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IS THE NEWS BREAKING?HOW THE UK MEDIA IS CHANGING

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CONTENTS

Introduction 1

The Authors 2

Survey results 3

Making yourself heard – what journalists want 4

Mobiles, Facebook and great hair – how TV news is changing 5

“Politics is sexy – and political journalism is driving change” 6

Young journalist survey: fake news, the BBC and 20:20:20 8

The rise and rise of MailOnline despite Dacre’s digital denial 9

Case study: how the FT relaunched its website 11

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New technology means it has become easier to produce and distribute content. A consequence of this is that the audience for news is bigger than ever – more people spend more time reading, watching, listening and clicking – but behaviour is changing. Less than 4 percent of under 25s read a printed newspaper – for those that do, it is almost certainly not a paid-for title.

MHP recently hosted its Young Journalist Awards: 30 To Watch. Now in its sixth year, the event recognises and celebrates the best young talent in the UK media. The quality of the entries proves there is still abundant talent, creativity and enthusiasm among those entering the industry.

We surveyed the nominees and their answers, combined with the thoughts of established media figures, are outlined here. The UK media industry may be at a crossroads, but there is no lack of opportunity to make your voice heard.

INTRODUCTION

Alex BiggCEO, MHP Communications

Less than 4 percent of under 25s read a printed newspaper – for those that do, it is almost certainly not a paid-for title.

The general election has raised a great many questions – obviously for politicians, but also for the media. One of those questions is; is the influence of the press waning? If so, is social media the new force in the land which can influence and energise a generation like in the days when it was “The Sun Wot Won It”?

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THE AUTHORS

Ian Kirby Head of MHP Media Unit

Ian is head of the MHP Media Unit and former political editor of the News of the World.

During his time in the Lobby he interviewed four prime ministers, covered five wars and won awards for his campaigning journalism.

At MHP Ian has created a successful media unit and now offers strategic advice and media training to clients across a wide range of different sectors.

Tim Shipman Political Editor, The Sunday Times

Tim has spent 20 years in newspaper journalism in the UK

and USA. He has worked for The Sunday Express, the Sunday Telegraph and the Daily Mail before joining the Sunday Times as Political Editor in 2014. His book All Out War was published last year to critical acclaim. It chronicles the Westminster intrigues following the EU referendum and subsequent collapse of the Cameron government.

Fresh from covering this year’s general election campaign, Tim has seen how politics and the journalism which surrounds it, is being re-shaped by new technology and the preferences of a new generation of readers.

Chris Ship Royal Editor, ITV News

Chris has spent his entire career in broadcast journalism, the majority

of which has been with ITN. In March this year he was appointed Royal Editor, after a long stint covering Westminster.

At ITV Chris has witnessed the rise of video news producers and distributors beyond his established rivals at Sky and the BBC. With smartphone technology, everyone is a potential citizen journalist and competition around breaking news and who gets the best pictures has never been more intense.

Cait O’Riordan Head of Digital Products, Financial Times

Cait began her career in journalism before focusing on the development

of new digital tools to help tell stories and report the news. She led the digital products team for the BBC’s London 2012 Olympic coverage before heading to the start-up music software company Shazam.

Cait joined the FT last year to lead the company’s global digital product strategy. Among her first responsibilities was the successful launch of the new FT website and app.

SURVEY RESULTS

As part of the annual MHP Young Journalist Awards: 30 To Watch we asked our nominees – all of whom are under 30 and working full time in the UK media – a series of questions concerning their attitude to the UK media industry.

What are the most important practical skills for a young journalist to have? Media Law Video/Audio

shooting & editingSoftware coding

Shorthand

Shots from our MHP Young Journalist Awards 2017.

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Gold winners 2017 (above from left to right):Tom Hale – Financial Times, Matt Quinton – The Sun, Finola Miles – ITV News; Jane Bradley – Buzzfeed and Megan Lucero – Bureau of Investigative Journalism.

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Distinctions in journalism used to be pretty simple – print and broadcast, trade and regional, reporter, columnist and specialist.

However, MHP’s clients today have a vast panoply of challenging reportage to manoeuvre. The rise of data journalism, citizen bloggers, YouTube and multi-channel commentators has changed the industry. Each discipline feeds off itself with tweets replicated in newspapers and bloggers challenging mainstream media.

Even specialists on tier one publications like the Financial Times are now video bloggers, commentators, social media curators and straightforward reporters.

As output explodes, sifting through the noise and getting your messages across can be harder than ever. Companies can no longer rely on a small stable of tame specialists who know and understand them. “No comment” is rightly seen as arrogance at best, evasion at worst.

