Leader: Press must fight to regain trust, but don’t discount journalism yet
If the newspaper industry needed anything at the moment, then it certainly didn’t need to become embroiled in its own scandal.
The closure of the News of the World may have offered up another two million readers to the Sunday newspaper market, but there is no guarantee that they will turn to a new title for their Sunday morning fill of celebrity and scandal. Newspapers have found it tougher than ever in recent years and the number of job cuts being made within the industry means that they will find it tougher than ever to deliver exclusive stories and maintain the trust and interest of their readership.
Promotions and incentives will only go so far.
One long-term impact that the print industry will find as a result of the scandal will be their ability to speak to and engage with the public. Celebrities, MPs and those who covet and use them for publicity will return, but the trust of the general public will have been heavily impacted.
Regaining that trust will be hard work for all newspaper editors and journalists, but it is a factor that they must now focus upon otherwise News International will not be the only company to suffer as a result of its self-created scandal.
At one event The Drum attended recently, magazine editors distanced themselves from the workings of some of their newspaper counterparts – which we report on page 7.
Meanwhile, the number of journalists turning to the PR sector as a result of job losses – or maybe to escape the villainous perceptions that now surround the role – has been also addressed by both the CIPR and PRCA in this issue.
In this issue of The Drum (released today) you will also get an exclusive look at the 2014 Commonwealth Games pictograms, while we’ve managed to track down Dave Lucas to talk about the completion of the MediaVest Manchester buyout by Aegis.
On top of that we’ve gone four rounds with Rueben Webb, creative director of IAS b2b and we bring you nine pages of b2b insight in our Knowledge Bank section to boot.
Journalism may be going through the wringer, but there is still plenty that you can learn from the ‘trusty’ fourth estate.
news editor
Stephen Lepitak