Glossy Talk: Join-the-dot journalism

My inner self-flagellating Catholic got the better of me yesterday and I submitted a piece to The Punch.

Given that the reception I got last time I did so, I was a little gun-shy but I had something to say and nothing to lose but my already diminished ego (blogging has an oddly humbling effect). Also, it's good to leave the blog confines of GWAS every now and then and stretch the legs.

While you can read the story and the comments that follow at The Punch, if you're so inclined, I've since been chewing over its motivation and structure, after reading media maestro Tim Burrowes' post on "lazy journalism" yesterday.

Burrowes, who blogs several times daily on his site and composes three comprehensive industry newsletters each week, suggests that "undercooked" stories lacking in traditional journalistic structure, original leads and sources aren't necessarily lazy; they're a product of circumstance. The circumstances being journalists are required to produce a lot of "content" (many news agencies now call them "content producers") on a shoestring budget and super-tight, often hourly, deadlines.

Burrowes writes: "On Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings, I’m frantic. I aim to send out our newsletter email by lunchtime... at other times of the week I can afford to be more leisurely in building stuff up, but in those last couple of hours, I may need to write another four or five pieces... If your press release drops in my inbox and everything I need isn’t right there, I’m putting it to one side."

It's a similar story here at GWAS. As regular visitors would know, I try to keep the dynamic varied by mixing longer and shorter, visual and text-heavy, personal and industry-related posts – in that way, a blog is similar to a magazine. Posts like 'Short & Sweet', 'Glossy Report Cards', 'Cute & Chic' and 'Girl on the Street' are fun, visual and require minimal text, while the long-format glossy reviews, 'Girl Talk' rants and personalised Op-Ed-style posts require more writing time. I also often spend a deal of time editing guest glossy reviews while staying true to the voice of the author.

'Girl In Media' interviews usually transpire over a few back-and-forth emails, and 'Media Musings' is a matter of sifting, digesting and editing aggregated content from the internet and/or leads from PRs (some publishers have cottoned onto GWAS as a means for getting word about their magazines out into the marketplace). I hope to include more video content soon, just to spice things up a little (for me and for you).

In terms of practicing "real journalism", it depends on your definition. My newsagent is one of my key "sources", as are glossy editors and their ilk – in addition to magazine readers – while the glossies themselves serve as primary sources, industry sites like Mediaweek, mUmbrella , WWD and The Australian's media section are reliable secondary sources, and the likes of The Cut, Fashion Week Daily and Fashionista flesh out my daily GWAS-related media consumption. The weekend papers, and all the sites listed in my sidebar, fill the gaps.

Every newsagent and Borders store I enter has the potential to generate a lead: just today, two young girls debating which magazine to buy to take to the beach got my attention (you'll find out what they bought in an upcoming post). And every now and then I'm also tipped off about industry news which hasn't emerged elsewhere, which I then weigh up before deciding to publish it or not (to "glossip" or not to glossip?).

But back to The Punch. That story is what I'd call "join-the-dot" journalism. As a heavy media consumer, often I'll find trends emerging across several media platforms which point to a wider socio-cultural movement. Essentially, that's what 'Boomers are back in fashion...' is about: not Zac Efron's ability to sell fashion. The story piggy-backs on the work of other journalists (Catherine Caines gave me her personal nod of approval), while also referencing other observations, all of which is tied together to reflect the dichotomy that exists in media right now: between the young and the perpetually restless. I didn't phone anyone to gather quotes: paraphrasing the other journos fed that need. In fact, it took me all of an hour, some Googling and a few tweaks to get it up. Some stories write themselves.

Join-the-dot journalism is the mainstay of blogs (who like to piggy-back on each other), Op Eds and many magazines which report on social trends, though the monthlies have the advantage of longer lead times in which to flesh out their pieces with the appropriate "expert" quotes, enlightening/enlivening anecdotes and any necessary data (surveys and the like). For journalists on the fashion glossies, Fashion Week, showroom visits, designer look books and Style.com form the basis of their "beat", while their LBB (Little Black Books) are flush with PR contacts who do a lot of the ground work. As a beauty editor, I received approximately 346,589 press releases each week, making a major part of that job just sifting through the clutter (God bless the interns!) to find the diamonds in the rough.

I was amused last week to get a comment from a reader blasting me for posting only once throughout the day. I felt guilty for five minutes, but then shrugged it off. I'm not AAP, and I assume that while heavy GWAS readers visit a couple of times a day, most of the readership drops by once or twice a week: Mia Freedman reasons that this has the effect of flushing lots of hard work down the toilet, as there are only eight stories active on my homepage at any one time and most blog readers are reluctant to filter through the archives (apparently readers are pressed for time, too – how 'bout that!). Also, I do strive to give you more quality than quantity, filtering out the PR drivel and internet litter and self-editing where possible (blog pollution stinks!).

