Opinion

Guest post: National Times offers nothing new

Fairfax’s National Times has launched, heralding itself as the best in Australian journalism. Not so, argues Jason Whittaker in this guest posting.

Enough already. I just can’t take it anymore. Whether it’s the precious blogging world, or the desperately precious newspaper sector, I’m sick to death of being told partial ranting is the very essence of quality journalism. Or that aggregating copy produced for newspapers is the future of online media.

The talk from News Limited on The Punch was nauseating enough – a “celebration of journalism”, editor David Penberthy told Mumbrella on launching the glorified blog in June. As I wrote at the time, celebrating journalism without actually doing any.

Now Fairfax wants us to believe the e-relaunch of The National Times masthead – which justifies no real comparison with the lamented print product of decades ago, long forgotten by a new generation of readers anyway – will “deliver the best in Australian journalism”, editor Darren Goodsir writes for mUmbrella today.

Enough spin, from publications that also boast their commitment to cutting through it. Let’s call these websites what they really are: another cheap web platform for advertising. (Cleverly, Fairfax has set up The Times on its existing news sites, localising and maximising advertising revenue.) Any suggestion of a contribution to journalism from either The Punch or The National Times is bunkum.

Just to be clear (and to pre-empt the expected rebuttal), The Times will, indeed, feature very fine writing from some very fine journalists. It’s an impressive line-up. And good op-ed – the well-researched, insider-type material that many of these journalists are capable of – is absolutely an important contribution to national affairs comprehension.

Analytical writing can be worthy and wonderful journalism.

But this new website won’t be doing it. It will draw on already over-stretched writers who work for, and are paid by, printed newspapers with fast-declining readerships. Almost all of the “original” content comes from existing Fairfax writers and bloggers, or unpaid contributions (read: uncensored soapboxes for politicians).

There is nothing new to see here.

Fairfax Digital – an entirely profitable division with many of the most-trafficed news websites in Australia – employs just a handful of journalists, and most of these are simply assigned to repurposing print content. Revenue won’t go to more journalists, only to a sick group bottom line.

At Fairfax, online props up declining print revenues, while print props up the dearth of original content online.

In the digital age, it’s a breathtakingly backwards business model.

 

  • Jason Whittaker edits industry business magazines and channels his frustration on the direction of new media into blogging at Importance Of Ideas
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