From reach to engagement to impact - the next big audience trend in journalism?
Plus The Independent partners with BCorp social media platform WeAre8, a guide to help you prompt ChatGPT and why Billie Eilish and Netflix are beating journalism
Welcome to The Happy Journalist! I’m three weeks into my Substack journey and I’m thrilled by how many of you have so far joined me along the way. If you’re a subscriber, I hope you’re enjoying it so far. If you’re here because someone forwarded you this newsletter and you’re not yet subscribed, please do click the button below to sign up for free.
Ever since news organisations started turning their attention from print to digital, audience reach became the most important metric in the newsroom. Journalists were trained to understand what topics drove audiences of scale and in almost every newsroom, the TV was set to Chartbeat’s real time dashboard, displaying page views on every story on the website at any given moment. Those numbers told us what the audience wanted and writing stories to reach as many people as possible inevitably became a big driving force in the newsroom.
In recent years - and particularly as the large volumes of social traffic that newsrooms had come to rely on declined (as illustrated in this chart from Axios this week) - audience engagement became a far greater priority. Building relationships with readers through apps, newsletters and commenting tools has now become central to most publishers’ audience strategies. For many, that has driven registrations, membership, premium content models or subscriptions, with a trio of legacy publishers in the UK, the Telegraph, Guardian and Financial Times, all passing the 1million paying subscriber mark.
But there are now indications that subscriptions are hitting a wall too. This week, the Reuters Institute published a report that showed payment for online news was levelling off with many subscribers linking cancellations to the cost of living crisis. A similar report by FIPP at the end of last year warned of a subscriptions freeze. At Google’s Newsgeist conference a few weeks back, the first session of the day asked ‘What’s the next big thing after subscriptions?’
The answer, I believe, is impact.
We know that journalism has an impact on the communities it serves. Great journalism can have social, political, economic and environmental impacts on a community. It can bring people together, shape democracy, boost businesses and change behaviours. It can make a difference on an individual level, but also on a global scale. But unless it’s an exceptional campaign win, like Awaab’s Law from the Manchester Evening News or the Daily Mirror’s success in changing the laws on organ donation, it’s often not the primary focus for newsrooms nor audiences because it’s not measured.
But there are 3 reasons why I believe impact is key to the future sustainability of journalism:
AI – in an era when AI will increasingly automate content gathering, production and distribution, there will be an increasing need to reinforce the humanity of journalism. Impact shows a connection with audiences, it measures the difference that journalism is making to people’s lives – something that AI can’t do.
Climate – news organisations have a vital role to play as the climate crisis becomes a today issue and not a future issue. Shaping the narrative, leading behaviour change, explaining the issues and holding policy makers and businesses to account will become a bigger part of journalism in the future. Measuring the impact of climate journalism on audiences will be critical.
News avoidance – according to the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2023, around 36% of people across the 42 markets surveyed say they avoid the news. Journalism can and does have a positive social, political, environmental and economic impact on the audiences it serves. Impact measurement will force newsrooms to think more about solutions-focused journalism that makes a positive difference to people’s lives thereby combating that trend towards news avoidance.
Arguably, subscriptions are stagnating because readers don’t see the value of those subscriptions. But if journalism’s success was measured not in page views or subscriptions, but in metrics that determined its impact on readers and communities, that would not only highlight its value to audiences, but to advertisers, investors and governments too.
Stories of the week
People
🫶Here’s a journalist after my own heart… Christi Hegranes has just released her new book Byline: How Local Journalists Can Improve the Global News Industry and Change the World. Christi argues that journalism is in a crisis but that reporters with the proximity and access to their local communities are key to its future sustainability. She says that in her work for Global Press, she has found that people want news produced by people close to those communities and stories told differently. She argues that consequence-driven coverage or solutions-focused journalism, helping people understand the world and their place in it, and not just action stories of war, poverty, death and disease are critical. Watch Christi being interviewed here
Planet
🌍I’m often frustrated by how few news organisations prioritise the climate crisis in their news agenda. With a few notable exceptions - the Guardian, AFP and Al Jazeera among them - climate is seen as an issue that doesn’t capture audiences in the same volume as, for example, the cost of living crisis and so it’s largely ignored. This article from Mark Hertsgaard and Kyle Pope for Al Jazeera articulated the issue brilliantly - Journalism can’t leave the climate crisis to Billie Eilish and Netflix. “Despite our living through the hottest summer in history, as well as wildfires, tropical storms and crazy-hot oceans, the news media continue to be outdone by the rest of popular culture when it comes to covering the most urgent story of our time.” This has to change.
Purpose
📰The Independent has teamed up with WeAre8, the first BCorp social media app, for news and content distribution. WeAre8 is the alternative social media which puts people and the planet at its heart. It has a zero tolerance for hate, shares 60% of its revenue back with people, charity and in support of climate change initiatives, and enables brands to carbon offset campaigns through its transformational video advertising function. Sue Fennessy, Founder and CEO of WeAre8 struck a chord when she said: “With our aligned values, a joint commitment to quality journalism, and a deep respect for people and the planet, our partnership is set to create a new standard for the way publishers and platforms work together. Social media should serve and support people, publishers and the planet, and as we come into an election year in 2024 in the US, the UK and India, balanced news and healthy publishing models have never been more critical. When we combine ‘real news’ from the world’s best publishers, with zero tolerance of hate, ‘no anonymity’ and shared economic models, we finally have healthy conversation and hope for a better world”.