So, there you have it: Anatomy and Functionality of GWAS 101. Ah, how's that for a Punch line?

Yours truly,
Girl With a Satchel

7 comments:

L said...

an interesting insight.
cheers

jess said...

Hi Erica! You do a wonderful job with GWAS! In our fast-paced culture, with everything on the net being instantaneous, it's easy to forget that a lot of time and hard work goes into creating and producing the content. And I think with the success of GWAS, and your evolution from when you started, that there might be more pressure for you to keep delivering.

I definitely get excited when you post new things, but what I love about your blog (I'm a bit of a perfectionist) is that it's clear you've thought out your posts and take the time to write them well. I know a lot of people want to see more! more! more! content (and they want it now!), but one of my pet peeves is when someone updates constantly, with typos, grammatical errors and other mistakes. I'd prefer to see one quality post instead of ten rushed ones. And you do a great job of keeping the balance between shorter and longer posts - I can see those new glossy report cards are handy for a quick review!

I can't speak for everyone, but I'm sure there are many of us who appreciate all the effort and energy you put into GWAS. And whenever you need to take time out for yourself, do it! :)

jojo said...

Thanks for a thought provoking article.
I have some sympathy for people writing under time and monetary pressure and appreciate their use of a finely honed press release.
However unattributed "borrowing" of material seems rife in our daily press. Just see what Media Watch picks up from time to time!
The use of the device of "friends" of celebrities and the liberal use of quotation marks as a shield from defamation actions also points to caving to a need for sales over content.
What I find annoying is when news sources such as the national daily newspaper or our state based newspapers rely on comment pieces from UK or US papers rather than commissioning their own. (Although at least they do attribute the sources.)
Furthermore, monthly glossy publications surely cannot plead that they are subject to the same time pressures- and some of these mags present themselves as having some element of analysis of issues relevant to the reader (eg woman's issues).

Lizzie said...

Erica, I love your blog - it's always interesting and witty and although I don't work in mags there's always something worth reading or that sends me to another mag or blog I wouldn't have otherwise heard about (for example, Dumbo Feather).
Another blogger I follow recently addressed the issue of how many time she posts a day (she was running at 3-4) and whether is was necessary or actually compromising the quality of the blog. Many readers responded with enthusiasm for the concept of only blogging once or twice a day - not b/c of the quality issues, but b/c often people are trying to read a lot of different blogs over the course of the day and don't have time to follow multiple posts.
I usually only read once a day and anything I miss, I just catch up on next time. It's a good mix of articles and I don't think you should be lambasted for the level you are maintaining.

Emma M said...

Good piece Erica. I also enjoyed your Punch story.
Journalism is certainly going backwards everywhere. I'm a part-time newspaper sub-editor and the pressure on the entire editorial team at papers has really been ramped up. It also means subs have less time to clean up copy, and senior editorial staff simply don't have time to offer much guidance and advice to younger reporters. So many times I've subbed a shocker of a story and desperately wanted to go over it with the reporter and pass on some tips I was lucky enough to receive, but with deadline looming (or often passed and the press guys screaming from the end of the phone) it's not practical. Which is sad for me, the reporter and the reader.
And yes, the inbox is the bane of our existence! (Besides nutcases on the phone, that is.) Several hundred emails come in every day - most rubbish but they have to be checked just in case there's some relevance. Most are also sizable files so you spend most of your time just waiting for the damn things to open. Arrrgghh!!!
I think your output is impressive, and the quality is always there.
Well done!

Emma M said...

Good piece Erica. I also enjoyed your Punch story.
Journalism is certainly going backwards everywhere. I'm a part-time newspaper sub-editor and the pressure on the entire editorial team at papers has really been ramped up. It also means subs have less time to clean up copy, and senior editorial staff simply don't have time to offer much guidance and advice to younger reporters. So many times I've subbed a shocker of a story and desperately wanted to go over it with the reporter and pass on some tips I was lucky enough to receive, but with deadline looming (or often passed and the press guys screaming from the end of the phone) it's not practical. Which is sad for me, the reporter and the reader.
And yes, the inbox is the bane of our existence! (Besides nutcases on the phone, that is.) Several hundred emails come in every day - most rubbish but they have to be checked just in case there's some relevance. Most are also sizable files so you spend most of your time just waiting for the damn things to open. Arrrgghh!!!
I think your output is impressive, and the quality is always there.
Well done!

Ondo Lady said...

This topic comes up all the time. My answer is blog when you feel you have something to say. The last thing you want is to publish something that brings down the quality of GWAS. That is no good for you or your readers. In other words, write what you like and when you like.