Changing Platforms, Not Values: Is Magazine Journalism in Decline?

University of the Arts London 16/05/2011

London College of Communication

Module Title: Major Project

Student: Hristina Hristova

Issued by: Simon Das

ID: HRI09266648

Changing Platforms, Not Values: Is Magazine Journalism in Decline?

BA (Hons) Magazine Publishing Single Honours 3rd Year

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Abstract

Much recent scholarly attention has been paid to the changing platforms and

properties of magazine publishing, in light of content democratisation, the social

attributes of Web 2.0, and increasing broadband penetration in the United

Kingdom. As technology evolves, society changes with it. The media sector is first to

absorb and respond to these changes as they most immediately affect it. To equate

changes in journalistic functions and journalistic platforms is, however, to deny the

complexities of interconnections between the demands of a proactive Web 2.0

audience, innovative revenue strategy requirements of the future, and the

adaptation of the magazine industry to this new media milieu. By tracing the

relationship between platform and function, this dissertation discusses whether

magazine journalism is in decline, not only through reference to statistical

circulations and revenues data, but by comparing and contrasting these diverse

variables. Rather than focusing on the economic side of changes to the industry to

the exclusion of social factors, the paper highlights the significance of technology in

terms of the functions and values of magazine journalism. The relationship

between platform and function permits of a range of subtle implications, the most

crucial of which is that, although journalistic channels are at once transforming

the industry and transformative of consumer attitudes towards the industry,

essential magazine journalism values continue to hold true.

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Acknowledgments

With special thanks to;

Mr Simon Das – for providing guidance, support and critical feedback during the

writing of this dissertation.

Ms Lorraine Mallon – for guidance and support through the initial planning

stages of this dissertation.

Ms Zoë Sutherland – for proofreading, and providing moral support and

inspiration throughout the dissertation planning and writing process.

My colleagues and supervisors at Groupon UK & IE -‐ for showing understanding

and support throughout the dissertation process.

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Contents

1.0 INTRODUCTION 5 1.1 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES 5 1.2 RESEARCH JUSTIFICATION 6 1.3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 6 1.4 DISSERTATION STRUCTURE 7

2.0 CONTEXTUALISATION 9 2.1 SOCIO-TECHNOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT 9 2.2 EFFECTS ON THE MAGAZINE PUBLISHING INDUSTRY IN THE UK 10

3.0 REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE 14 3.1 DEFINITIONS OF JOURNALISM 14 3.2 TRADITIONAL FUNCTIONS AND VALUES OF JOURNALISM 16 3.3 TRADITIONAL PLATFORMS 18 3.4 NEW PLATFORMS 20 3.5 NEW PLATFORMS AND FUNCTIONS 25

4.0 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY DESIGN 32 4.1 SECONDARY RESEARCH 32 4.2 PRIMARY RESEARCH 33 4.3 RESEARCH METHODS AND DATA COLLECTION 35 4.4 RESEARCH LIMITATIONS 37

5.0 DATA ANALYSIS 40 5.1 NEW MEDIA AND THE THREAT TO JOURNALISM 40 5.2 RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PLATFORM AND FUNCTION 42 5.3 CHANGING JOURNALISTIC ELEMENTS AND THE MAGAZINE INDUSTRY IN THE UK 45

6.0 DISCUSSION 48 6.1 THE ISSUE OF NEW AUDIENCE DEMANDS 48 6.2 FUTURE REVENUE MODELS FOR MAGAZINES AND NEWSPAPERS 50 6.3 THE NEXT JOURNALISTIC FUNCTIONS 52 6.4 MAGAZINE PUBLISHING IN THE UK AND THE FUTURE 54

7.0 CONCLUSION 58

8.0 FULL LIST OF REFERENCES 59

9.0 BIBLIOGRAPHY 68

10.0 APPENDICES 80 APPENDIX 1: DEFINITIONS 80 APPENDIX 2: TABLES AND DIAGRAMS 83 APPENDIX 3: RESEARCH SURVEY RESULTS 91 APPENDIX 4: FOCUS GROUP NOTES 107

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APPENDIX 5 : PLATFORM COMPARISON 112 APPENDIX 6: KOVACH AND ROSENSTIEL’S ELEMENTS OF JOURNALISM 113

1.0 Introduction

The following dissertation discusses the relation between platform, function and

values, in terms of magazine journalism in the United Kingdom. The dissertation

places the magazine publishing industry in the context of recent technological

and economic developments, including the effects and properties of Web 2.0

(O’Reilly, 2007), the introduction of the iPad to the market, content

democratisation and the global economic crisis, which has in turn led to the

increased popularity of m-‐ and e-‐commerce sales. The increased broadband

penetration (MINTEL, 2010), number of social media users in the UK, and their

attitudes towards the digital are all influential factors in the changes magazine

journalism is currently undergoing.

The aim of this dissertation is to place magazine journalism in the context

of its contemporary techno-‐economic environment in order to discuss its

traditional, emergent and future attributes.

1.1 Research Objectives

The main objectives of this dissertation involve answering the following

questions:

1. What are the traditional functions and values of journalism, and magazine

journalism in particular?

2. What is the relationship between platform and function, and how is this

significant to magazine journalism?

3. How are journalistic properties changing and how do these changes affect

the magazine industry in the UK?

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1.2 Research Justification

The following dissertation holds significance for the field of research as it

provides an insight into the properties of magazine journalism, rather than

focusing on the magazine publishing industry as a whole, which narrows the

scope of the research and also provides a new angle on the issues identified in

other research. While industry writings are mostly focusing on the industry

itself, by looking into the importance of technology such as the iPad (Hepworth,

2010, Woyke, 2011,) and the falling circulation numbers of magazines (MINTEL,

2010), the following research channels all these variables into a comprehensive

analysis of how such factors affect magazine journalism; its functions, social

roles and values. Naturally, the research design allows for such findings through

analysis of the industry in terms of revenue strategies, circulation reports and

other statistical data. Its main strength, however, is the transformation of such

data into knowledge regarding magazine journalism.

1.3 Research Methodology

The research was designed in a manner to offer insight into the popular opinion

of journalism and its changing parameters, as well as an overview by industry

specialists. The primary research is a qualitative report which consists of two

parts; a research survey, with fifty participants from different backgrounds, and

an industry specialist focus group, consisting of six experts in the field of

magazine publishing. Both elements of the primary research are based on the

findings from the secondary research.

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1.4 Dissertation Structure

The Contextualisation chapter of this dissertation provides an overview of the

techno-‐economic milieu of magazine journalism today and includes some of the

properties of applications-‐based Internet, the significance of social media as a

news provider, online advertisement revenue reports for 2010, and the overall

state of the magazine publishing industry today. In addition, see Appendix 1

Definitions for the full definitions of terms used in this dissertation, and their

justifications.

The Literature Review examines key themes in the area of study and

provides a comparative analysis of existing research in the field. Through

analysis, synthesis and evaluation, the chapter identifies the issues of the

question and provides a substantive basis for the primary research to be

conducted.

The Research Methodology Design chapter details the types of research,

and justifies the research methods, applied in this dissertation. A comparative

analysis of qualitative and quantitative research is provided, which explains the

methodology design of the primary and secondary research.

The Data Analysis chapter describes and analyses data collected via the

primary research, summarising findings which are inspected in the Discussion

chapter.

In turn, the Discussion chapter draws together all the themes and findings

of the research; furnishing the dissertation with a critical analysis of the research

by comparing and contrasting evidence to turn it into knowledge.

Finally, the dissertation is concluded with a summary of the main

findings, and recommendations for the future of magazine journalism.

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Chapter References

Hepworth, D., (2010), “If the iPad's the answer, what's the question again?”

InPublishing, May/June 2010 URL:

<http://www.inpublishing.co.uk/kb/articles/if_the_ipads_the_answer_whats_th

e_question_again.aspx>

MINTEL, (2010), Paid-‐For vs Free -‐ Consumer Attitudes to Pricing in Media and

Music -‐ UK -‐ April 2010

O'Reilly, T., (2007), What is Web 2.0: Design Patterns and Business Models for

the Next Generation of Software, Sebastopol (CA), O'Reilly Media

Woyke, E., (2011), “Analyst: Android Tablet Shipments Will Match IPad In

Second Half Of 2011”, Forbes.com, last visited 24/04/2011, published

10/01/2011, URL:

<http://blogs.forbes.com/elizabethwoyke/2011/01/10/analyst-‐android-‐tablet-‐

shipments-‐will-‐match-‐ipad-‐in-‐second-‐half-‐of-‐2011/>

2.0 Contextualisation

2.1 Socio-technological environment

The Web has been identified as a platform since 2004 when Tim O’Reilly first

introduced the term Web 2.0 (O’Reilly, 2007) and defined market dominance as

the network effects of user contributions. (O’Reilly, 2007: 9). The increased

effect of user-‐generated content and application-‐based Internet has influenced

most media industries by challenging existing platforms and practices, enforcing

the application of new revenue models (Kaye, Quinn, 2010). In addition to the

rising number of users, who self-‐publish content online (Morris, 2010, Sconfield

2010), the number of tablets sold worldwide is also increasing, with Google

forecasted to match the number of Apple tablets sold in 2010 by the end of the

second quarter of 2011 (Woyke, 2010). Additionally, m-‐commerce (or, mobile

commerce) is an increasing trend, shaping geo-‐location based marketing and

commerce for the future of business (Dholakia and Dholakia 2004).

The true power of the Internet as a journalistic tool can be seen in

examples from early 2011 – through the revolutions in the Arab world that

started in January 2011, the tsunami crisis in Japan in March 2011, and the anti-‐

cuts protests in the UK from March 2011. Platforms, such as Twitter, YouTube

and various blogs provided instant information (Panisson, 2011, Jarvis, 2011,

Rosen, 2011, Coldeway, 2011) about the events, and a number of traditional

journalistic platforms, including The Guardian and The BBC, based their

journalistic reporting on the information available via social media, opening a

debate on journalistic fact verification, sourcing and functions.

Online advertising revenue has also been a much discussed subject,

mainly because of its record numbers in 2010, increasing by 15% from 2009 to

reach $26 billion in the United States alone (IAB Report, 2011), combined with a

22% increase in the number of display ad impressions for the same period

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(Comscore Inc, 2010). In the UK the Internet economy equals 7.2% of UK GDP -‐

more than that of utilities, transport or construction (Boston Consulting Group,

2010). This is suggestive of how increased broadband penetration in the UK

(Mintel, 2011) has increasingly led the advertiser, publisher and consumer to

rely on, and trust, the Internet in recent years.

2.2 Effects on the magazine publishing industry in the UK

For the UK magazine publishing industry, content democratisation, platform

digitalization, and the increase in online advertising have resulted in substantial

financial and structural changes.

The industry is currently said to have stabilised after the 2008-‐2009

recession; an estimated 530 million copies of female consumer magazines were

sold in 2010, generating revenue of ca. £691 million (Mintel, 2010), which is only

£40 million less than the turnover from 2007. Additionally, the PPA estimates

the entire UK magazine industry to be worth £6 billion (PPA, 2009), and given

that online advertising in the UK alone is worth £100 billion (Boston Consulting

Group, 2010), there is potential for the industry in terms of profit optimisation

and introduction of new revenue channels.

Scrutinising the financial changes that digitalisation has introduced to the

industry, there has been a considerable increase in magazines’ online

investments. These include the development and management of tablet issue

versions, better (more user-‐friendly) websites, social media management, online

content management, SEO content management, blogger outreach, and e-‐ and m-‐

commerce support. Magazines have always relied on targeted content to attract

consumers and advertisers alike, and investing in new platforms is another way

for magazines to monetarise content. Today, magazines generate revenue

through different sources and models, and Web 2.0 provides an excellent

opportunity for the industry to optimise its overall revenue.

