Innovation: Magazine journalism assignment

The magazine industry is under threat.

Increasingly, the internet is playing host to content that was once the exclusive territory of the printed media, and with internet access seemingly ubiquitous, print is becoming a redundant format. The question of how to combat this terminal decline is the most important issue currently facing those in the industry. For magazine editors, it is a case of adapt or die.

Successful innovation is crucial to the long term viability of printed titles; however, not all innovation is necessarily good. “Innovation’s important, but not panic-stricken innovation for the sake of it” claims Q Editor Matt Mason, “the worst thing a printed publication can do is try to take on online outlets head on.” Instead, it seems the most successful approach for magazines is to embrace the internet, and develop a strong online presence to complement the publication; “The magazine has to play to its strengths and use the website and tablet edition to expand”. Altering the format of a successful publication is not necessary, but engaging in the online world and expanding through this is crucial to continued success.

Online editions offer printed publications a number of options that would be unavailable in the original format. For monthly magazines such as Q, who print two weeks ahead of release, an issue has always been the inability to break news, and attempting to create content that is still relevant when it arrives on shelves. Creating a strong companion website for their publication can allow weekly and monthly magazines to compete in the arena of breaking news, an important extra dimension for such publications.

An online edition can also play host to a more diverse range of content than a printed magazine can, as well as a greater volume of content. Video and audio can be created exclusively for the website, and pieces which did not fit in the magazine can find a home on the website. If the additional online content is directly linked to that of the magazine, it encourages the audience to both purchase the magazine and explore the website. This gives the publication a broader appeal, and can help to retain and strengthen the audience between issues.

Q’s Matt Mason also believes a strong online product is vital in expanding the magazine’s readership. “Increasingly new readers, particularly at the younger end of the scale, will come in via our digital products. So the next key thing for me is to develop our website to ensure it's something music fans feel they have to visit and return to every day.” Creating new, unique content on a daily basis is a challenging task, but signals a shift in focus towards the digital aspect of the publication. The digital editions are clearly the future of the magazine industry, and are essential in retaining and developing the readership of the magazine itself.

When Mason speaks of ‘digital products’, he is not only referring to the website. The development of a mobile app and mobile edition of the magazine is also crucial to expanding into the digital world. The growth of tablet computers and internet enabled smart phones presents the magazine industry with the opportunity to put their products into the hands of the consumer at the click of a button. By creating a variety of digital products, magazines can tailor their services to the lifestyles of the consumer, giving them greater ease of access to the content.

In terms of digital expansion, the magazine industry still seems to be lagging behind compared to most news providers, with The Sun a particularly strong example of digital development of the print media.

While The Sun still produces a daily newspaper, it has also developed a successful website and app, with all the content of the paper itself, as well as vast swathes of additional video, audio and written content. This allows The Sun to report on breaking news immediately, and supplement stories with additional content, giving the reader a multimedia experience. The Sun has also demonstrated that digital expansion can provide an extra stream of revenue. For magazines, physical sales represent an important source of income, and so to make the same content available for free online would be disastrous. The Sun charges a subscription fee for access to the digital formats, meaning that they still earn directly from their content being viewed.

This model is an innovative, ideal way for the magazine industry to move forward. By creating exclusive digital content that supplements that of the physical magazine, print titles can garner new readers, whilst offering a broader range of content to their existing readership. This is the direction in which Q are looking to head; “We’re working hard to expand and improve the website and it's important that we use the tablet edition to provide additional unique content” explains Matt Mason.

Along with creating digital content, it is also increasingly important that magazines engage in the digital world through the use of social media. Websites such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram provide a platform for titles to promote not just the publication as a whole, but individual articles and pieces of content. Social media is playing an increasingly crucial role in advertising magazines, as they can be used to spark interest in specific items. Used successfully, this can cause a piece to ‘go viral’, gaining great exposure for the publication and bringing the title to the attention of a huge audience.