Reporters’ attitudes to institutions are also changing. There is an increasing scepticism of major institutions, most notably financial. The rise of stars such as Robert Peston and Kamal Ahmed, reporters who have moved between the rough world of politics and business reporting, have spawned a hundred imitators.

Businesses and other institutions are now having to prepare for this rapidly evolving world.

The first step has to be in consistent, relevant and authoritative messaging. A cursory search online can show if a company is trying to tiptoe away from previous reputation problems. Messages must be supported by proof points that actually answer the questions.

Companies also have to be far more aware of the political context of their actions. A journalist will naturally try to escalate a story. As a journalist I want to know what an MP, a Minister or a regulator is going to do about the problem I have identified.

It’s also no longer possible to ignore social media. Take any page on any newspaper or mainstream news website. You’ll find a tweet replicated there. Twitter is now a primary news source. When HMV’s corporate feed was taken over by a disgruntled ex-employee and no-one in senior management knew the password, it was a metaphor of the travails of the company’s profits.

Finally, video. Too many companies are still using

corporate films that look like a kidnap video. Smarten up. Spending a little money on proper materials make a company look like they care about their message. If that’s the case they’re more likely to be believed.

In short, your reputation cannot be taken for granted.

Traditional discretion is no longer an acceptable defence. And there is no such thing as “public relations”. Managing your reputation is a multi-headed businesses. Critical media, online commentators, stakeholders, internal and external audiences must all be treated seriously, with messages that are both tailored and consistent.

MAKING YOURSELF HEARD – WHAT JOURNALISTS WANT

By Ian KirbyHead of MHP Media Unit

When HMV’s twitter feed was taken over by a disgruntled ex-employee no-one in management knew the password

Will printed newspapers still exist in 20 years’ time?

72% 28%

Yes

No

What is your attitude towards sponsored content and advertorial?

Commercial reality 51%

Bad for journalism 47%

No opinion 2%

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There was once a time when a TV journalist would only have to worry about the TV: what to film, when to script, when was the next bulletin, how did my hair look?

If you’re entering a TV newsroom now, there is so much more to worry about. Yes, the deadlines are still there, so too is the need to get good picture, but what you do with that picture and what you do with your story has changed beyond all recognition.

At ITV, we don’t have a rolling news channel but we do have rolling news. It comes in the form of a website, a Facebook page and a Twitter account. So when news breaks after the main studio lights have been switched off – think Manchester and London Bridge in just the last few weeks – there are places we can get news to people when they need it.

People are still watching fixed TV news bulletins in their many millions – but more and more of us are consuming news on the go, mostly on mobile phones.

And it’s our job to get the news to them as well as to the viewers watching at home.

Our ITV News Twitter account has 1.7 million followers. Each of our key correspondents has their own Twitter accounts. In the last year, it’s the platform on which I twice chose to break the news of David Cameron’s resignation: first as Prime Minister, then as MP. It’s also where we will break news of terror attacks, or snap general election results or post video that people want to watch and share.

A woman filmed by our cameras screaming about Donald Trump on his inauguration day would have always made it onto our

bulletins. But it also became our most watched video ever on Twitter.

It was one of our online journalists who spoke to a homeless man in Manchester who had helped those seriously

injured by the suicide bomber. The video of ‘Steve’ has now been seen around the world: 14 million times on the ITV News page, 2.2 million times on the Daily Mail, 1.8 million times on CBS News. It’s why newsrooms now devote significant resources to online and why the truth is that news is now firmly multiplatform.

One does not exist without the other. And that means a TV journalist in 2017 needs to know how to film, spell (you’d be surprised what we could get away with before) as well as worry about the hair!

A woman filmed by our cameras screaming about Donald Trump on his inauguration day would have always made it onto our bulletins

MOBILES, FACEBOOK AND GREAT HAIR – HOW TV NEWS IS CHANGING

By Chris ShipRoyal Editor, ITV News

More and more of us are consuming news on the go, mostly on mobile phones

Is Journalism considered by young people to be an attractive career?

86% 14%

Yes

No

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“ POLITICS IS SEXY – AND POLITICAL JOURNALISM IS DRIVING CHANGE”

Ever since I became a journalist (20 years ago this autumn) people have been telling me it is a trade that is finished. In fact it is expanding in ways we could never have predicted two decades ago and political journalism is in some ways at the cutting edge.

The most obvious change is social media, which has two big roles for journalists: a conduit for information and for interaction.

Facebook and Twitter are the source of stories. They are where political parties place their propaganda, their adverts and their campaign messaging. Twitter in particular is also the quickest way of disseminating news stories and allows journalists to draw attention to quotes, information and stories they have filed. Twitter has taken the place of news wires. There are days when I get 80% of my information from Twitter.