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Further, on the structural dimension of magazine publishing, one can note

changes in the industry as a whole, as well as on a smaller scale with individual

publications. Web 2.0 has forced change in some traditional roles involved in

magazine publishing. For example, the role of the editor has changed

considerably (InPublishing, 2008). There is now also a new relationship between

the consumer, publisher and advertiser, which means that magazines must re-‐

invent their traditional interaction with the consumer, in order to ensure more

advertisers and subscription – digital or analogue. Additionally, the relationship

between publisher and distributor (OFT, 2006) is changing. As more magazines

focus their attention on digital platforms, the significance of distributors and

merchants diminishes.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Chapter References

Boston Consulting Group, (2010), Press Release: Internet Economy Worth £100

Billion a Year, Finds Landmark Report, published 28/10/2010

Coldeway, D., (2011), People, Not Things, Are The Tools Of Revolution,

TechCrunch, last visited 24/04/2011, published 11/02/2011,

URL:<http://techcrunch.com/2011/02/11/tools-‐of-‐revolution/>

ComScore Inc, (2010), Press Release: U.S. Online Display Advertising Market

Delivers 22 Percent Increase in Impressions vs. Year Ago, last visited

01/05/2011, published:08/11/2010

Dholakia, R., Dholakia, N., (2004), Mobility and markets: emerging outlines of m-‐

commerce, Journal of Business Research

IAB Report (2011), Internet Advertising Revenue Report, 2010 Full Year Results

04/2011

InPublishing, (2008), The changing role of the editor, last visited 01/05/2011,

published: 01/09/2008, URL:

<http://www.inpublishing.co.uk/kb/articles/the_changing_role_of_the_editor.as

px>

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Jarvis, J., (2011), Facebook, Twitter, and the Egyptian Revolution, The Faster

Times, last visited: 24/04/2011, published 13/02/2011, URL:

<http://thefastertimes.com/mediaandtech/2011/02/13/facebook-‐twitter-‐and-‐

the-‐egyptian-‐revolution/>

Kaye, J.,Quinn, S., (2010), Funding Journalism in the Digital Age: Business Models,

Strategies, Issues and Trends, Peter Lang

MINTEL, (2010), Women's Magazines, UK, December 2010

MINTEL, (2011), Digital Trends Spring, UK, April 2011

Morris,A., (2010), 2010 Blogging Trends: There’s Only Enough Room in the

Blogosphere for the 144 Million of Us, Ignite Social Media, last visited:

24/04/2011, published 05/08/2010, URL: <

http://www.ignitesocialmedia.com/social-‐media-‐trends/2010-‐blogging-‐trends-‐

blog-‐growth-‐statistics/>

Office of Fair Trading, (2006), Newspaper and Magazine Distribution: Public

consultation on the draft opinion of the Office of Fair Trading, May 2006



Panisson, A., (2011), The Egyptian Revolution on Twitter, Gephy, last visited

24/04/2011, published 15/02/2011, URL: <http://gephi.org/2011/the-‐

egyptian-‐revolution-‐on-‐twitter/>

PPA, (2009), Creative Industries Review Group Response from Periodical

Publishers Association, June 2009

Sconfield, E., (2010), Costolo: Twitter Now Has 190 Million Users Tweeting 65

Million Times A Day, TechCrunch, last visited 24/04/2011, published

08/06/2010, URL: <http://techcrunch.com/2010/06/08/twitter-‐190-‐million-‐

users/>

Woyke, E., (2011), Analyst: Android Tablet Shipments Will Match iPad In Second

Half Of 2011, Forbes.com, last visited 24/04/2011, published 10/01/2011, URL:

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3.0 Review of the Literature

The following chapter provides a detailed overview of academic discussions with

implications for this dissertation. The chapter identifies the main issues the

question raises and provides sufficient evidence in which to ground the primary

research. The main issues identified are as follows;

1. If journalistic platforms are changing, are journalistic values and

functions changing also?

2. If new technologies mean new revenue channels, how will magazine

journalism of the future be funded?

3. What do these changes mean for the media sector, and for society as a

whole?

These concerns, identified in the literature review, are then addressed via the

primary research methodology.

3.1 Definitions of Journalism

The following section aims to outline the key definitions of journalism (in

general), with a focus on socio-‐economic influences. Understanding the debates

regarding defining journalism allows for an in-‐depth evaluation of its functions,

platforms and “new” elements.

The rather old-‐fashioned concept that “journalism is whatever journalists

say it is” (Kovach, Rosenstiel, 2001,2007: 11), has not gone unchallenged by

scholars and industry specialists. Since the professionalisation of journalism in

the twentieth century (Deuze, 2005:450), journalism has been a controversial

profession to analyse. It is even arguable whether it is a profession at all

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(Vujnovic, 2008). In his paper, The Journalist and Professionalism (1986),

Hodges identifies what he calls “the components of a profession”:

…a profession is an occupation: in which things are practised; which

is an intellectual operation with large individual responsibility; in

which raw material is derived from science and learning; in which

knowledge must be applied; which has educationally communicable

techniques; which is self-organised; and which is altruistic in its

motivation.

Hodges, 1986

Hodges continues to state that journalism does not fall in all of the above

categories but does classify as a profession. Journalism is an occupation in which

journalistic activities are practiced; including source verification, newsgathering,

and fact analysis. These activities can be summarised as an intellectual operation

with individual responsibility; knowledge is applied to journalism and there are

educationally communicable techniques. Deuze (2005) disagrees with Hodges,

and refers to journalism as an “occupational ideology” (2005: 43) instead,

justifying his approach as:

…inspiring because it helps us to look beyond infrastructures

[…] or representationalism […]when assessing what journalism

as a profession is […] in a context of fast-changing

technology and society.

Deuze, 2005: 443

Deuze’s article offers insight into the difficulties associated with defining

contemporary journalism, as well as the defining industry debates. Deuze’s

definition would complement this dissertation, as it discusses journalism in

terms of its socio-‐technological environment.

Örnebring (2010) refers to “journalism as labour” (2010:59), because

“journalism […] is a product of the industrial revolution and its linking of

technology to the capitalist system” (2010: 68). Örnebring’s approach is

illuminating because it enables an analysis of the elements of journalism from a

monetary viewpoint. In deconstructing the editorial process, to examine

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publication frequency or speed of newsgathering for instance, one can analyse

these from a capitalist viewpoint; giving each a monetary value and ultimately

portraying journalism as a business enterprise. Allison (1986), on the other

hand, looks at journalism from a social, rather than in a techno-‐economic or

capitalist sense, arguing that “studies should focus on how journalists are being

perceived by society” (Vujnovic, 2008: 76). Allison refers to journalism as a

profession, in terms of the power allowed it by society, and the power it holds

over society. Allison’s approach is also relevant to this dissertation, as it

evaluates the relationship between audiences and publishers. This issue is of

vital importance to the future of journalism, in terms of the threat set out by

content democratisation.

3.2 Traditional Functions and Values of Journalism

It is important to establish the central opinions and theories regarding the

traditional functions and values of professional journalism, in order to

understand how new platforms and technologies are interlinked with the

functions of journalism.

Journalism’s definition is highly contingent on its functions and values,

influencing determinations about whether or not it is in decline. Kovach and

Rosenstiel categorise the functions of journalism as journalism of verification,

journalism of assertion, journalism of affirmation, and interest group journalism

(2010: 36-‐50). The authors further state that the norms and values to which

journalism aspires include “independence, verification, a primary allegiance to

citizens rather than political faction or corporate interests, and a dedication to

consideration of events” (2010: 172). Complying with these elements would

help journalism keep its position as a trustworthy profession and also re-‐

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establish its voice of truth amongst platforms which do not (openly) verify their

facts, such as WikiLeaks. Kovach and Rosenstiel focus on journalism’s obligation

to the truth – arguably, its foremost function (2001,2007, pp 36). The relation

between journalism and ethics is a significant one, as the human desire for truth

would mean that truth verification, assertion and affirmation are functions

consistently demanded by society.

Michael Ryan’s (2001) argument that ethics is the main value in

journalism complements Kovach and Rosenstiel’s findings. It further suggests

that the main function of journalism is to portray the truth (Kovach, Rosenstiel,

2001, 2007: 14). It is important to note the importance of truth when discussing

journalism as the issue of fact verification and source-‐confirmation is a part of an

active debate, regarding new journalistic platforms, which are said to lack fact

verification. There have been several instances, when new platforms have,

admittedly, provided instant access to information, but information which is not

accurate. For example, numerous Twitter death hoaxes have been noted to be

trending worldwide (Zarella, 2011).

McNair’s (2009) descriptions of journalism invoke its surveillance and

social reproduction roles (2009: 21) -‐ referring to journalism’s obligations to

society, on which Kovach and Rosenstiel also focus. McNair further states that

journalism provides “an ongoing narrative about the world beyond our

immediate experiences” (2009: 21) – a function that is today largely substituted

by technology (Rutenbeck, 2006:29).

A thorough description of the functions of journalism, with a focus on its

roles as a witness, is provided by Carlson (2007), who states that:

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Journalistic authority relates to credibility and legitimacy in

performing the function of a surrogate witness, but one that also

sorts, omits, transforms, explains, comments on, and makes sense of

what it reports.

Carlson, (2007: 266)

Carlson’s multi-‐dimensional definition relates closely with that of Kovach

and Rosenstiel (2010). Carlson raises a valid point by looking at journalism as

not simply a provider of information, but an analytical social mechanism. In this

context, independence from political or corporate organisations might

increasingly difficult, as new platforms threaten existing ones.

3.3 Traditional Platforms

Magazines

Defining traditional journalistic platforms and discussing their transformation is

a crucial step towards identifying whether magazine journalism is in decline.

Magazines, which first appeared in 1731 (McKay, 2006:7), are a popular

journalistic medium, traditionally defined as:

a periodical publication containing articles and illustrations, typically covering a particular subject or area of interest

Oxford Dictionary, 2nd Edition, 2005

The key terms in the above definition are periodical, publication and

particular, which refer to a magazine’s frequency, type and content type/target

audience respectively. It is important to note these, as they are significant in

terms of the transformation of the magazine towards online platforms

(Periodical Publishers’ Association, 2011). The three terms are applicable yet

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amended – mainly in terms of the frequency of content publication and audience

targeting. The PPA provide a more industry-‐focused definition of a magazine:

branded, edited content often supported by advertising or sponsorship and delivered in print or other forms

Periodical Publishers’ Association, 2011

This definition adds another dimension to that of the OED – that of

revenue as an essential part of magazines (McKay, 2006: 187-‐207). Magazines

are dependent on advertisers, who in turn are interested in promoting their

products to a targeted audience. Kaye and Quinn (2010) refer to this model as

“the eyeball business model-‐ give away content to attract eyeballs, and sell those

audiences to advertisers” (2010: 15). The authors emphasise the importance of

content and niche targeting, which are both crucial elements of magazines’ profit

optimisation strategies.

Given that web platforms offer more intense consumer targeting at a

cheaper rate –without the complications of traditional magazine publishing

processes, such as printing and distribution – magazines industry participants

must look to new methods of profit optimisation, which would exclude the costs

of distribution and printing. Some of these methods, as suggested by Kaye and

Quinn (2010) include: sponsorships and philanthropy, microfunding and

micropayments, family ownerships and trusts, niche advertising, e-‐commerce

and engagement, electronic paper/e-‐readers and SEO (search engine

optimisation), and AdSense content creation, concluding that the revenue model

of the future would be a combination of revenue sources (Kaye, Quinn,

2010:173).