Whilst digital development is clearly an incredibly important innovation in the field of magazine journalism, there are other methods of expansion being explored. Matt Mason emphasised the importance of intelligent marketing. “Few titles can afford TV advertising these days but there's still plenty you can do to remind the world that you're there. Our shoots and interviews are so good that the national papers will pick them up and run fully credited excerpts. Our festival partnerships underline how much we love and identify great music.” Newspapers running credited segments from a magazine give greater exposure to that title, especially with most newspapers already having a strong digital presence. Q’s festival partnerships give them exposure specifically to their target audience, and this is also a method utilised by NME magazine, who sponsor a stage at the Reading and Leeds festivals. For specialist magazines such as these, such direct marketing is an ideal way to promote their product, and in the digital age, it is easier than ever.

Clearly, all print publications must be looking to digital development as a means of moving forward and expanding. While innovation in this field can be of great importance for any title looking to develop, it is also crucial that the magazine continues to produce the high quality product for which it is known. As Matt Mason says; “We can't break news like a website can. We can't stream music or play videos like a website can. We can do what we've always done better than anyone else though: brilliant, considered long-form feature writing; stunning photoshoots; authoritative, witty reviews; and provocative, agenda-setting opinion”. While their foray into the digital world will allow Q to break news, stream music and play videos, that is no reason to abandon the pillars that have helped make the magazine one of the best known music magazines in the country. Any publication with a strong reputation must, therefore, look to progress, but not at the expense of the original article, which built their reputation and readership in the first place.

The future of these print titles relies upon a combination of intelligent, innovative digital expansion; targeted marketing strategies; and maintaining a high quality, reputable product. Those that manage this balancing act successfully will thrive in the increasingly internet-dominated media market. 

Editor Interview: Q's Matt Mason

Matt Mason is a busy man. By his own account he is “snowed under with work”, and it’s hardly surprising. As Senior Editor of the UK’s biggest music monthly, there is plenty to do.

Every month Q hits shelves and doorsteps packed with news, reviews and features, and making sure that this content is of the highest possible quality is an incredibly important task for Mason. “Like every title, we’re having to deal with a general decline in magazine sales. So we have to ensure our product is consistently strong and compelling” he explains.

But Mason wants more than to simply maintain Q’s own high standards. “The aim is to keep our loyal core readership happy and bring in new readers. Increasingly those new readers, particularly at the younger end of the scale, will come in via our digital products. So the next key thing for me is to develop our website to ensure it's something music fans feel they have to visit and return to every day. I think a lot of that will come through turning the magazine's access to music and artists into unique, compelling online content.”

Mason’s position is clearly a demanding one. Overseeing Q’s transition from a print powerhouse to a multimedia publication, whilst retaining the high quality journalism that has made Q such a successful title, is no easy task. It is the job of a man at the top of his field, and Matt Mason has worked hard to get here.

Mason took his first steps towards a career in print when, on leaving university, he enrolled on a post-graduate course in magazine journalism.  Having studied history and anthropology, he felt that this was a logical progression.  “It was the research, writing and the study of people that really fascinated me, so journalism seemed like the ideal way to carry on doing those things and get paid” Mason explains. Despite the course focusing on magazines, Mason found himself heading in a different direction. “I wanted to be a feature writer but the most valuable thing it taught me was subbing. Knowing how to sub makes you a better writer and when I was starting out, there were more subs’ jobs advertised than writers' jobs.” After taking a role as a TV listings sub for the Press Association, Mason moved into magazines, working as a staff sub/writer. It was a valuable experience for him, and one which he believes had a significant influence on his career. “I definitely wouldn’t have got to where I am today without learning to sub.”

As well as crediting his sub editing education with helping him to progress, Mason also believes his career has been shaped by a fair amount of good fortune. “There's been a lot of luck, lots of being in the right place at the right time. You do make your own luck though.” Out of eight magazines and newspapers for which Mason has worked, he claims he only applied and interviewed for three. The rest of those jobs he got “because someone I’d previously worked with recommended me or someone there had seen my work and approached me.” This, he says, is one of the great things about being a journalist. “Your work is out there, bylined, for everyone to see – so you can quickly build up a reputation.”

