Churnalism or journalism? The merits of lad publishing come under the microscope at Social Media Week
As the curtain started to draw on the final day of this year’s Social Media Week London, Ogilvy’s ‘self-proclaimed lad’ James Swan took to the stage to conduct a panel debating the emergence of ‘lad’ publishers on social media and the impact they’re having on the wider media landscape.
The main protagonist of the debate was Unilad, but when co-founder Liam Harrington arrived 20 minutes late, he had missed the opportunity to set the scene. Luckily his fellow panelists, the former Telegraph consumer affairs editor Harry Wallop and freelance reporter Emily Gosling, saved their opinions of Harrington’s editorial style until he took his seat. Joining them in the debate was Bacardi’s global creative excellence manager, Callum Watt, and Ogilvy head of digital, Jai Kotecha.
When it comes to our newsfeeds, we’re all used to seeing blokes messing about on building sites and women playing pranks on their boyfriends, and it was the views on this as an editorial style that kicked off the debate. In my opinion, there’s a time and place for this content and the panel tended to agree.
While those who play more in the traditional reporting world, like Wallop and Gosling, aren’t fans of ‘lad’ content, they appreciate that it plays a role in the lives of most millennials. However, where they expressed their concerns was when a publisher oversteps the editorial boundary to dip their toes into waters they shouldn’t be swimming in.
And it was at this point that Harrington took to the stage, wet from the rain and flustered from his run from the tube.
It was interesting to hear Harrington introduce Unilad, how it started, what it stands for and its ‘content by Gen Y, for Gen Y’ approach to publishing, which has seen it amass a huge social following of over 18 million on Facebook alone. It’s a style that makes sense, as 20-35 olds are the most active age group on social media.
However, as the debate wore on, it was clear that while there was an appreciation for lad content, it was the view of Wallop and Gosling that it was more ‘churnalism than journalism’, with Gosling referring to the content posted by Unilad as “bollocks”. Kotecha quickly jumped in to calm the waters with a more balanced view of the roles both traditional journalism and lad content play in our lives.
The focus turned from publishers to brands and it was interesting to hear from Watt about the challenges he faces in creating entertaining content in a space where alcohol brands need to tread carefully. We have firsthand experience in this, and it’s not easy. You wrestle daily with ideas you know will resonate, and what you can and can’t say, as a brand in a highly regulated space.
As the debate came to a close, Harrington was challenged on the right a publication like Unilad has to report on hard news stories around issues like mental health. In my opinion, why not? The likes of Unilad and LADBible have built communities by entertaining us, so now we’re watching, why not raise awareness of hard-hitting issues that don’t get the air time they should?
While at times it felt like Harrington’s back was against the wall, he acquitted himself well and I found myself agreeing with a lot of what he was saying. However it was clear that before the likes of Unilad can be seen as a credible news source, they have some work to do. Regardless, I know where I’ll be going to be entertained when I’ve got some time to kill.
Dan Lipman is business director at Socialyse UK