Twitter also links you quickly to sources with whom you would not normally talk.

Different opinions make you look at issues from different sides, challenges your pre-conceptions. In practical terms, it also enables you to get hold of people who used to be uncontactable. Just drop them a DM, most people will respond.

Newspapers still have a key role in shaping broadcast coverage.

In Politico, Buzzfeed and Huffington Post there are three established website operations that are taken seriously by the Westminster village.

Politics is sexy and even young people seem interested now.

By Tim ShipmanPolitical Editor, The Sunday Times

What is the best way to pitch a story to journalists?

Email (72%)

Telephone

(11%)

Social Media

(10%)

In Person

(7%)

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For newspapers with a subscription model like The Times and The Sunday Times, politics is a key driver to attract new customers. I write the Sunday edition of the Red Box email, I participate in podcasts and Facebook live events all the time. In the old days the only way you could get greater exposure was to do a talking head spot on TV.

Now young journalists can build their own brands online.

The platforms may be changing but the skills are the same: getting to know people, asking the right questions, knowing when you’ve learned something new, using your judgment to explain what it means and selling your story to your bosses and the audience.

Whether you’re tweeting, podcasting or writing, this is still the best job in the world.

In Politico, Buzzfeed and Huffington Post there are three established website operations that are taken seriously by the Westminster village

Who is the most influential journalist working in the UK today?

Paul DacreEditor Daily Mail(14 votes)

Laura KuenssbergBBC Political Editor(12 votes)

Robert Peston, James Harding, James O’Brien, Katie Hopkins, Andrew Neil(3 votes)

87%

Good

13%

Bad

Is the BBC good or bad for the future of UK journalism?

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YOUNG JOURNALIST SURVEY: FAKE NEWS, THE BBC AND 20:20:20

MHP recently held its annual Young Journalist Awards: 30 To Watch. This year we had almost 200 nominations, most of whom took part in a survey, designed to capture the attitudes and shifting priorities among young people embarking on a career in the media.

Despite massive technological changes, the survey results show many principles remain unchanged. The skills that make a good journalist remain as relevant today as they ever were.

And the media is no longer the closed shop that it once was. Arcane jargon, powerful trade unions and elaborate distribution mechanisms meant breaking into the media was almost impossible for outsiders. But nowadays anyone with an iPhone and a good idea can reach a global audience at almost no cost whatsoever.

Technology does not mean the age of the printed newspaper is dead though. More than 80 percent said newspapers will still be around in 20 years’ time. But many of the titles which exist in print form today will inevitably

soon be chip wrappers – in the metaphorical sense.

Journalism remains a popular career choice and there is no shortage of talent willing to slog for little or no money to get a foot in the door. The phrase “twenty, twenty, twenty” is bandied around newsrooms – meaning 20-year-olds, working 20 hour days to earn around £20k a year. To that equation you could add the expectation that they churn out a minimum of 20 stories each day.

The phrase may be an exaggeration – something the media has been known for – but the survey confirms typical starting salaries are less than £20k. Despite that 88 percent of respondents thought they could make a good living from journalism.

Half of those surveyed thought the impact of Fake News is no more damaging to the media than the use of sponsored content. The former is an unwelcome consequence of the internet, the latter an inevitable result of newspapers seeking to generate new revenue.

A great many of the country’s leading journalists either still

work for the BBC or started their careers there. We asked whether young journalists consider the BBC – with its licence fee funded services – to be a threat to the UK media. It certainly has some noisy critics, particularly now its competing directly on digital platforms with newspapers, but our survey showed 87 percent of young journalists back the BBC.

So who is considered Britain’s most influential journalist? This question prompted an array of answers from Katie Hopkins and Michael Gove to Owen Jones and Lyse Doucet. The most popular names by far were BBC Political Editor Laura Kuenssberg and the grand old man of the Daily Mail; Paul Dacre.

Adam Batstone is a former BBC News assistant editor who now works for MHP Communications.

By Adam BatstoneDirector, MHP Communications

Nowadays anyone with an iPhone and a good idea can reach a global audience at almost no cost whatsoever

Our survey showed 87 percent of young journalists back the BBC

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So how has a newspaper like the Daily Mail survived in a digital age when its editor refuses to even have a computer in his office? Despite being the most powerful man on Fleet Street Paul Dacre still edits with a pencil and demands emails are printed out and delivered to his desk by hand.

And yet the Daily Mail is considered the best placed newspaper to survive in a world of 24-hour news and social media, thanks to the incredible success of MailOnline. The website has 15 million-plus online browsers every day, Crucially, millions of users are now reading it on their mobile phones.