This comes with its own pressures, however: “Every single thing you write has got to be as good as you can possibly make it because it could be the key to your next job opportunity. I got offered some shifts as a football reporter at the Daily Mail because the sports editor had read something I'd written as a staff writer for Total Sport magazine. He heard later that day that the magazine was closing, so he gave me a call. It was fortunate that he'd read the mag when he did, but I'd also worked harder on that feature than I had on anything I’d ever written, so I helped make my own luck.” Not that such events always turned out to be a success: “As it turned out, I was terrible at tabloid football reporting so I don't think the Mail would consider it a particularly lucky event.”

His spell at the Mail aside, Mason has enjoyed success in both sport and music journalism. He believes the key is a genuine interest in the subject matter. “Music and football have always been two of my biggest passions so it's always felt like a privilege to write about them – that's why I've pursued those two areas. It’s wise to write about what you know.”

With his passion for music undimmed, Matt Mason has worked his way to the top of music journalism, with Q one of the most popular and respected music publications in the country. He believes there are two reasons why the magazine continues to be so successful. “I think Q really stands out in the music market for its access and variety. No-one gets the time with – and insight into the lives of – rock and pop stars that we do. We’re also broader than everyone else, covering the whole waterfront of music.”

Mason describes Q’s broad scope of coverage as “a double-edged sword.” “You appeal to a wider base of readers but it's hard to make them all feel that everything in the mag is worth their attention.” Mason’s solution is “to make sure our writing and photography is of such a high-standard that the reader knows that Q’s take on a band or artist will entertain them – even if they aren’t particularly interested in that act.” This, he feels, is one of the key strengths of the magazine. “I think Q’s very good at telling the stories behind the music. I want every reader to feel that if Q’s covered something, it's got to be worth reading.”

While Q is a well respected, successful magazine, Mason acknowledges that there are challenges facing the publication, especially in an increasingly digital world. “Music fans get so much online content for free that Q has to be really special to justify £3.99 of someone's money every month. We can't break news like a website can. We can't stream music or play videos like a website can.” With the ever growing number of online publications and blogs, Mason is aware of the need to adapt.

“The worst thing a printed publication can do is try to take on online outlets head on. The magazine has to play to its strengths and use the website and tablet edition to expand.”

Expanding the online element of Q is important in overcoming the challenges facing the publication, but Mason also believes that the magazine must stick to the formula that has made it so successful.  “What we can do is what we've always done better than anyone else: brilliant, considered long-form feature writing; stunning photoshoots; authoritative, witty reviews; and provocative, agenda-setting opinion.”

With an increased digital and online presence, paired with a continued dedication to top quality music journalism, Matt Mason believes that Q is still a relevant and important publication. The proof, it seems, is in the product. “Our shoots and interviews are so good that the national papers will pick them up and run fully credited excerpts. Our festival partnerships underline how much we love and identify great music. We still feel like an essential part of the music fan’s world.”

Copyright and Fair Dealing

Copyright is the element of law that protects the intellectual property of an individual or organisation. It is copyright that prevents anyone using another persons work for their own benefit without permission from the creator or rights holder. Copyright is an area of civil law, and anyone believing their rights have been breached can sue for damages. 
Copyright covers such things as music, literature, film and photographs. Undeveloped ideas, short slogans and catchphrases are not protected.

Copyright is vitally important in journalism both in protecting the work of a journalist, and dictating what journalists can use in their own work.
Without copyright law, the journalism industry could not exist, as there would be no value to the work done, as anyone could recycle it. Equally, journalism must not encroach on others copyright, and must strive to be original.

The one exception to this is 'fair dealing'. Fair dealing allows the use of part of a protected work in the interests of reporting current events. Fair dealing does not have specific limitations, but it is accepted that only a small portion of the original article should be used, and should only be used in incidents of public interest. Fair dealing can also be used in the context of a review, using a section of the reviewed work to supplement the piece. 
In all cases, anything that has been used under fair dealing must be properly attributed to the original source, and not passed off as original work. This does not apply to sport, where rights to footage is extremely expensive and cannot be used under fair dealing.

