That was the big question posed by Waleed Aly at the Andrew Olle Media Lecture in Sydney last month. Aly spoke of how commercial pressures and digital disruption have led to an increasingly lightweight news cycle driven by a desire to maximise views. But at what cost? Does this cut throat rivalry and drive to achieve a short-term victory result in a long-term cost to journalistic authority?
The Gold Logie winner reminded the audience that the media industry is in fact a “self-regulated trade” and warned that “journalists being asked to provide content that will do well online, rather than that which will offer citizens a nuanced understanding of what happens” is dangerous.
He went on to say that “even in print – what has traditionally been our most serious, reflective medium – there’s precious little room available for the idea that has taken to percolate… And I think this is a problem because when I think about the people I know whose opinions are consistently the most challenging and insightful, they often can’t think of anything to say until the media cycle has lost interest.”
His message remains relevant long beyond the Olle Lecture as online content and journalism continue to evolve.
The nature of online content, in particular, is that it is designed to be shared across social platforms. And with so much evidence to prove what works on digital, it’s no surprise that journalists are churning out often predictable content because of the assurance that rests on it performing so well online.
But there is one point Aly forgot to raise and that is how magazines are perhaps the one medium where quality trusted content is still given days to days to percolate, develop and evolve – which in turn helps protect editorial integrity and reader trust. And it shows through in the research. A recent consumer survey conducted by Magazine Networks found that magazines are consumers’ most trusted engagement networks, because readers connect to them. It’s the one source of content that really generates passionate audiences, at scale, across channel formats, with extraordinary relevance and loyalty.
In my view magazine networks are the one sector of the media and publishing industry successfully rising above the erosion of public trust that Aly talks about so vehemently. And this is why savvy marketers are quietly keeping magazines and their digital forms on the top of their list.
By Mary Ann Azer, executive director at Magazine Networks