Regardless of the method, magazines are changing their organizational

structure, revenue models and format.

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Newspapers

Newspapers too are in the process of changing, with critics questioning current

revenue models, content presentation, and corporate structures of newspaper

organisations. At present, newspapers are experimenting with different models.

The Financial Times, for example, offers free content, combined with selected

paywall content, whereas other publications, such as The Guardian offer

exclusively free content. The New York Times offers a paid-‐for newsletter

function, which allows users to list their preferred topics of interest and receive

niche content (Kaye, Quinn, 2010: 36). McKay (1996) compares newspapers and

magazines, concluding that magazines are entering the future with strategies on

targeting, niche marketing and extensions, which “are precisely the things at

which the best magazines already excel” (McKay, 2006: 5). New technologies

facilitate niche targeting. It is for newspapers to take advantage of these new

media technologies.

New technologies have already transformed newspaper journalism “from

instant global distribution to community participation to more powerful story

telling techniques” (Kaye, Quinn, 2010: 173). Despite the fact that newspaper

revenues have been falling since the recent global recession (Kaye, Quinn,

2010:7), there is optimism about the future of newspaper journalism with

increases in Kindle, iPad and Twitter users.

3.4 New Platforms

The section below outlines the key “new media” platforms, which have, or are in

the process of substituting, the traditional channels discussed in the previous

section. The section focuses on studies regarding Twitter (and microblogging),

blogs and WikiLeaks.

New technologies and journalistic functions have always existed in

correlation. As Pavlik (2000) notes “journalism has always been shaped by

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technology” (2000:229). Pavlik provides the example of the significance of

Guttenberg’s printing press and the invention of the telephone, which allowed

for rapid exchange of information. Jarvis (2010) compares the significance of the

printing press to the Reformation of Europe, and the importance of Twitter to

the Egyptian revolution in January 2011. Information technologies are known to

drive societies forward, and one could argue that the same is happening with

magazine journalism and Web 2.0.

Örnebring agrees with Pavlik, stating that “the prime function of any new

technology is to speed up the news process (2010:65) – the scholar views speed

as a capitalist means of competitive advantage and a naturalised element of

journalism (2010:65). This means that increasing the speed of publication – also

increasing the speed of information sourcing and verifying – increases

productivity and improves a publication’s position amongst its direct

competitors.

Hampton (2004) calls this revenue-‐related factor an “epistemology of

speed and sensationalism” (2004:92), meaning that contemporary news

journalism focuses on providing content rapidly, even if at the cost of

correctness. He argues that while mid-‐Victorian journalism was based on

deliberation and debate, New Journalism relied on instantaneous news, rather

than accuracy (2004:92). New technologies allowing for instant news might also

mean sacrifices in accuracy. Elliott (2008) regards high-‐speed information as a

threat to journalism, arguing that new channels create a “24-‐hour expectation of

information flow, with the destruction of a space-‐ and time-‐limited news hole”

(2008:29). For Elliott, the “open podium” the Web creates (referring to content

democratisation) has led to “a lack of hard borders between types of mass

communication” (2008:29). Blogs, microblogging, social networks and other

elements of Web 2.0 (see White, 2007) are the main platforms fomenting threats

to the traditional journalism Elliott describes. High-‐speed based news either

means a decrease in content quality (as there is now less time for the editorial

process), or the adaptation of journalistic practices to the new conditions

engendered by “new” media platforms.

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Blogs

Blogs, or weblogs, as they were known in 1997 when the term first appeared, are

a Web phenomenon, associated with content democratisation and Web 2.0. The

generic definition of a blog identifies it as a

Web site on which an individual or group of users produces an ongoing narrative


This definition of a blog is limiting in terms of a blog’s functions, purpose

and narrative. Rutenbeck’s (2006) definition allows for a clearer view into the

way blogs are operated:

a content management system (CMS)for allowing a person to use a web browser to directly create, edit and add to publically accessible web pages.

Rutenbeck, 2006:29

Rutenbeck’s description includes two important elements, which the

generic definition lacks; content management and accessibility. This implies that

blogs are not simply “an ongoing narrative” but a CMS that allows for the

implication of an editorial and business strategy. Accessibility means that more

people would be able to access the news at any given time. Singer (2005) goes

further, stating that “a blog is an ongoing conversation” (Singer, 2005:178) with

the audience. Singer focuses on the significance of blogs as a social tool used for

audience engagement (through comments, RSS feeds and sharing on social

networks such as Facebook and Twitter).

Jay Rosen, one of the most influential industry analysts, discusses blogs in

terms of the redistribution of media power they have caused -‐ from “elitist”

journalistic platforms to open platforms. As journalism is transformed into a

conversation (Kovach, Rosenstiel, 2010: 172), “the news system now

incorporates the people formerly known as the audience” (Katz, 2011). In an

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earlier paper about the relationship between blogger and journalists Rosen

(2005) argues that the well-‐known industry debate of bloggers versus

journalists is, in fact, over. The debate itself consists of questions, such as: is

blogging a replacement of journalism; are bloggers journalists and how are

journalistic values transcribed onto blogging (Lowrey, 2006). Rosen argues that

journalism and blogging, or any sort of citizen journalism for that matter,

complement each other:

Not sovereign doesn’t mean you go away. It means your influence is not singular anymore.

Rosen, 2005

Rosen does not ignore the rise of the blog as a platform but believes the

two can co-‐exist together. However, Rosen does not go into detail over market

share and revenues, which ultimately make it possible for journalism to prosper

in this economic and technological environment. J.D. Lasica agrees with Rosen on

this topic, discussing the relationship between the two as symbiotic in “creating

a new media ecosystem” (Lasica, 2003: 71). Seven years before Kovach and

Rosenstiel’s Blur, Lasica had introduced the concept of journalism as process,

rather than a static product (Lasica, 2003: 72). Picard (1998) on the other hand

states that “journalism is not in itself a product or a service” (1998: 99).

Twitter

Twitter, a social media microblogging site, is often mentioned when discussing

the future of magazine journalism. Twitter allows for instant access to

information -‐ an economic advantage that Örnebring discusses in detail (2010).

Jack Dorsey, one of Twitter’s co-‐founders describes the platform’s content as

“short burst of inconsequential information” (Sarno, 2009), different from

magazines and newspapers in its publication frequency. Whereas magazines and

newspapers are periodical, content on Twitter is sporadic and often unrelated.

Twitter rarely offers an analysis of information, which is one of journalism’s

main functions, as stated by Carlson, (2007: 266). In this way, Twitter might be

seen, not as a threat to journalism, but rather as a useful tool. Patterson (2011)

24

identifies a clear division between journalism and Twitter, stating that “Twitter

is a tool, the web is a medium, and journalism is an action”. The researcher

agrees strongly with this statement, as it offers a useful separation between

platform and function.

The advantage of Twitter is its easy accessibility as a platform (via mobile,

browser, tablet); allowing news to be transmitted more quickly than through

traditional media. For example, Twitter transmitted revolution from Egypt to

neighbouring states (Panisson, 2011, Jarvis, 2011, Rosen, 2011, O’Dell, 2011).

Live updates of the advancement of the revolutionaries were re-‐tweeted at an

exceptional speed.

Twitter is becoming an important journalistic tool, especially regarding

information and source gathering. Real-‐time reporting (“live-‐blogging” as the

Guardian refers to it) is another important function that Twitter contributes to

journalism. Currently, a number of journalists in the UK actively use Twitter as a

journalistic tool, including Paul Lewis of The Guardian, who live-‐blogged the Ian

Tomlinson inquest on The Guardian website (Lewis, 2011). Real–time reporting

represents an upwards trend amongst magazines and newspapers, especially

after journalists in the UK were given permission to tweet and email from court

(Lumley, 2010). New technologies influence not only journalism, but also law

and politics. Journalism necessarily transforms the phenomena it represents. As

representations are altered via new technologies, so too are the phenomena

represented altered.

WikiLeaks

WikiLeaks is a whistle–blowing organisation, which questions the functions and

obligations of journalism by revealing confidential information. WikiLeaks’

content is controversial to the extent that some have called it “not a news

organisation, but a criminal enterprise” (Thiessen, 2010). WikiLeaks in itself is

not an independent medium, but relies on traditional media, such as The New

York Times and The Guardian to promote the information it releases. As Hotz

25

(2010), a critic of WikiLeaks states, “the site is still just a big mine full of data that

has to be extracted and processed by other agents in the journalistic machine”.

Hotz refers to the fact that WikiLeaks does not offer an analytical portrayal of the

information it provides; an essential function of traditional journalistic channels.

What WikiLeaks does offer, however, is the opportunity for data journalism to

establish itself as a recognisable media force (Greenslade, 2010). By revealing

sources and otherwise secret files, WikiLeaks calls for better fact verification and

openness within journalism.

The main debate surrounding Wikileaks (Axon, 2010) in the media

industry is concerned with such questions as;

1. Is WikiLeaks a journalistic platform?

2. Can WikiLeaks exist without traditional media to promote it?

3. What should the boundaries of journalism be?

4. Do we need to re-‐define fact verification?

3.5 New platforms and functions

The following section includes academic writings on the relationship between

the new platforms discussed above, and the traditional functions and activities of

journalism with regard to magazine journalism. Discussed are the new functions

likely to emerge as a result of the properties of the new platforms, the demands

of the Web 2.0 audience, and the nature of updated revenue strategies.

One of the main changes that new technologies bring to magazine

journalism is the speed of news and the instant circulation of information.

Standardisation and timesaving are a product of the Industrial Revolution, used

to “promote synchronised efficiency in […] complex industrial work settings”

Eriksen (2001:53). In our time of “acceleration”, as Eriksen refers to it,

journalism is expected to offer instantaneous news.

The discourse of speed, understood as at heart a capitalist logic of competition and use of technology to increase productivity, has become a wholly naturalized element of journalism

26

Örnebring (2010)

Örnebring shows the relation between speed and technology, confirming

they are both elements of journalism. Tools such as Twitter allow for journalism

to increase the speed of newsgathering and delivery. Eriksen (2001) expresses

concern about a speed of information suggestive of “a society where everything

stands still at enormous speed” (2001). In a high-‐speed information era, time

becomes a scarce resource and an information overflow occurs. Thus a negative

aspect of the application of new tools and platforms to magazine journalism is

that the quality of information may suffer. Sources, provided by WikiLeaks or

Twitter, have not undergone the processes of verification traditionally instigated

in journalism.

It is, thus, important to note the relationship between audience demands

(for constant flows of information-‐sharing and interaction), which are the basis

for the properties of new platforms, and the development of new journalistic

functions. “Technology may change delivery and form […] but it will not change

human nature and the imperatives of what people need to know” (Kovach and

Rosenstiel, 2010:173). This means that the fundamental, traditional functions of

journalism must remain the same, but journalists of the future must practise

additional functions.

These functions might include gatekeeping (Bennet and Livingstone,

2003), public forum organising (Bollinger, 2011), sense making (Kovach and

Rosenstiel, 2010), and information filtering (Friend and Singer, 2007).

Gatekeeping refers to journalism’s role as a public judge about what is and is not

quality content, and which platforms are to be trusted. Gatekeeping is the reason

why WikiLeaks, for example, managed to gain the popularity it now boasts: well-‐

respected publications sourced information from the WikiLeaks files, which

automatically made it trustworthy in the eyes of many readers.

The function of being a public forum organiser refers to the demand by

the Web 2.0 audience for participation and equality. Citizens today are more

proactive and involved in social debates. Journalistic channels might therefore

become a platform to encourage action and involvement. Sense making refers to

the function of putting “information into context […] look for connections so that,

27

as consumers, we can decide what the news mean to us” (Kovach and Rosenstiel,

2010:176). Finally, information filtering means that rather than writing content

and storytelling, the future function of journalists might consist of filtering

information from the pool of content that is the Web; editing and formatting the

information provided by others, and targeting information towards niche

audiences.