An interesting and complex area of copyright law is that of works of parody. Music, in particular, is often used without authorisation for the purposes of parodying the original work. In such circumstances, the rights of the owner are often infringed upon, but the material is changed. These situations have worked out in vastly different ways, with some such pieces of work being unaffected by the rights holder, while others have had to remove their parody pieces from publication due to claims against them.

A recent incident in this area of law happened in America. The law regarding parody is somewhat clearer in the USA, where parody is exempt from copyright law. 
A store called 'Dumb Starbucks Coffee' was opened in California, which used the Starbucks logo and trade marks, as well as providing a near identical menu. The store did not sell their products, instead giving them away for free, and claimed on its website that it was a work of parody, so as to protect itself from the famously litigious coffee chain. Situations such as this highlight interesting areas of copyright law, and in which circumstances copyrighted material can be used. 

Privilege, Qualified and Absolute.

Privilege is the legal allowance for defamatory or untrue statements to be published, protecting the publisher from any legal action.

There are two types of privilege, Qualified and Absolute.

Absolute privilege applies in court, and allows the events of a trial to be published, provided the reports are fair, accurate and contemporaneous.

Qualified privilege protects areas of public concern, such as meetings of public bodies. This provision requires reporting to be fair, accurate and without malice.

The ‘without malice’ element here is crucial. Privilege will not apply if the published material contains any malice, and so it is important that any piece published is balanced, to prevent unintended bias.  

Privilege only applies in certain circumstances within these events. For example, privilege covers what is said within the events of a council meeting, but anything said privately, either prior to or after the meeting, is not covered by privilege, and therefore may not be publishable. 

Where privilege does apply, and the guidelines are correctly followed, it is a great allowance for journalists to publish material they would not otherwise be able to, and report in detail on matters of importance. 

Defamation

Defamation is the area of law that protects individuals and organisations from having their reputation damaged by another party. This is clearly a very dangerous area for journalism, and one that requires great care navigating. Any statement that is defamatory to an individual or organisation, and is broadcast to a third party, is susceptible to a libel action.

For a libel action to succeed, one of the following criteria must be satisfied:

A person is:

- exposed to hatred, ridicule or contempt

- caused to be shunned or avoided

- lowered in the estimation of right-thinking members of society

- disparaged in his or her business, trade, office or profession.

As defamation is a civil matter, the burden of proof is lower (‘on the balance of probabilities’). Therefore, the onus is not on the claimant to prove damage has been suffered, rather the Defendant must demonstrate a successful defence. The main libel defences are as follows:

- It is true

- It is the honestly held opinion of the defendant

- The information is in the public interest

- The information is protected by privilege.

If the defendant can prove one of the above, then the claim will not be successful.

In 2013, a new defamation act was introduced, in order to tighten the law surrounding libel. This act has brought about two major developments.

The first is that, prior to suing, the defendant must prove that ‘serious harm’ has been caused. This has been introduced in an attempt to protect freedom of speech and expression, and prevent major corporations taking out lawsuits against small organisations and individuals for minor slights.

The second development is a stricter test for libel cases being heard in England and Wales as to their link to this country, preventing ‘Libel tourism’. ‘Libel tourism’ refers to bringing actions under the stricter defamation laws of England and Wales, despite the claim not originating within this jurisdiction. 

Court Reporting

When covering the courts as a journalist, there are two fundamental issues to consider: Prejudice and Contempt.

Prejudice – the publication of material that could potentially prejudice the jury in a case. Prevents the trial being fair.

Contempt – Contempt of court is a criminal offence, set out in the Contempt of Court act 1981. Publishing any information which breaches the rules of court reporting can be considered contempt.

As a criminal case is decided by a jury, it is crucial that the jury is only influenced by what is heard within the court, and not speculative or irresponsible media coverage.