Perhaps the most exciting aspect of MailOnline’s growth is its international appeal, it is often claimed to be the most visited English language newspaper website in the world. This year MailOnline is expected to generate £100m in advertising revenues, up 19% on the previous year. It means the growth in online advertising is starting to make up for the decline in print.

It wasn’t always as rosy as this. Back in 2006 the Daily Mail’s online offering was a disaster, a mere afterthought to the newspaper. Then a bold - and very expensive - decision was made to separate the online offering from the newspaper.

The plan was to allow the website to grow without compromising the quality

or core appeal of the newspaper. Other newspapers pooled resources asking reporters to file stories for their website and then write different versions for the print edition.

Continued over

THE RISE AND RISE OF MAILONLINE DESPITE DACRE’S DIGITAL DENIAL

By Keith GladdisDirector MHP Communications

Back in 2006 the Daily Mail’s online offering was a disaster

What is the best means to promote your personal profile?

Speaker opportunities

(11%)

Media Interviews

(9%)

Networking

(7%)

Personal website/Blog

(6%)

Social Media

(61%)

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The quality of journalism inevitably suffered in both.

Another brave decision was to put a heavyweight editor in charge of online. Martin Clarke is a man who is every bit as driven and focused as Paul Dacre - and a potential rival. Clarke had the confidence to drive MailOnline into becoming a very different product to the newspaper, now less than a quarter of its content comes from the pages of the print edition.

Controversial columnists like Katie Hopkins and Piers Morgan drive traffic to the website but will never appear in the newspaper. MailOnline’s legendary ‘sidebar of shame’ is home to a host of celebrities who are unknown to the readers – and many of the reporters – at the Daily Mail.

Inevitably there is rivalry between reporters from the paper and the website but it generates an energy and competition that improves both products and pleases the respective editors.

Paul Dacre’s triumph was in recognising that the growth of the online product should not come at the expense of the newspaper. His focus and that of his reporters, feature writers and commentators is on the Daily Mail alone.

That means at least 1.5m pay 65p to buy a copy of the Daily Mail each day despite an alternative version of the news being available free of charge online.

Keith Gladdis is a Director at MHP Communications and the former Executive News Editor at the Daily Mail.

Paul Dacre still edits with a pencil and demands emails are printed out and delivered to his desk by hand

0 100

77(average answer)

How important is it to promote your personal profile?

THE RISE AND RISE OF MAILONLINE DESPITE DACRE’S DIGITAL DENIAL CONTINUED

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We do product at the FT by taking a customer-focused approach and using the principles of ‘lean development’ – getting new versions of our product in front of real customers as quickly as possible. We do fewer projects, better and faster. We also focus on growing reader engagement, rather than making a more complicated product.

For our 2017 website redesign project, that meant having a rough and ready product in front of customers. At the time that felt like a massive risk - putting a half-finished product in front of our paying customers. Especially given the FT’s strong editorial reputation, as we are an organisation known for not necessarily being first but always being accurate.

When the time came to switch 100% of users onto our new site, it was an incredibly smooth launch, we were putting them on to a site which we knew already worked. From a customer and a business point of view it’s been a tremendous success, with 95% of our customers happy to stay on the new site.

So, when it came to rebuilding our website, driving engagement was one of the key outcomes we were looking for. We focused on increasing the website’s speed, personalisation, mobile design, and user satisfaction, and as a result we increased engagement on the new FT.com by 30%.

FT.com is consistent across devices, clean, simple and quiet, so users are focused on the content regardless of where they consume it: engagement on mobile devices has increased by 106%. FT.com is now one of the fastest news websites in the world both on desktop and on mobile.

Advertising declined across the media industry in 2016 – with Google and Facebook taking upwards of 90% of new digital ad spend. Media organisations are also facing challenges from Fake News, distributed content models, and ad blocking. The FT is not immune to these headwinds, we have to work hard to deliver sustainable advertising innovations.

One of the most technologically innovative aspects of FT.com was our focus on speed.

Test results showed that for every one second increase in speed, our engagement score increased by 5%.

We know what metrics we need to move to be successful, and the whole company is tasked with that, from editorial right up to the board. Understanding data makes us a digitally literate company. We are completely focused on outcomes.

CASE STUDY: HOW THE FT RELAUNCHED ITS WEBSITE

By Cait O’RiordanHead of Digital Product, Financial Times

FT.com is now one of the fastest news websites in the world both on desktop and on mobile

Has the scandal around Fake News damaged the credibility of journalism?

56% 44%

Yes

No

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