Those of you who work in journalism, or intend to, or who even simply read newspapers might be interested in a damning critique of the press over at Rogue Columnist.

It’s been a while since I worked in newspapers in-house myself. And then was in the UK, not in the USA, But I have to say, it all rang true to me:

“Significantly, investment in the unique intellectual capital of newspapers – journalism – was constantly reduced. Newsrooms lost much of their top talent. Marketing, more important than ever in business, was never a newspaper strength, and was cut to the bone. Research and development received little more than lip service, or was another tool to hand down demands for shorter, dumber, fluffier stories.”

It’s very serious piece about the dumbing down of the newspaper industry, the undermining of serious journalism, and the effects this is having on American society.

However, you know how it is when you read something that hits the spot because it’s just so true, because it hits the nail on the head. You have to laugh:

“The biggest problem, of course, had nothing to do with the newsrooms. It was the collapse of an unsustainable business model. Simply put, the model involved sending miniskirted saleswomen out to sell ads at confiscatory rates to lecherous old car dealers and appliance-store owners.”

Yes, that’s exactly what was going on at several of the newspapers I worked on. That was their business model.

But now that Google has virtually taken over the world of advertising, I’m not convinced the majority of newspapers, especially local ones, can survive much longer.

And you know what? I don’t think I even care. Newspapers have dumbed down so much most of them have become pointless anyway. If there’s a need for serious journalism, I think the internet will have to meet that need, somehow. How that will happen, I’m not sure.

But I know for my part I don’t read newspapers anymore. I don’t have time. If I want topical, there’s the internet. If I want something more thoughtful or enduring, then I have piles of books to read.

What do you think? Have newspapers got much of a future? And do you even care?

Photo by monterd (CC on Flickr)

One of the readers of this blog (hi Petya) contacted me recently to ask how I first became a freelance writer. She was looking for advice about getting started as a freelance herself.

Becoming a freelance writer is not easy, but it is possible. The bad news is that it doesn’t really depend on how good a writer you are (and, yes, I’m the living proof).

There’s a lot of luck involved, you need to know people who can help you, and you need business skills.

In an upcoming post (warning, it’s a long one) I’m going to look at some of the things you need to be a successful freelance writer.

But first I’m going to explain how I came to be a full-time freelance writer. This might seem a little self-indulgent, but I’m hoping it may help readers like Petya with ideas they can use in their own careers.

Do I make a decent living? Yes
I have worked as freelance writer for around 12 years. In that time, I’ve never had to take any form of employment. And all my income has come from freelance writing. Continue reading →

Journalists summarise the whole story in the first paragraph, and expand on the detail as they go along. So the most important and interesting stuff is at the top, and the fluff that is less useful or intriguing goes towards the end.

“The second paragraph? Who reads the second paragraph?”

There, I’ve gone and done it myself and now you don’t need to read the rest of this post. But wait… don’t go. There’s more you need to know first.

Until I decided to demonstrate this technique, with the first paragraph of this post, I was intending to start with a little reminiscence about a great movie from 1974 called The Front Page. It stars Walter Matthau and Jack Lemon as the editor and reporter in a 1920s Chicago newspaper.

At one point, Lemmon, the intrepid reporter, is filing copy about a notoriously dangerous criminal who has broken out of jail and stolen a gun. He’s on the loose, on the prison roof.

“Where’s the bit about the gun?”

Reading the copy, Matthau asks something along the lines of: “Where’s the bit about the gun?”

(I’m doing this from memory, as I don’t have a copy of the film to hand).

Lemmon replies: “It’s in the second paragraph.”

To which Matthau, the editor, says: “The second paragraph? Who reads the second paragraph?”

And it’s all there, in that one-liner - just about everything you need to know about writing in the newspaper style. It’s an education in journalism, all by itself.

Continue reading →