Reporting restrictions for criminal offences come into effect when the case becomes ‘active’. This is when one of the following occurs:

- An arrest is made

- An arrest warrant is issued

- A summons is issued by a magistrate

- Someone is charged with the offence

Once this happens, only very basic information can be published. The case will go to a ‘pre-trial hearing’ at a magistrates court. When this happens, only the following should be reported:

- Name, age, address and occupation of the defendant(s)

- Charges faced or a short summary

- Names of magistrates and the magistrates court

- Names of Solicitors and Barristers present

- Date and location to which the case has been adjourned

- Whether legal aid was granted

- Arrangements of Bail

Once the trial proper begins, court reporting is covered by Qualified Privilege (coming up later), provided the reporting is fair, accurate and contemporaneous. This means, essentially, that anything said in court by either the prosecution or defence can be reported.

Critical Reflection - Year Three Semester One

Critical Reflection WINOL – Year Three Semester One

Over the course of this semester, WINOL has continued to be a strong and engaging local news site, retaining the strengths of content and delivery that have served the site well over previous semesters, without necessarily extending itself.

One of the great strengths of this semester has been the continued high standards of content. Our weekly bulletin has been consistently strong, as the team have covered both important local stories and approached national stories from a local angle. There have also been a number of high profile guests, and important contacts made and maintained over the course of the semester, which stands future WINOL reporters in good stead. Matt Spencer’s work with the Police and Crime Commissioner and Hampshire Constabulary has produced a number of exclusive interviews and high quality packages, while also developing a good relationship with impressive contacts. Similarly, Nadine Forshaw’s ‘The Big Interview’ series has seen some high profile guests interviewed for WINOL, while in sport Liam Garrahan secured the biggest interview in the recent history of Sportsweek when he spoke to Matt Le Tissier. It is invaluable to WINOL reporters that the relationships with these contacts is maintained, as it will make it easier in the future to secure comments and interviews in short periods of time, which will allow stories to be turned around more quickly.

The creation of the weekly Access Winchester bulletin has also been a strong addition to the WINOL site, joining the WINOL bulletin and Sportsweek, leaving us with three major weekly bulletins. Access was a much needed addition, as it provides a platform for the features team to showcase their work, and can host stories that would not be suited to the main bulletin. It is of great importance that Access continues in the coming semester, and the content remains of a high standard, as this adds a valuable extra dimension to the site, and will keep people on the site who have come for news or sport.

Whilst WINOL has continued to produce high quality content, we have failed this semester to extend our audience, and have seen little progress from our position at the end of the previous semester. Our Alexa ranking of 30,063 (UK – 3/12/13) retains our position as the most viewed student publication in the country; however it is a small drop compared to our position in April. We are also a mere 53 places ahead of East London Lines, a comparable student run site. As well as this, our bulletin rarely exceeds 100 views, and sportsweek is still hitting roughly the same number of views as it was last semester. This failure to enlarge the market for the undoubtedly high quality content that is being produced is in part down to the fact that, as a news provider, we do not have a specific target audience. It may be worthwhile identifying a specific target audience and looking to engage that market, as this may facilitate increased viewing figures for both the site and the bulletin. It is also crucial that social media is used effectively to publicise WINOL, ensuring we are promoting ourselves at peak traffic periods and in the correct places, and drawing attention to the site rather than individual packages on YouTube.

There have also been some recurring problems around sound quality and framing of interviews over the course of this semester, and that is something that will need to be polished in order for the technical quality of each piece to match the editorial value.  Additionally, there is still a lack of high quality still images to accompany written stories, and it is imperative that all reporters are trained on the still cameras that we have access to, as this will improve the quality of pictures on the site, and will make the site more visually impressive.

 

On a personal note this semester has been something of a mixed bag. For the first few weeks I struggled for ideas for sports features and was unsure of my role. In this time I worked mostly on creating content for The Volt music magazine, doing a number of album reviews and recording a weekly podcast with Harry Parkhill. The podcast was a good tool for highlighting and discussing the content on The Volt, and I feel that continuing a weekly podcast specifically for The Volt could be useful in engaging a wider audience in that particular part of the site. I enjoyed working on this magazine, but I feel it could benefit from increased video content. In the future it may be beneficial to create a short video roundup each week of the content across The Volt, and look to interview more local musicians or artists performing in Winchester.