Whatever combinations of functions become native to journalism; the

demands of the audience, the limitations and properties of journalistic platforms,

and the restrictions of revenue strategies will command journalistic functions.

___________________________________________________________________________

Chapter References

"blog", noun. The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Oxford

University Press, 2007

"magazine", noun. The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Oxford


Allison, M., (1986), "A literature review of approaches to the professionalism of

journalists", Journal of Mass Media Ethics: Exploring Questions of Media

Morality, Vol. 1, Issue 2, pp. 5-‐19

Axon, S., (2010), The WikiLeaks Debate: Journalists Weigh In, Mashable Social

Media, last visited 29/01/2011, published 20/08/2010, URL:

<http://mashable.com/2010/08/20/wikileaks-‐journalism/>

Bennet, W., and Livingsotne, S., (2003), Gatekeeping, Indexing, and Live-‐Event

News: Is Technology Altering the Construction of News Political Communication,

20:363–380, Taylor & Francis In

28

Bollinger, L., (2011), A Free Press for a Global Society, Bulletin of the American

Academy of Arts & Sciences, Winter 2011, PDF available: URL

<http://www.amacad.org/publications/bulletin/winter2011/press.pdf>

Carlson, M., (2007) 'Blogs and Journalistic Authority', Journalism Studies, 8: 2,

264 — 27

Deuze, M., (2005), "What is journalism? Professional identity and ideology of

journalists reconsidered", Journalism 2005 6: 442

Eriksen, T., (2001), Tyranny of the moment: fast and slow time in the

information age, Pluto Press

Friend,C., and Singer, J., (2007), Online journalism ethics: traditions and

transitions, M.E. Sharpe

Greenslade, R., (2010), 'Data journalism' scores a massive hit with WikiLeaks

revelations, The Guardian Blogs, last visited: 01/05/2011,

published:26/07/2010, URL:

<http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/greenslade/2010/jul/26/press-‐freedom-‐

wikileaks>

Hampton, M., (2004), Visions of the press in Britain, 1850-‐1950,University of

Illinois Press

Hodges, L., (1986), "The Journalist and Professionalism", Journal of Mass Media

Ethics 1 (2): 32 – 36

Hotz, A., (2010), Why WikiLeaks and the Mainstream Media Still Need Each

Other, Mashable, last visited: 17/04/2011, published:04/08/2010, URL:

<http://mashable.com/2010/08/04/whistle-‐blowing-‐wikileaks/>


04/2011





29





Katz, I., (2011), SXSW 2011: Jay Rosen on bloggers v journalists, Guardian

Technology, last visited 03/04/2011, published 13/03/2011, URL:

<http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/pda/2011/mar/13/sxsw-‐2011-‐jay-‐

rosen-‐bloggers-‐journalists>

Kaye, J., Quinn, S., (2010), Funding Journalism in the Digital Age: Business

Models, Strategies, Issues and Trends, Peter Lang

Kovach, B. and Rosenstiel, T., (2010), Blur: How to Know What's True in the Age

of Information Overload, New York, Bloomsbury



Lasica, J.D. (2003), "Blogs and Journalism Need Each Other", Nieman Reports,

Fall

Lewis, P., (2011), Ian Tomlinson inquest -‐ Tuesday 29 March 2011, The

Guardian, last visited 25/04/2011, published 29/03/2011, URL:

<http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/blog/2011/mar/29/ian-‐tomlinson-‐inquest-‐

live-‐updates>

Lowrey, W., (2006), Mapping the journalism−blogging relationship, Journalism

November 2006; 7 (4), SAGE Publications

Lumley, J., (2010), Reporters Can Twitter, E-‐Mail in Court, U.K. Senior Judge Says,

Business Week, last visited: 25/04/2011, published 20/12/2010, URL:

<http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-‐12-‐20/reporters-‐can-‐twitter-‐e-‐

mail-‐in-‐court-‐u-‐k-‐senior-‐judge-‐says.html>

McKay, J., (2006), The Magazine Handbook, Abingdon: Routledge

McNair, B., (2009), News and journalism in the UK, Taylor & Francis

Meriam, S., (2009), Qualitative Research: a guide to design and implementation,

John Wiley and Sons

30



O'Dell, J., (2011), How Egyptians Used Twitter During the January Crisis

[INFOGRAPHIC], Mashable, last visited 25/04/2011, published 01/02/2011,

URL: <http://mashable.com/2011/02/01/egypt-‐twitter-‐infographic/>





Örnebring, H, (2010), "Technology and Journalism-‐As-‐Labour: Historical

Perspectives", Journalism, 2010 11:57

Panisson, A., (2011), The Egyptian Revolution on Twitter, Gephy, last visited



Patterson, D., (2011), "It's the wrong question. Twitter is a tool, the web is a

medium, and journalism is an action", Twitter, tweet published: 18/02/2011,

last visited 18/04/2011, tweet URL:

<http://twitter.com/#!/DanPatterson/status/38631668113870848>

Pavlik, J. (2000) ‘The Impact of Technology on Journalism”, Journalism Studies

1(2): 229–37.

Picard, G., (1998), Measuring media content, quality, and diversity: approaches

and issues in content research, Media Economics, Content and Diversity Project

and Media Group

Rosen, J., (2005), Blogging vs. Journalism is Over, Blogging, Journalism and

Credibility Conference, last visited 22/01/2011, published 15/01/2005

<http://mkmax.web.elte.hu/melleklet6.pdf>

Rosen, J., (2011), The “Twitter Can’t Topple Dictators” Article, Press Think, last

visited 24/04/2011, published 13/02/2011, URL:

<http://pressthink.org/2011/02/the-‐twitter-‐cant-‐topple-‐dictators-‐article/>

31

Rutenbeck, J., (2006), Tech Terms: What Every Telecommunications and Digital

Media Person Should Know, Focal Press

Ryan, M. (2001) “Journalistic Ethics, Objectivity, Existential Journalism,

Standpoint Epistemology, and Public Journalism’” Journal of Mass Media Ethics

16(1): 3–22.

Sarno, D., (2009), Twitter creator Jack Dorsey illuminates the site's founding

document. Part I, Los Angeles Times, last visited 17/04/2011, date


<http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2009/02/twitter-‐creator.html>

Singer, J., (2005), The Political J-‐Blogger: "Normalizing" a New Media Form to Fit

Old Norms and Practices", Journalism 2005 6: 173

Thiessen, M., (2010), WikiLeaks Must be Stopped, The Washington Post, last

visited 29/01/2011, published 03/08/2010 URL:

<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-‐

dyn/content/article/2010/08/02/AR2010080202627.html>

Vujnovic, M., (2008), "Framing Professionalism and the Ethics of Journalism and

Public Relations in the New Media Environment: The Case of Armstrong

Williams", in Journal of New Communications Research, Vol. II, Issue 2, edited by

McClure, L.

White, B., (2007), The Implications of Web 2.0 on Web Information Systems, Web

information systems and technologies: International Conferences, WEBIST 2005

and WEBIST 2006: revised selected papers, Springer

Zarella, D., (2011), Anatomy of a Twitter Death Hoax: “Rip Nelson Mandela”,

Danzarella.com, last visited 01/05/2011, published 17/01/2011, URL:

http://danzarrella.com/anatomy-‐of-‐a-‐twitter-‐death-‐hoax-‐rip-‐nelson-‐

mandela.html

4.0 Research Methodology Design The research undertaken in this dissertation aims at achieving the three main

objectives identified through the Literature Review;

1. To establish whether journalistic functions must change in accordance

with the changing platforms.

2. To identify what these changes mean to magazine publishing.

3. To discuss what are the challenges magazine journalism is facing, and

how these might be addressed.

The researcher aims at achieving the above objectives through analysis,

synthesis and evaluation of sources and data. The following chapter describes

and justifies the research methods applied in the dissertation. The chapter refers

to research as a systematic learning process (Meriam, 2009: 4) and analyses the

methods chosen by the researcher. Finally, it presents the limitations of the

research.

4.1 Secondary Research

The secondary research of this dissertation consists of industry materials,

including journals, academic books, quantitative research, on-‐ and off-‐line

articles, conference transcripts and industry specialists’ opinions, published on

various platforms. The contemporary nature of the question and its relatively

new technological constituents require a corresponding research approach. As

such the researcher has collected sources, in accordance with their date of

publication, which necessarily focus on the most recent studies, taking account of

the latest technological developments.

The researcher has completed the research for this dissertation by

thematically dividing her sources, grouping them into categorical clusters. The

secondary research sources follow the structure of the rest of the dissertation,

strategically dividing the sources into groups by topic; “new” and “old”

33

platforms, values/elements of magazine journalism, and the future of the

industry.

The backbone of the secondary research is based on the writing of Kovach

and Rosenstiel (2001, 2010), Picard (1998, 2002), Lowrey (2006), O’Reilly

(2007) and Kaye and Quinn (2010). All statistical data has been sourced via

recent MINTEL reports (MINTEL, 2010, 2011) and influential Internet reports,

such as IAB (2011), OFT (2006) and Ofcom (2010). Academic journals, such as

SAGE and Emerald Insight have also played an important role in sourcing

relevant material.

Industry-‐acknowledged newspapers and magazines, such as The

Guardian, The Economist, Marketing Week and Forbes have also been used as

sources, as they all provide a detailed insight into the global and UK media

industry. The secondary research has resulted in two key findings:

1. There is not an inherent conflict between journalistic platform, function and

value.

2. New revenue strategies must be developed, in order for magazine journalism

to survive.

4.2 Primary Research

The findings of the secondary research raise the following questions, to be

answered through the methods of the primary research. The questions include

the following;

1. Are “new” media platforms threatening the industry?

2. Are the values, associated with traditional magazine journalism being

transcribed onto the “new” media platforms?

3. What is the significance of journalism to society?

4. How are the changing elements of journalism affecting the magazine

industry in the UK?

34

In order to answer the above, a relevant research method must be applied.

Perceiving research as the process of collecting sources and enriching her

knowledge base, initially the researcher considered both qualitative and

quantitative methods to be applied in the primary research of this dissertation.

Given the inquiring nature of the question and the sub-‐questions, raised by the

secondary research, an inductive approach is appropriate as it allows the

researcher to ask questions, such as “what, why and how, rather than how many

or how much” (Keegan, 2009:11). As there is not a single definite answer to the

main question set in this dissertation, a qualitative approach is more

appropriate, as it “is not verification of a predetermined idea, but discovery that

leads to new insights” (Sherman, Webb, 1988: 5). As qualitative research focuses

on meaning rather than measurement, it is more suitable for the purposes of this

dissertation.

Although various organisations and researchers have attempted to quantify quality, no rigorous definition of journalistic quality exists.

John St., Rosenberry 2010: 71

The issue of quantifying quality in journalism arises from the fact that

journalism has intrinsic, as opposed to instrumental, moral values, which derive

from “things that facilitate action and achievement, including awareness,

belonging and understanding” (Picard, 2009). Intangible variables, such as truth,

authenticity and emotion, which the secondary research has identified to be

elements of journalism, cannot be measured in an empirical manner, as “no

person is in a position of full knowledge in which to make such evaluations”

(Picard, 1998:99). Furthermore,

…journalistic quality is a function of journalistic activity and because the activities that produce and process this information can be measured, these activities can be used as surrogate measures of journalistic quality.