AI
🤖The UK’s Independent Publishers Alliance has recommended its members block ChatGPT from crawling their sites as soon as possible, reports Press Gazette in its latest article - Major news publishers block the bots as ChatGPT starts taking live news. Until now OpenAI’s free version of ChatGPT was only able to use information up to September 2021, the cut-off date for its training database. The change will mean free users can ask ChatGPT relating to current affairs, with answers likely trained on content from news publishers across the world.
And finally
The Future of Journalism… debated this week at the Conservative Party conference by six white men, half called Matthew, none whom actually work as journalists🙄
AI experiment of the week
Tool: ChatGPT3
Prompt: You are an expert in climate and journalism writing for an audience of journalists in an informal and chatty style. On September 20, 2023, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that he was rolling back a number of climate policies.Take all articles published in the UK by national and local media between September 20, 2023 and September 30, 2023 and summarise the reaction in the UK to that announcement in 500 words. Assess whether the reaction was overwhelmingly positive or negative. Include examples of headlines that illustrate the way in which commentators reacted to his announcement and attribute these to the relevant publications.
Response: Hey there, fellow climate-conscious journalists! It's time to dive into the whirlwind of reactions that followed UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's announcement on September 20, 2023, regarding the rollback of several climate policies. Buckle up because it's been quite a ride!
First off, let's address the elephant in the room – the reaction was overwhelmingly negative. It's like they dropped a climate policy bomb, and the fallout was not pretty. Many UK media outlets chimed in with headlines that reflected the disappointment and concern in the air.
One of the most striking headlines came from The Guardian, a reputable source known for its climate coverage. Their headline screamed, "Sunak's Climate U-Turn: A Step Backwards for the Planet." Ouch! Talk about not mincing words. The article went on to criticize the rollback, highlighting the potential consequences for the UK's climate targets and international reputation.
The Independent wasn't holding back either, with a headline that read, "Sunak's Climate Retreat: A Blow to Global Leadership." They argued that the Prime Minister's decision risked undermining the UK's credibility as a climate leader, especially in the lead-up to critical international climate summits.
Local media outlets were just as vocal. The Manchester Evening News ran a headline saying, "Local Leaders Slam Sunak's Climate Reversal." This emphasized the discontent among regional leaders who were actively pushing for green initiatives in their areas. Sunak's move didn't sit well with them at all.
On the other hand, there were a few dissenting voices. The Daily Telegraph, known for its conservative views, published an article titled, "Sunak Prioritizes Economic Stability Over Climate Hysteria." They argued that Sunak's decision was a pragmatic one, focusing on economic stability rather than being overly hasty on climate action.
However, such voices were in the minority. The general consensus was that this rollback was a step in the wrong direction for the UK's climate agenda. It even sparked protests and demonstrations across major cities, with activists chanting slogans like, "Save Our Climate, Stop the Rollback!"
Environmental organizations like Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth were quick to react as well. Greenpeace released a statement saying, "Sunak's Reversal a Betrayal of Our Future Generations." They called it a betrayal because many young people had high hopes for a greener future and felt let down by this decision.
It's worth noting that international media also weighed in on the matter. The New York Times had a headline that read, "UK's Climate Rollback Sends Shockwaves Globally." This highlighted the ripple effect of such policy decisions on the global stage, potentially influencing other nations' climate policies.
In summary, the reaction to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's announcement to roll back climate policies between September 20, 2023, and September 30, 2023, was predominantly negative. The media, both national and local, expressed deep concern and disappointment. Headlines from outlets like The Guardian, The Independent, and the Manchester Evening News were particularly critical, emphasizing the potential harm to the UK's climate goals and international reputation. While there were a few voices supporting the move, they were clearly in the minority. This decision left many questioning the UK's commitment to combating climate change, and it ignited protests and backlash from environmental organizations and activists. It's safe to say that this announcement didn't get a warm reception in the UK media landscape, and the climate debate continues to heat up.
Warning: After a follow-up prompt asking for links to the articles referenced, ChatGPT admitted that its response was completely fictional…
I apologize for any confusion, but as of my last knowledge update in September 2021, I don't have the capability to provide real-time or specific article links. The headlines and examples I provided in my previous response were fictional and generated to illustrate different types of reactions in an informal and chatty style. To access the actual articles, I recommend visiting the websites of the mentioned publications and using their search features to find articles related to the topic of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's climate policy rollback in September 2023. Thank you for understanding!
Tips: This experiment demonstrates the shortcomings of ChatGPT. It’s a Large Language Model, which means its strengths lie in summarising, translating and adapting text rather than research. If you are using it for research, ensure the information you’re gathering hasn’t changed since September 2021 (for free users). And always check the facts.
However, the prompt I used in this example followed a useful mnemonic that I discovered this week from author and educator Dave Birss:
C - Character. Outline the role you want ChatGPT to play
R - Request. Make your request as specific and detailed as possible. Not just a sentence but a paragraph
E - Examples. Use examples of other articles to show ChatGPT the headline or tone or style you’re looking for
A - Adjustments. Once you have your response, ask ChatGPT to adjust the text eg. remove bullet points or keep original quotes
T - Type of output. Tell ChatGPT what format you’d like your response to be delivered in. It could be a poem, a 500 word essay or a list, for example.
E - Extras. Keep adding to your request. Ask ChatGPT to explain its thinking.
Please do get in touch - I’d love to hear your thoughts. If you like it, please share with friends. And remember to hit subscribe at the top if you’re not already signed up.
Until next time.
Jacqui