Self-reflection is usually not welcome in publishing houses.
*** www.poynter.org/column
Andrea Höhne