My first package of the semester was a gonzo style feature on American Football. I was mostly pleased with the finished article, particularly my opening piece to camera from outside Wembley stadium. I felt that this piece to camera gave the package a professional feel, and that I appeared confident and engaging on screen. I was disappointed with some of the footage of the action itself, but I still had a variety of good shots to use. There was also a problem with the lighting on one of the interviews I conducted, which was frustrating as it negatively impacted the overall appearance of the package. That said, I thought it was an interesting and entertaining package on the whole.

The following week I worked on a news package about a new type of radar system that had been developed at the University of Southampton. This package was not as successful as I had hoped as it was a difficult story to tell and I felt I struggled to confidently convey the story in the finished package. I had some good pictures and my interview yielded good quotes, however I struggled to construct it in such a way that it told the story successfully. As this was the only news package that I have made for WINOL, I believe that I partly struggled through a lack of practice and expertise when it comes to constructing news packages, but I also see it as a good learning experience for me, as it gave me greater understanding of the importance of constructing a package and collecting relevant shots.

My strongest package of the semester was my Ashes preview package, in which I interviewed the Team Manager of Hampshire County Cricket Club about the Ashes tour in Australia, and specifically the chances of Michael Carberry, the only Hampshire player involved in the England squad. I was pleased with this as it took a sporting event of great national interest and localised it by focusing on the Hampshire angle. I felt that I was engaging and asked strong questions, and as a result got some good answers from my interviewee. One weakness with this piece was my responses to the answers given, often making a throwaway remark, and I must work on using the answer to move into the next question, rather than having a separate response before asking the next question, as this will allow the conversation to flow more naturally. There were also some problems with the sound, as the gun mics needed to be closer to myself and my interviewee, as our voices were at times overpowered by wind noise, which was disappointing, as the shots were strong, as was the interview.

I also presented both Sportsweek and the main WINOL bulletin over the course of this semester, and I feel that this was my best work. Presenting Sportsweek is something I have a good deal of practice at now, and I feel that I am a natural and relaxed presence on screen in this context.

The main bulletin was more of a challenge due to the ‘as live’ nature of recording, which created a more pressurised atmosphere. I believe that I handled this pressure well, and was an assured presenter, particularly as we experienced problems with the autocue that forced me to read one of the links from the script. I think that I continued the bulletin naturally despite this setback, and received praise for my handling of the situation. There was also an oov belt and a ‘coming up’ in which the pictures were a little short, however I matched my pace to the pictures well and it fitted nicely. Overall I was pleased with my presenting of the bulletin, however I felt watching it back that I could afford to be a little less static, and could have been more expressive both physically and vocally.

Over the course of this semester my ability with both still and video cameras has seen an improvement. I received training on the still cameras and took photos at a football match early in the semester, which looked good and were arguably the best still images on sport this semester. I also got a lot of practice with video cameras when working on my radar package, as well as assisting others with their pieces, and I benefited from practicing my use of the camera in a different context to my usual sports filming.

Overall, WINOL this semester has been a qualified success. The content of the site has remained engaging editorially, and on the whole the technical side of things has been executed successfully. The news side has consistently produced a high quality bulletin, and the stature of guests has seen an increase in certain areas, with a number of good contacts made that must be retained in the future. Access Winchester has improved features by providing a platform and putting features under more scrutiny, which has seen some impressive packages put together, and the Access team have truly managed to gain access to some impressive events to provide coverage. It is imperative that Access Winchester is continued, and that the good foundations of this semester are built upon. Sport has not particularly improved, though having multi camera coverage of each football match has boosted the quality of match footage. It would be beneficial if Sportsweek could have one feature and one news story per week in the forthcoming semester, along with match highlights, so as to provide some diversity.

One disappointment has been the lack of a WINOL special this semester, as they often host some of the best work of the semester, and are a great demonstration of what the team is capable of. The upcoming European election special will provide a great opportunity for the team to excel themselves, and experience the pressure of an extended live broadcast.

The structure of the WINOL bulletin and website are now firmly established, and with a diverse range of features magazines across the site, there is a firm foundation to be built upon in the future. There is scope now to improve the technical quality of each package and continue to aim for higher calibre guests and stories, across news, sports and features.