Picard, 1998:100

Journalistic activity can thus be used to measure the overall quality of

journalism, which leads the researcher to believe that they could also be used to

measure whether journalism is in decline. The researcher therefore found it

35

appropriate to apply qualitative research to this dissertation, as it is the most

appropriate approach in terms of the limitations, scope and nature of the

dissertation.

4.3 Research methods and data collection

In order to answer the questions, raised in the beginning of this chapter, the

research methodology must allow for qualitative data analysis, which can then

be used as evidence in the Discussion chapter of this dissertation. The primary

research consists of two parts; a research sample survey of fifty participants and

a focus group of six professional journalists. The diagram below illustrates the

research process, in terms of coherence and data collection.

Table 1. Diagram of the research process.

The aim of the survey is to portray a populist image of contemporary magazine

journalism, in terms of functions and platforms. Surveys, which are an example

of experimental research, are a practice which allows for an overview of the

topic, providing space for the researcher to set dependent variables in the form

of strategic questions. In this case, the questions the participants were asked

related to the findings of the secondary research, creating a coherent basis for

Secondary Research

• Identify themes • Identify main issues

Primary Research (Research Survey)

• Question the themes, identi�ied in the secondary research • Attempt to answer the main issues

Primary Reseacrh (Focus Group)

• Discuss the �indings of the research survey, in terms of the magazine industry in the UK. • Discover how the previously identi�ied issues concern the magazine industry in the UK.

36

analysis. All questions include the keywords identified in the dissertation title,

namely platform, values, magazine journalism and platforms. All questions in the

survey use elements from Kovach and Rosenstiel’s books (2001,2010). The full

results of the survey are enclosed to Appendix 2. The table below lists the aims

and methods of the research survey.

Table 2. Elements of the Research Survey (Planning).

The focus group, on the other hand, aims at allowing for a conversation to

take place, based on the findings of the research survey. The focus group aims at

discovering how the elements, discussed through the research survey, apply to

Topic Aim Method Basis

New media and

the threat to

journalism

To establish what media

platforms present a threat

to existing journalistic

platforms; what are the

new media elements that

provide advantages over

traditional journalistic

platforms; discover what

new media channels the

survey participants

prefer.

Ask participants scenario-‐

based questions.

Ask participants to rate

strategically chosen

platforms, which

represent their media

kind.

Ask participants to

compare and contrast

new and traditional

media channels.

Relationship

between

platform and

function

To establish the

relationship between

platform and function; to

determine the media

requirements, which

command the functions of

a platform; to define a

general function of

journalism; to identify the

most important elements

of journalism in general.

Ask the participants to

rate a list of adjectives

and decide how they

would describe

journalism.

Ask participants to

contrast and compare

different platforms and

functions.

Using the

findings from

the secondary

research, test

the findings

through

coherent,

logical

questions.

37

the magazine publishing industry in the UK. Focus groups, which produce data

that is rich in detail (Asbury, 1995), provide an opportunity not only to vividly

envision the planned themes, but also to discover new elements of the topic in

question. The focus group enabled the researcher to derive evidence regarding

how the changing nature of magazine journalism is affecting the magazine

industry in the UK. The table below illustrates the planning of the focus group

and the aims of the exercise.

Table 3. Elements of the Focus Group exercise (planning).


Magazines today:

what needs to be

changed?

To establish what

the magazine

industry in the UK

is based on, in

terms of the

magazine medium

and revenue

strategies.

Provide the

participants with

theories discussed

in the Review of

Literature, and

encourage them to

discuss them in

detail.

Future of the

magazine

To identify

potential financial,

technical and

structural changes

to the magazine

industry in the UK.

Provide the

participants with

options, regarding

the future of the

magazine industry

and encourage a

critical discussion.

Findings of the

research survey;

evidence gathered

from the Review of

the Literature.

4.4 Research Limitations

While conducting the primary research, the researcher has taken the limitations

of the research into consideration. The first limitation arises from the fact that

the question in the title of this dissertation is not a scientific question, in terms of

38

the possible matching answers. There is more than one likely outcome, which

means that the researcher must support her findings with strong primary

research, coherent arguments and logical deductions.

There is a further important limitation of the research which relates to

the industry research survey. The data, collected through the researcher is only

based on fifty participants. Had the number of participants been higher, the

second part of the research would have had a stronger influence on the final

findings of the research. The focus group also does not classify as representative

sampling, given that it only consists of six industry participants, who do not

necessarily speak for the entire journalist trade. The focus group interviews

were not recorded, which means that the data shown in this dissertation has

been selectively recorded, during the time of the focus group meeting.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Chapter References

Asbury, J. E. (1995) “Overview of focus group research”, Qualitative Health

Research, Vol. 5, no. 4.[pdf] Last visited: 17/02/11. Available to download from <

http://qhr.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/5/4/414>

John, St B., Rosenberry, J., (2010) Public journalism 2.0: the promise and reality

of a citizen-‐engaged press, Oxford: Routledge,

Keegan, S,. (2009), Qualitative Research: Good Decision Making Through

Understanding People, Cultures and Markets. London: Kogan Pag

Kovach, B. and Rosenstiel, T., (2001), The Elements of Journalism, New York:

Random House




John Wiley and Sons

39

5.0 Data Analysis

The following chapter provides an in-‐depth analysis of the primary research

conducted for this dissertation. The main aim of this chapter is to provide and

discuss evidence, in order to answer the key question of the dissertation. The

chapter is divided into three sections, each referring to a question identified via

the findings of the secondary research.

A research survey, targeting fifty adults from different professional

backgrounds, (see Appendix 3), aims at portraying a broad insight into how

magazine journalism is perceived as changing, providing the opportunity for an

analytical comparison with the findings from the secondary research.

Focus group-‐based evidence compliments the findings of the research

survey and provides for a further viewpoint of the effects of new media on the

magazine industry in the UK. The focus group consists of six professionals with

journalistic backgrounds and experience within the magazine publishing sector.

The discussions during the focus group meeting were based on the findings of

the research survey and secondary research.

5.1 New media and the threat to journalism

The first part of the research survey focused on questions regarding new media

and journalism. The table below shows the full responses.

Table 4. Results from research survey: participants asked to identify which platforms they consider to be a threat to journalism.

41

The question is significant in terms of identifying what platforms

journalists should be aware of, learn from, and adapt to in their practices. The

results of the survey suggest that a large percentage of people regard Twitter not

simply as a journalistic tool, but also a threat. This could be due to Twitter’s

advantages in terms of delivery speed of information, easy accessibility and

increasing popularity. It is revealing that 20% of the participants agreed that

“Twitter, blogs, Facebook, WikiLeaks or YouTube” are not a threat to journalism

at all, which means that the public confidently uses non-‐traditional journalistic

platforms already.

Another result that supports this theory is the participants’ ratings of

what they would consider not to be a journalistic platform. The seven options in

the question were sourced from the findings of the secondary research, and

include the following:

Table 4. Elements of research survey: platforms to be rated by the participants.

Platform Reasoning

The Huffington Post It is a famous example of a respected

newsblog.

The Economist’s editor’s Twitter account It is an example of a combination between

a respected publication and a less

conventional channel

A journalist’s Twitter account It is an example of a new journalistic tool,

combined with the function of a journalist

A journalist’s personal blog It provides a combination between the

traditional and new.

Wikileaks Controversial

Table 5. Results from research survey: participants asked to identify which platforms they consider not to be journalistic channels.

42

The Huffington Post, which relies on various social media tools (see Appendix 4),

has been voted as a non-‐journalistic platform by the least number of people,

which indicates that the participants trust journalistic channels with strong

social media strategies. In turn, this indicates that social media strategies might

be one of the factors of journalism’s success in the future.

5.2 Relationship between platform and function

In order to establish what participants might expect from any given new

media platform, they were given a hypothetical scenario and asked to rate the

sources they would refer to first, in order to find more information. 40% would

visit The Guardian website first, followed by traditional television platforms and

newsblogs. When asked to rate the same media, this time one week after the

hypothetical event – aiming at distinguishing between the desire of quality of

content and fast delivery of content -‐ a similar result occurred.

This might mean that the participants were looking for a medium to

combine high-‐speed delivery of information, with quality of content. The results

from another question confirm this theory. When asked to choose whether

accuracy of information is more important than accessibility of information, 76%

of the participants voted that accuracy was more important; yet 24% ignored

accuracy for the sake of accessibility. Accuracy, which is an element said to have

crucial importance to journalism (Kovach and Rosenstiel, 2010) is no longer the

single decisive factor. Contemporary audiences, accustomed to high-‐speed

information overflow expect quality content instantaneously, which leads the

researcher to believe that time is one of the factors which might play an

important role in the development of magazine journalism.

To establish the main functions of contemporary journalism, the

researcher asked the participants to choose the three most important elements,

as listed by Kovach and Rosenstiel (2001, 2010). These include the following:

43

Table 6. Elements of research survey: options of elements for the participants to rate as

most important to journalism.

Element

True facts. (i.e. not opinions presented as

facts)

Loyalty to the citizen

Verified facts

Independence from profit and political

organisations.

A forum for the public to discuss facts.

Interesting (entertaining) portrayal of

information.

Comprehensive news.

Transparency (of sources, fact-‐gathering,

editorial process)

Technically advanced journalists.

A strong editor.

To further understand the sentiment of the participants towards

journalism in its current form, the researcher asked them to choose from a list of

adjectives, which describe journalism, as indicated by the findings of the Review

of Literature. The table below lists the findings of the question.

Table 7. Results from research survey: participants asked to choose the adjectives which best describe “journalism”.

The results imply that the participants consider journalism to be an

important, complex medium, responsible for independently bringing facts

44

beyond our immediate experiences (McNair, 2009: 21). When given the same

adjectives, but asked to describe “new media”, the participants’ answers differed

only slightly.

Table 8. Results from research survey: participants asked to choose the adjectives, which best describe “new media”.

Comparing the two result tables, one can deduce that new media and

journalism are both complex and important to society, and given that a large

number of participants (20% of the total) did not assume new media was a

threat to journalism (Question 9), it is possible to conclude that new media and

Combining the findings above with Picard’s writings (2009) taken

into consideration, the researcher asked the participants to judge whether or not

journalists deserve to be paid the same amount of money for their services, given

there are a large number of alternative information sources. 92% of the

participants answered that journalists should continue to be paid the same

amount of money, which means that the participants value the functions of

journalism highly.

Concluding the findings from the questions, aiming at identifying the

relationship between platform and function, one might confidently state that;

1. Quality of the content on any given platform is still rated as more

important than the speed of delivery of content.

2. Fact verification and independence are important factors, when judging

the quality of any given platform.

45

3. Providing content about the world beyond individuals’ immediate

experience is an important social role of journalism.

5.3 Changing journalistic elements and the magazine industry in the UK

After summarising the findings from the research survey, the researcher

organised a focus group in order to provide for a discussion of the findings, from

a specialist point of view. The table below illustrates the participants’

backgrounds.

Table 9. Focus group participants’ occupations and backgrounds.

Participant Background Current Occupation

Participant 1 Journalism Online content editor

Participant 2 Journalism Freelance writer

Participant 3 Publishing Blogger

Participant 4 Media Studies Creative writer

Participant 5 Politics Online content editor

Participant 6 Creative Writing Blogger

46

The table below shows the main findings of the focus group research.

Table 10. Summary of focus group research findings.

X number of the total Agree that:

3/6 Digitalisation is a threat in terms of

revenue channels and audience reach.

2/6 Digitalisation as an opportunity.

6/6 Social media platforms are useful

journalistic tools.

3/6 Social media is an adequate revenue

channel.

5/6 Speed of content delivery is not an

essential element for magazine

publishing.

6/6 Keeping in touch with technology is

important.

3/6 Technology helps funnel a magazine’s

niche audience.

4/6 High quality content is the key to the

survival of the magazine.

6/6 Portable tablets and m-‐commerce, will be

a part of the future magazine commerce,

yet not necessarily the only revenue

outlets.

2/6 The future of the magazine lies in

specialist editions.

1/6 The magazine industry will become more

elitist

47

Summarised, the data in the table means that,

1. Niche targeting is a strategy that must be strengthened by magazine

publishers, who now face geo-‐ and behavioral -‐ targeting competition

from online businesses.

2. Investments in the online sector must be made.

3. High quality content, specialist magazines and tablets are all elements

likely to be important in the future of magazine publishing.

Chapter References


Random House




Picard, R., (2009), “Fit to Print: Q&A with Robert Picard”, SparkSheet.com last

visited 22/01/2010, published 13/07/2009, URL: < http://sparksheet.com/fit-‐

to-‐print/>

6.0 Discussion

The following chapter provides an in-‐depth discussion of the findings from the

primary and secondary research, by drawing together the main evidence and

aiming at answering the questions raised by the research.

6.1 The issue of new audience demands

With the development of new technologies and the increasing public demand for

faster information (Eriksen, 2001, Elliott, 2008), journalism faces the issues of

overcoming the new challenges technology has produced, while also maintaining

financial stability. The increased number of tablet users (Woyke, 2011), the

growing curve of broadband penetration in the UK (see Appendix 1, Table x) and

the increased amount of social media users (Owyang, 2011) are definite

signifiers that the Web 2.0 revolution is changing not only the media landscape,

but all industries (Tapscott and Williams, 2008). As Participant 4 from the

primary research focus group stated during the focus meeting, “digital changes

everything”.

Given the contextual background of the world economy and technology,

the question we need to ask is not whether magazine journalism is in decline;

but how it is adapting to the new audience demands. These demands include the

need for socialising, communal content building and sharing. Tapscott and

Williams (2008) compare Web 2.0 to “an open canvas”, rather than a “digital

newspaper”. The two authors are referring to websites before 2004 (or, the dot

com era), which did not allow for a conversation with the consumer, but rather

created a one-‐way monologue of content.

To be sure, essential elements as listed by Kovach and Rosenstiel (2001,

2010), including fact verification and the obligation of the journalist to tell the

truth, remain the same. The majority of the participants in the research survey

of this dissertation also agreed that independence and true facts are the most

important elements of magazine journalism. Despite their traditionalist

49

responses to questions regarding function, the research survey participants also

showed that the contemporary audience is an advanced one, accustomed to

various channels – 41% of the participants considered Twitter, Wikileaks, and

personal blogs to be journalistic platforms.

In the past, journalism has always been a rather one-‐sided medium;

journalists would collect and present information for the audience to digest.

Discussion with the audience was maintained on a very basic level – through

letters to the editor, and later e-‐mails. This form of communication is no longer

adequate, as the audience today expects a much faster response; the power to

change content and contribute in real-‐time. Audiences today do not perceive the

journalist as a distant figure (only 6% of the research participants applied the

adjective “elitist” to journalism) or the voice of morality it may have in the past.

It is not audience as such, but a combination of audience and publisher.

For other industries, content democratisation is a welcome factor, as it

can be used as a business tool. Web 2.0 allows for mass marketing, word of

mouth marketing, customer interaction and virtual focus groups for businesses

to observe what consumers think of their products/services (Tapscott and

Williams, 2008). Content democratisation also allows for open project

collaborations, which reduces costs, and provokes creativity and

entrepreneurship. Examples of such collaborations are Apple’s apps, which are

often produced by external developers (148Apps, 2011). In this case, Apple has

provided the platform, and the public has developed the actual products.

In order to deal with the demands of such a proactive audience, magazine

journalism must not only adapt to the requirements of Web 2.0, but also re-‐

establish its role within society; its functions, and the ways it performs those

functions. If journalism is to become a conversation, rather than a monologue, it

must;

1. Provide platforms which allow for the elements of Web 2.0 to be applied.

2. Change the structure of the newsroom.

3. Allow for user-‐generated content presentations.

50

4. Become more open; share its sources, admit editorial mistakes, ask the

audience for feedback, and apply change in accordance to that feedback.

Because of Web 2.0, the consumer has been given more power than ever

before. It is now for the consumer to dictate the rules of journalism. A society like

ours; one that trusts leaked documents (see research survey results) and follows

revolutions on Twitter (Jarvis, 2011), does not necessarily rely on critics and fact

verifiers like it used to before the digital revolution. It needs efficient

communicators to provide and filter verified facts as objectively as possible,

leaving the public to do the rest.

6.2 Future revenue models for magazines and newspapers

Having analysed what are the demands of the Web 2.0 audience, it is now

important to discuss the possible revenue strategies for newspapers and

magazines to meet these demands, while still maintaining profitability.

First, let us discuss the issues with the existing revenue models, in terms

of their relevance to the ever-‐changing nature of the Web and magazine

journalism itself. After the global financial crisis that emerged in 2008, media

enterprises worldwide, including in the UK, suffered from a lack of adequate

advertising revenue, due to the fact that most advertisers decreased their

spending budgets in reaction to the harsh economic conditions of the financial

crisis (Kaye and Quinn, 2010). Unable to borrow money, magazines and

newspapers were forced to cut their own spending, which in reality meant that

they invested more time and effort in their digital platforms, which are cheaper

and easier to manage.

The combination of these factors with a growing demand for online

content has forced magazines and newspapers to look to new revenue models in

order to remain financially feasible. Some publications, specifically those owned

by Murdoch (Burell, 2010), have been using a “paywall” strategy; providing some

content for free, yet requiring a paid subscription for consumer access to the full

51

information database. The paywall strategy, although seemingly logical, is

impractical for most consumer publications. For example, for niche publications

such as The Financial Times and The Economist, the model might prove to be

most suitable because these publications provide high quality information, not

necessarily available elsewhere. However, for smaller and more commercial

publications, such as OK! Magazine for instance, which does not often feature

exclusive content and does not target a niche audience (instead, a rather broad

demographic group of female consumers), this model would not work.

A different revenue strategy should be applied to publications such as

women’s weeklies and other “light reads”. For those publications, the future

might be in Apple subscriptions (Siegler, 2011), which would mean that the

publication would give 30% of its earnings to Apple, in return for the TNC

hosting a platform for the magazine via iPad and iPhone apps. Given the large

number of Android devices and tablets sold already (Woyke, 2011), similar

subscriptions are likely to become available soon. The negative aspects of this

scenario include the fact that the magazine industry would lose its autonomy by

relying solely on Apple (or another provider) for its digital distribution. As such,

Apple would control the entire publishing market without considering the

demands of other stakeholders.

A further potential revenue strategy is the conversion of readers into e-‐

commerce customers. This strategy would require a separate e-‐commerce

department for a given publishing enterprise, which would be responsible for

finding partners, who offer relevant-‐to-‐the-‐audience products/services. This

model is already practised in combination with search engine optimisation

content techniques, and other visitor-‐driving strategies. Some of these might

include paid-‐for personalised newsletters, access to a package of websites

(owned by the same publishing group, or groups in partnership), affiliate and

display marketing, and pay-‐as-‐you go subscriptions in which users pay small

amounts in order to access single articles or series of articles. There are other

personalised marketing methods through which publishing companies might

drive revenue, including geo-‐location targeted content, paid-‐for videos and

images, and paid-‐for RSS content.

52

Whatever revenue strategy, or more likely, combination of strategies, the

future of publishing becomes dependent upon, journalism itself must maintain

its essential values and functions, by remaining independent from private and

political organisations and providing verified facts.

6.3 The next journalistic functions

The changes promulgated by Web 2.0 concern not only the structure of

journalistic enterprises and their revenue strategies. This is the critical issue;

magazine journalism and publishing must change significantly, perhaps not to

the extent of a full paradigm shift, but definitely to introduce new functions and

values to the existing ones (see Focus Group results). In an era when the reader

is also a publisher, a critic and an active member of journalistic debates, it is

important to discuss the new functions that magazine journalism needs to

acquire, in order to adapt to the evolving media milieu. Technology may change

the way journalistic content is delivered, but it should not change its essential

values. However, new functions must be applied if magazine journalism is to

keep up with the times. As the findings of the primary research survey show

(Question 8), journalism has become more complex, not obsolete (Kovach and

Rosenstiel, 2010:182).

Kovach and Rosenstiel (2010:173-‐190) clearly identify the new

journalistic functions they envision for future journalism. By considering

“gatekeeping” as a secondary role of contemporary journalism, the two authors

open up the debate of which of the new functions are of most significance to

journalism. While discussing the terms of “gatekeeping”, the participants of the

research focus group found gatekeeping to be an important function not

necessarily in its own right, but rather when practised in combination with

others.

53

Gatekeeping is definitely a function that journalism must preserve – we need a metaphorical judge to tell us what is quality, true content and what is not; but its functions do not stop there. They should not stop there.

Research Focus Group, Participant 3

The new functions magazine journalism appropriates should reflect the

audience’s demands and new revenue strategies, as discussed in the two

previous sections of this chapter. As such, these new functions must allow for

audience interaction, sharing and contribution. Journalism must become a type

of public forum organiser, encouraging discussion and citizen action (Bollinger,

2011).

Any information, discussed via this public forum must also be

contextualised and prioritised in accordance with its significance for the

audience. Journalists of the future are likely to act as filters and sense-‐makers of

information: by verifying facts, contrasting and comparing information, deciding

its value to the audience and investigating it further. From storytelling,

journalism’s initial task, contemporary magazine journalism is transforming into

an advanced, analytical body of media.

The shift in journalism from writing to editing will prove to be the biggest challenge.

Mark Deuze, interviewed for Friend and Singer, 2007: 205

Deuze is referring to storytelling in a multimedia environment, which might not

necessarily be storytelling in terms of news gathering and distributing, but

“managing and editing communication and information flow of others, such as

publics, other journalists, news sources, agencies and so on” (Friend and Singer,

2007:205). Journalism today does not exist as a singular medium, and as such it

must learn to adapt to its competing mediums and to turn them into tools.

Magazine journalism within a multimedia landscape is no longer predominant.

However, as Rosen incisively notes, “not sovereign doesn’t mean you go away“

(2005).

54

6.4 Magazine publishing in the UK and the future

After discussing the general changes in journalistic roles, functions, revenue

models and audiences, it is now important to discuss how all of these affect the

magazine industry in the UK. As already noted in the Literature Review and

Contextualisation, these changes are not hypothetical, distant scenarios – media

evolution is happening today, and the magazine industry in the UK is an active

participant of it, voluntarily or not.

The 2008 global recession, combined with the introduction of the iPad,

rising curve of m-‐ and e-‐commerce, and the increased number of social media

users in the UK, have led to a decreasing circulation of paid consumer magazines

(see Table 12, Appendix 2), yet an increasing number of freesheets and

publications’ online traffic (MINTEL (2), 2010). Even though paid-‐for magazine

circulations have dropped with over 17% in the last few years (Mintel, 2010),

online traffic is still going up, with micropayments and e-‐commerce models

having achieved some success.

The Telegraph Media Group, for example, which specialises in

newspapers rather than magazines, offers free online content, yet relies on

micropayment strategies for its sites. This is a revenue channel that could be

successful for magazines in the future as well, especially consumer magazines,

which could promote the products/services they include in their content to

target their audiences accurately. Given that the British public is now also

proven to have been educated about online payments and security, (Ofcom,

2010), it is likely that e-‐commerce economy will continue to grow.

It appears that the strength of magazines that McKay (2006) elucidates,

namely niche audience targeting, is also the factor that is likely to drive

magazines in the future – through specialist publications, which could provide

unique content, targeted at a very specific demographic group. As Participant 4

55

stated during a discussion regarding magazines and content, “producing

specialist content that is not available elsewhere might as well be the industry’s

secret weapon”. Perhaps the magazine industry today is too preoccupied with

adapting itself to new technologies, but it appears that few are concerned with

what happens beyond the platform. “Locking in” strategies, successful marketing,

intelligent editorial strategy, and quality content are elements of successful

magazines, which might be too often overlooked because of the industry’s

preoccupation with technology.

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7.0 Conclusion

The conclusive findings of this dissertation are as follows;

1. Magazine journalism cannot be said to be in decline, solely judging by

the annual report statistics. Even though circulation numbers and sales

continue to fall, the findings of the research show that magazine

journalism and professional journalism in general are still in demand by

society.

2. Despite the fact that platforms are changing, adding new dimensions

and properties to the publishing trade, the traditional values and

functions of magazine journalism remain the same.

3. Revenue strategies and media power are changing too, but this does

not mean that the entire magazine industry is diminishing in profitability.

It only means that industry participants must show more creativity and

adaptability in terms of technology, content, structure and business

strategy.

As society is changing in accordance with technologies, the media industry is the

first one to respond to these changes, as they most directly affect it. One should

approach these changes with an optimistic impetus, rather than a negative one,

as the new challenges magazine publishing is facing offer potential for

improvements in terms of structure, content and presentation. As new leaders

and stakeholders enter the magazine industry in the UK, it will become more

comfortable with the new elements itself. As we bravely enter the era of Web

3.0, magazine journalism is not in decline – it is simply evolving into something

else.

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10.0 Appendices

Appendix 1: Definitions

It is important for one to place journalism in terms of its definition in such

complex, fast moving socio-‐technological environment as described above. Given

that definitions and functions of different media elements are changing on

regular basis, it is important to define the main terminology, used in this

dissertation, before delving into discussions of how they are changing and the

effects of these changes. The following chapter outlines the definitions used

throughout the dissertation.

Magazine Journalism

For the purposes of the question, the term magazine journalism is regarded as

the activity or profession of writing for newspapers or magazines or

of broadcasting news on radio or television.


Broadcasting news on radio or television is not included in the research

methodology and only briefly acknowledged in the Discussion chapter. The

definition of magazine journalism is directly linked to the platforms it is

associated with – namely, magazines. It is, therefore, logical for one to conclude

that if the definition of the magazine platform changes, the meaning of journalism

would also change. Defining magazine journalism is also a subject to identifying

its main purposes: political, sociological, cultural and economic. The Literature

Review chapter of this dissertation offers a detailed insight into the scholarly

research and findings in the field of defining journalism and magazine journalism

in particular.

81

Platforms

The title of the dissertation suggests a comparative analysis of traditional and

emerging platforms, aiming at determining how this tension influences

journalism and the magazine industry in the UK in particular.

The traditional platforms discussed include analogue magazines and

newspapers. The emerging platforms include microblogging sites (such as

Twitter and Facebook), blogs and WikiLeaks. The conflict between old and new

media platforms is of vital importance to professional journalism, as it could

mean:

-‐ a fundamental paradigm shift for journalism.

-‐ the enforcement of new adaptations in methods and practices, added to/

substituting the existing ones.

-‐ Substantial financial and structural changes to the magazine industry in

the UK.

It is, however, impossible to argue any of the above without including content

in the discussion of the significance of platforms. Content is intrinsic to both

journalism and journalistic platforms, and has, arguably, a greater importance

than either of them.

…content will be more important than its container in this next

phase. That's a huge shift in the "balance of power" in our world,

from the content providers to the content consumers.

Curley, T., 2004

The term balance of power (Hagey, 2010) is also of great importance,

when analysing modern media, as the digital revolution has mixed the positions

of writer/reader and consumer/provider. Other scholars argue Curley’s

emphasis on content: the discussion is fully portrayed in the Literature Review

chapter of this paper.

82

Values

The dissertation is alert to the meaning of values as both a moral and economic

concept: the following chapters closely analyse the definitions of these values

and their influence -‐ prior to and after the emergence of new platforms -‐ on the

development of professional journalism.

Economic values are analysed in terms of industry revenues, traditional

and emerging revenue generation models and strategies. Moral values refer to

the intrinsic and instrumental effect (Zimmerman, 2010) journalism has on

society, from a cultural and political perspective.

Magazine Industry in the UK

The phrase refers to the magazine trade in the United Kingdom as a whole,

unless otherwise specified.

Appendix References

"journalism", noun. The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Oxford


Curley, T., (2004), Online News Association Conference, 12/11/2004, last visited

22/01/2011, published 12/11/2004 URL:

http://conference.journalists.org/2004conference/archives/000079.php

Hagey, W., (2010), WikiLeaks a media game changer, Politico, last visited

24/04/2011, published 29/11/2010, URL:


Zimmerman, M., (2010) Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Value, Stanford Encyclopedia of

Philosophy

83

Appendix 2: Tables and Diagrams

The following Appendix includes all diagrams and tables, displayed in this

dissertation. The table numbers are set in accordance to their appearance in the

body of the dissertation.

Table 1. Diagram of the research process.

Secondary Research

• Identify themes • Identify main issues

Primary Research (Research Survey)

• Question the themes, identi�ied in the secondary research • Attempt to answer the main issues

Primary Reseacrh (Focus Group)

• Discuss the �indings of the research survey, in terms of the magazine industry in the UK. • Discover how the previously identi�ied issues concern the magazine industry in the UK.

84

Table 2. Elements of the Research Survey (planning).


New media and

the threat to

journalism

To establish what media

platforms present a threat

to existing journalistic

platforms; what are the

new media elements that

provide advantages over

traditional journalistic

platforms; discover what

new media channels the

survey participants

prefer.

Ask participants scenario-‐

based questions.

Ask participants to rate

strategically chosen

platforms, which

represent their media

kind.

Ask participants to

compare and contrast

new and traditional

media channels.

Relationship

between

platform and

function

To establish the

relationship between

platform and function; to

determine the media

requirements, which

command the functions of

a platform; to define a

general function of

journalism; to identify the

most important elements

of journalism in general.

Ask the participants to

rate a list of adjectives

and decide how they

would describe

journalism.

Ask participants to

contrast and compare

different platforms and

functions.

Using the

findings from

the secondary

research, test

the findings

through

coherent,

logical

questions.

85

Table 3. Elements of the Focus Group exercise (planning).


Magazines today:

what needs to be

changed?

To establish what the

magazine industry in

the UK is based on, in

terms of the magazine

medium and revenue

strategies.

Provide the

participants with

theories, discussed

in the Review of

Literature, and

encourage them to

discuss them in

detail.

Future of the

magazine

To identify potential

financial, technical and

structural changes to

the magazine industry

in the UK.

Provide the

participants with

options, regarding

the future of the

magazine industry

and encourage a

critical discussion.

Findings of the

research survey;

evidence gathered

from the Review of

Literature.

Table 4. Results from research survey: participants asked to identify which platforms they consider to be a threat to journalism.

86

Table 5. Elements of research survey: platforms to be rated by the participants.

Platform Reasoning

The Huffington Post It is a famous example of a respected newsblog.

The Economist’s editor’s Twitter account It is an example of a combination between a

respected publication and a less conventional

channel

A journalist’s Twitter account It is an example of a new journalistic tool,

combined with the function of a journalist

A journalist’s personal blog It provides a combination between the

traditional and new.

WikiLeaks Controversial

Table 6. Results from research survey: participants asked to identify which platforms they consider not to be journalistic channels.

87

Table 7. Elements of research survey: options of elements for the participants to rate as

most important to journalism.

Element

True facts. (i.e. not opinions presented as

facts)

Loyalty to the citizen

Verified facts

Independence from profit and political

organisations.

A forum for the public to discuss facts.

Interesting (entertaining) portrayal of

information.

Comprehensive news.

Transparency (of sources, fact-‐gathering,

editorial process)

Technically advanced journalists.

A strong editor.

Table 8. Results from research survey: participants asked choose the adjectives, which best describe “journalism”.

Table 9. Results from research survey: participants asked choose the adjectives, which best describe “new media”.

88

Table 10. Focus group participants’ occupation and background.

Participant Background Current Occupation

Participant 1 Journalism Online content editor

Participant 2 Journalism Freelance writer

Participant 3 Publishing Blogger

Participant 4 Media Studies Creative writer

Participant 5 Politics Online content editor

Participant 6 Creative Writing Blogger

89

Table 11. Summary of focus group research findings.

X number of the total Agree that:

3/6 Digitalisation is a threat in terms of

revenue channels and audience reach.

2/6 Digitalisation as an opportunity.

6/6 Social media platforms are useful

journalistic tools.

3/6 Social media is an adequate revenue

channel.

5/6 Speed of content delivery is not an

essential element for magazine

publishing.

6/6 Keeping in touch with technology is

important.

3/6 Technology helps funnel a magazine’s

niche audience.

4/6 High quality content is the key to the

survival of the magazine.

6/6 Portable tablets and m-‐commerce, will be

a part of the future magazine commerce,

yet not necessarily the only revenue

outlets.

2/6 The future of the magazine lies in

specialist editions.

1/6 The magazine industry will become more

elitist

90

Table 12. Broadband penetration in the UK. Source: Google Public Data

Table 13. UK magazines (paid titles only), total average net circulation, December 2004-December 2009. Source: ABC/Mintel

Table x14 UK magazines (free titles only), total average net circulation, December 2004-December 2009. Source: ABC/Mintel

91

Appendix 3: Research Survey Results

The following Appendix includes the full results from the research survey, which

was a part of the primary research. The research survey included fifty

participants, and eleven questions.

Part 1. Research survey questions

1. Occupation

2. What is more important?

-‐ Accuracy of information

-‐ Accessibility of information

3. Imagine the following scenario: It is 10am on a Monday morning,

and a major terrorist attack has just happened in Chicago, USA. You

have just heard about it from your colleague, who has not shared

where he/she received this information. Rate the platforms you are

likely to use first, in order to find out more about the catastrophe:

-‐Twitter

-‐ Facebook

-‐ News blogs (such as the Huffington Post)

-‐The Guardian website

-‐ An evening newspaper

-‐ Television

-‐ Radio

-‐YouTube

4. A week after the attack, you want to find out more. First, you head to:

-‐Twitter

-‐ Facebook



-‐The Guardian print newspaper


92

-‐ Television

-‐ Radio

-‐ The Economist

-‐YouTube

5. In your opinion, what are the main elements of professional journalism?

(tick a maximum of 3)

-‐True facts. (i.e. not opinions presented as facts)

-‐ Loyalty to the citizen

-‐ Verified facts

-‐ Independence from profit and political organisations.

-‐ A forum for the public to discuss facts.

-‐ Interesting (entertaining) portrayal of information.

-‐ Comprehensive news.

-‐ Transparency (of sources, fact-‐gathering, editorial process)

-‐ Technically advanced journalists.

-‐ A strong editor.

6. What would you consider not to be a journalistic platform? (Tick all that

apply)

-‐ The Huffington Post

-‐ The Economist's editor's Twitter account

-‐ A journalist's YouTube channel

-‐ A journalist's Twitter account

-‐ A journalist's personal blog

-‐ WikiLeaks

-‐ These are all journalistic platforms.

93

7. From 1-5 , how trustworthy would you rate these same platforms? (5

being the most trustworthy)






-‐ WikiLeaks

8. Which of the following would you consider a threat to traditional

journalism? (Tick all that apply)

-‐ Twitter

-‐ Blogs

-‐ Facebook

-‐ Wikileaks

-‐ YouTube

-‐ None of the above

9. Which of these adjectives would you say apply to professional

journalism, as you see it?

-‐Elitist

-‐ Complex

-‐ Declining

-‐ Meaningless (to our society)

-‐ Important (to society)

-‐ Irrelevant (to our time)

-‐ Old-‐fashioned

-‐ Irreplaceable

-‐ Intellectual

10. Given there are millions of bloggers and Twitter accounts, who all

provide a constant flow of information, do you think professional

journalists should continue to be paid the same amount of money for their

services?

-‐ Yes

-‐No

94



-‐Elitist

-‐ Complex

-‐ Declining





-‐ Irreplaceable

-‐ Intellectual

95

Part 2. Research survey results

1. Occupation

Participant Occupation

1 Media Planner

2 Tax Consultant

3 Lawyer

4 Graphic Designer

5 Sales Assistant

6 Salesperson

7 Student

8 Programmer

9 Project Manager

10 Student

11 Member Services

12 Student

13 Unemployed

14 Web Designer

15 Student

16 Student

17 Marketing executive

18 Freelance web designer

19 Student

20 Copywriter

21 Student

22 Account manager

23 Quality Assurance

24 Student

25 Student

26 Translator

27 Editor

28 Student

29 Journalist

30 Bakery Clerk

31 HR

32 Student/Journalist

96

33 Jeweller

34 Student

35 Manager

36 EVP International Development, Groupon International

37 Student

38 Student

39 Freelance translator

40 Netto

41 Bartender

42 Student

43 Actress

44 Manager

45 Company owner

46 Student

47 Student

48 Journalist

49 Editor

50 Barmaid

2. What is more important?

-‐ Accuracy of information

-‐ Accessibility of information

Results:

Accuracy of information 76% Accessibility of information 24%

97

3. Imagine the following scenario: It is 10am on a Monday morning,

and a major terrorist attack has just happened in Chicago, USA. You

have just heard about it from your colleague, who has not shared

where he/she received this information. Rate the platforms you are

likely to use first, in order to find out more about the catastrophe:

-‐Twitter

-‐ Facebook




-‐ Television

-‐ Radio

-‐YouTube

98

Results:

1st2nd

3rd4th

5th6th

7th8th

Twitter

12%8%

4%14%

4%10%

22%26%

Facebook2%

12%12%

10%20%

30%14%

0%N

ews blogs (such as The H

uffington Post)8.30%

4.20%20.80%

16.70%20.80%

12.50%8.30%

8.30%The G

uardian Website38.80%

22.40%16.30%

4.10%6.10%

8.20%2%

2%An evening new

spaper2%

8%12%

18%16%

16%14%

14%Television

35.40%25%

10.40%10.40%

4.20%4.20%

0%4.20%

Radio

4%20%

20%8%

12%12%

18%8%

YouTube0%

2%4.10%

16.30%8.20%

8.20%18.40%

36.70%

1stThe G

uardian2nd

Television3rd

New

sblogs4th

YouTube5th

Facebook6th

Radio

7thTw

itter8th

Evening New

spaper

99

4. A week after the attack, you want to find out more. First, you head to:

-‐Twitter

-‐ Facebook



-‐The Guardian print newspaper


-‐ Television

-‐ Radio

-‐ The Economist

-‐YouTube

Twitter 4%

Facebook 2%

News blogs (such as The Huffington Post) 16%

The Guardian Website 66%

The Guardian print newspaper 8%

An evening newspaper 18%

Television 14%

Radio 8%

The Economist 22%

YouTube 8%

100

5. In your opinion, what are the main elements of professional journalism?

(tick a maximum of 3)

-‐True facts. (i.e. not opinions presented as facts)

-‐ Loyalty to the citizen

-‐ Verified facts

-‐ Independence from profit and political organisations.

-‐ A forum for the public to discuss facts.

-‐ Interesting (entertaining) portrayal of information.

-‐ Comprehensive news.

-‐ Transparency (of sources, fact-‐gathering, editorial process)

-‐ Technically advanced journalists.

-‐ A strong editor.

True facts. (i.e. not opinions presented as facts) 27

Loyalty to the citizen 4

Verified facts 30

Independence from profit and political organisations. 32

A forum for the public to discuss facts. 5

Interesting (entertaining) portrayal of information. 8

Comprehensive news. 13

Transparency (of sources, fact-gathering, editorial process) 12

Technically advanced journalists. 7

A strong editor. 2

101

6. What would you consider not to be a journalistic platform? (Tick all that

apply)






-‐ WikiLeaks

-‐ These are all journalistic platforms.

The Huffington Post 3

The Economist's editor's Twitter account 10

A journalist's YouTube channel 18

A journalist's Twitter account 17

A journalist's personal blog 15

WikiLeaks 14

These are all journalistic platforms. 21

102

7. From 1-5 , how trustworthy would you rate these same platforms? (5

being the most trustworthy)






-‐ WikiLeaks

1 2 3 4 5

The Huffington Post 12.20% 16.30% 30.60% 34.70% 6.10%

The Economist's editor's Twitter account 12.00% 14.00% 38.00% 26.00% 10%

A journalist's YouTube channel 12.80% 29.80% 34.00% 21.30% 2.10%

A journalist's Twitter account 16.70% 25% 33.30% 18.80% 6.30%

A journalist's personal blog 16.00% 20.00% 36.00% 24% 4%

WIkiLeaks 10.20% 32.70% 26.50% 16.30% 14.30%

103

1 2 3 4 5

The Huffington Post 6 8 15 17 3

The Economist's editor's Twitter account 6 7 19 13 5

A journalist's YouTube channel 6 14 16 10 1

A journalist's Twitter account 8 12 16 9 3

A journalist's personal blog 8 10 18 12 2

WIkiLeaks 5 16 13 8 7

A journalist's personal blog 1

A journalist's YouTube channel 2

The Economist's editor's Twitter account 3

The Huffington Post 4

WIkiLeaks 5

104

8. Which of the following would you consider a threat to traditional

journalism? (Tick all that apply)

-‐ Twitter

-‐ Blogs

-‐ Facebook

-‐ Wikileaks

-‐ YouTube

-‐ None of the above



-‐Elitist

-‐ Complex

-‐ Declining





-‐ Irreplaceable

-‐ Intellectual

Twitter 30

Blogs 24

Facebook 21

Wikileaks 17

YouTube 16

None of the above 9

105

Elitist 3

Complex 20

Declining 15

Meaningless (to our society) 1

Important (to society) 39

Irrelevant (to our time) 0

Old-fashioned 5

Irreplaceable 18

Intellectual 23

10. Given there are millions of bloggers and Twitter accounts, who all

provide a constant flow of information, do you think professional

journalists should continue to be paid the same amount of money for their

services?

-‐ Yes

-‐No



-‐Elitist

-‐ Complex

-‐ Declining





-‐ Irreplaceable

-‐ Intellectual

Yes 92%

No 8%

106

107

Appendix 4: Focus Group Notes

The following Appendix provides detailed notes of the primary research focus

group discussion. The notes are divided into topics of discussion and include

manual notes the researcher has taken during the focus group discussion. The

focus group discussions were based on the findings of the Review of Literature

and the primary research survey results.

Topic 1. Magazines today – what needs to be changed?

Quotes

What we have got today does not seem to be enough to satisfy the public – they want more.

Participant 3

I think we have got ourselves an industry where no one really knows what they are doing.

Participant 1

People are definitely obsessed with the iPad, and with good reason.

Participant 3

Even industry specialists do not read print magazines anymore – I have not purchased one in over six months. This says something about the industry.

Participant 2

The whole issue people were talking about before, that nothing could really substitute the newsagent; that online search is not the same as you going to the shop and having a good old browse. Well, people are wrong. Nowadays, you do not even have to search for what you want – the Web knows your tastes already, thanks to open APIs and the Facebook LIKE button, for example.

Participant 4

Technology has many uses: it helps funnel a magazine's niche audience, for one.

108

Participant 3

Being changed is not the same as going away. I could wear a green sweater instead of a blue one tomorrow, it would not mean I am dead, which is what many journalists have been practically saying about magazines.

Participant 4

Gatekeeping is definitely a function that journalism must preserve – we need a metaphorical judge to tell us what is quality, true content and what is not; but its functions do not stop there. They should not stop there.

Participant 6

Topic 2. Revenue Strategies

The problem is not new technology; it is how to make money out of it.

Participant 3

I do not understand what all the fuss is about. People just need to be more creative, and find new ways to cash in.

Participant 4

I do not personally think people would spend money on consumer subscriptions – for specialist titles – maybe, but why would I want to pay for Cosmo when I could go on any beauty blog.

Participant 1

As long as there is money in the consumer’s pocket and demand for content, magazines will survive.

Participant 5

So, what are people paying for? Is it the content itself?

Participant 5

109

If I was running a magazine, I would definitely invest in having a full social media department. It is a cheap, effective way to get online popularity and is also a great revenue channel.

Participant 2

I could see tablets being a considerable part of the future, especially when discussing revenue channels, but I do not think it will be the only outlet.

Participant 1

Topic 3. The future of the magazine publishing industry in the UK

No, I do not think magazines are dying; they are just changing. There is a difference.

Participant 4

The future is in content. You provide good content – people will find a way to get it. All you need to figure out is where to present it, and how to make money out of it.

Participant 6

Digitalisation is a threat in terms of revenue channels and audience reach.

Participant 2

Digitalisation is an opportunity, not a threat.

Participant 5

Facebook and Twitter are journalistic tools indeed; I do not know why people would presume otherwise.

Participant 4

110

I do not know about speed of delivery, but I would definitely say that keeping in touch with technology is an important factor.

Participant 6

Magazines will become collectibles, or they could also become expensive specialist treats for many people.

Participant 2

Some publications are already a bit elitist, and I could definitely see how they would become more so if magazines became exclusively specialist publications.

Participant 2

The digital changes everything.

Participant 4

111

112

Appendix 5 : Platform Comparison

The following appendix includes a platform comparison table, comparing and

contrasting the websites of three different media channels: The Economist (a

magazine), The Huffington Post (an online newsblog), and The Guardian (a

newspaper). The elements include Kovach and Rosenstiel’s recommendations

for what the future journalistic platform must include.

Element

The Economist

The Huffington Post

The Guardian

Customisable Graphics N N N

Photo Galleries Y Y Y

Hyperlinks (to definitions/elaborations) N N Y

Hyperlinks (to newsmakers and organisations mentioned) N N Y

Hyperlinks (to key facts) N N Y

Interview Transcripts N Y Y

Video/Audio interviews Y Y Y

Biography of the story's author N N Y

Interactive timelines of key events N N N

Searchable databases, relevant to the story Y Y Y

FAQ (related to the story) N N N

Links to blogs and tweets, covering the story N Y Y

Invitation to crowd-source material N Y N

Feedback from users Y Y N

What can users do about issues raised in the story N N N

Buttons to share the story Y Y Y

Corrections and updates to the story, with cross outs added directly to the original text N N N

Paid-for content? Y N N

External advertisers? Y Y Y

Internal advertising? Y Y Y

Total score: 8/20 10/20 12/20

113

Appendix 6: Kovach and Rosenstiel’s elements of journalism

Journalism's first obligation is to the truth.

Its first loyalty is to citizens

Its essence is a discipline of verification

Its practioners must maintain an independence from those they cover

It must serve as an independent monitor of power

It must provide a forum for public criticism and compromise

It must strive to make the significant interesting and relevant

It must keep the news comprehensive and in proportion

Its practioners have an obligation to exercise their personal conscience

Citizens too, have rights and responsibilities when it comes to the news.

114

Education

Changing Platforms, Not Values: Is Magazine Journalism in Decline?