Media Quotes of the Week: From the crisis facing jobs in journalism to how Prince Andrew tried to influence the Financial Times' coverage of Dubai

Lauren Harris in the Columbia Journalism Review on the crisis facing journalism in the US: "For those reporters now unemployed, job prospects are grim. According to a September report by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, while employment across all occupations is projected to grow by four percent over the next ten years, employment in journalism is projected to decline by eleven percent. The crisis is not going away...The crisis has been happening for years. Like a frog boiled slowly, we’ve allowed ourselves to adjust to the calamity, again and again. But emphasizing survival over dwindling capacity hurts the industry, and hurts the people who keep it alive."

• The Journalism Crisis Project has set its sights on finding and elevating possible solutions to the challenges that face the press in 2020. It aims to focus on the present crisis, tallying lost jobs and outlets and fostering a conversation about what comes next.

John Pienaar in The Sunday Times [£]: "In 40 years of reporting and broadcasting about politics, daily and most weekends, I’ve never known a time when rational, mature leadership has been more needed and yet been so wretchedly absent."

Jim Waterson in the Guardian on the fake Woolworths story sparked by a Twitter account: "The person who duped many of the UK’s leading news outlets into running stories wrongly claiming Woolworths was returning to the high street can be revealed as a 17-year-old sixth-form student from York...The sixth former told the Guardian they had been practising skills learned while taking a course in digital marketing as part of their business A-level: “The experiment wasn’t meant to get that big … but thanks to the media and over 5,000 followers, the story got big and it spread further.”

Sean O'Neill in The Times [£]:  "Journalists will be protected by new laws that require social media companies to take responsibility for threats and abusive material on their platforms. Ministers have established a national committee for the safety of journalists in the face of increased hostility. Ministers are about to publish plans for legislation to tackle online hatred. John Whittingdale, junior minister at the department of culture, media and sport, said: 'The need for accurate and trusted news has never been greater, yet attacks against journalists and the vital work they do are increasing'.”

i editor Olly Duff, interviewed on Press Gazette: I’m optimistic for the future in terms of the appeal of print newspapers: they are tactile, curated, finishable, there’s an element of serendipity, they’re full of surprise… and it’s community as well – a group of like-minded people who gather every day, united by their curiosity. Papers will continue to evolve but they will be an important part of publishers’ portfolios for a long time to come."

David Higgerson on his blog: "To be fair, the Government has done a lot to help keep regional media upright during the pandemic, with a major advertising campaign. Now the spirit which made them step in with advertising needs to be applied to the way Government deals with local media on daily basis: The government might have lost step with large parts of the country, but local media hasn’t – as borne out by the relative reslience of print sales during the pandemic, and the remarkable loyal online audience growth seen in many places too."

Ian Hislop in The Times [£]: "When I became editor of Private Eye at 25, lots of middle-aged men were furious. Now I’m a ghastly middle-aged man myself and I think, 'They were right. How annoying'.”

Carole Cadwalladr on Twitter: "So. I’m in court again tomorrow. Because someone I investigated & reported on & who was subsequently found to have broken the law has decided to make me pay. For the crime of doing journalism...Clarification. I really didn’t mean that to sound like a bad Aaron Sorkin take or ‘I wield the sword of truth!’ type thing. It’s just literally true. I am *literally* being sued for doing my job. And I do literally face losing my home because of the state of Britain’s libel laws."

Grant Woodthorpe, executive director – investment at Mail Metro Media, on the launch of ECO2, a a carbon neutral, biodegradable green zine produced biannually in association with the Daily Mail, quoted by Newsworks: “We know that ECO2 will be an important editorial contribution to the fight against environmental change and will give advertisers a safe, positive environment in which to show their eco-credibility to Daily Mail’s keenly environmentally-conscious audience.”

Ian Murray, executive director of the Society of Editors, in a statement after police dropped the investigation into Darren Grimes controversial interview with historian David Starkey: “The Society welcomes the decision by Scotland Yard to drop the investigation into Darren Grimes. The investigation should never have taken place and, as the Society previously warned, it posed a serious threat to free speech and could have had a chilling effect on the media’s ability to interview controversial figures.”

Extract from former Financial Times editor Lionel Barber's diary published in the FT: "In 2009, the FT’s reporting from Dubai incurred the wrath of the authorities, prompting an unusual intervention by telephone from Prince Andrew, then the UK’s trade envoy, to my office. 

HRH the Duke of York: “Your man in Dubai, Simon Carr, is causing a lot of trouble.” 

LB: “You mean Simeon Kerr.” 

HRH: “Yes, Simon Kerr . . . Look, I’m just passing on a message . . . your man is causing a lot of problems.” 

LB: “Have you read any of Simeon’s articles from Dubai?” 

HRH: “No. Of course not.” 

LB: “Well, I’ve read every word that Simeon Kerr has written about Dubai and I don’t see a problem . .. ” 

The conversation ended shortly thereafter."

[£]=paywall

Media Quotes of the Week: From Coronavirus crisis could kill papers when they are most needed to an astonishing double byline in The Times

Jane Martinson in the Guardian: "For many of the least secure newspaper titles, especially local papers in the US and UK, the virus could sound the death knell after years of struggle. The question is whether the pandemic will lead to the death of print itself? That this is even being contemplated at a time when the need and demand for news and information is at an all-time high is the great, somewhat heartbreaking, paradox of an industry that should provide a public as well as private good."

HoldTheFrontPage reports: "Newsquest has announced it is placing a “significant number” of employees on leave through the government’s Coronavirus job retention scheme, which will see those affected receive 80pc of their basic salary, while it will also implement a 15pc wage cut for other staff earning more than £18k from 1 April."

• Chris Morley, Newsquest NUJ national coordinator in a statement: "Clearly there are massive changes around us brought on by the crisis enveloping the world as a result of Covid-19. But Newsquest’s harsh and knee-jerk response came without warning to staff struggling with their important work in incredibly difficult circumstances."

Press Gazette reports: "JPI Media has suspended 12 local print titles amid a “substantial reduction” in advertising and concerns over home deliveries under extreme measures imposed to slow the spread of the Coronavirus. Seven paid-for newspapers, one magazine title and four free newspapers will stop printing from Monday, 30 March. Areas affected include Bedfordshire, Sussex and the North East. "

The Impartial Reporter deputy editor Rodney Edwards on Twitter: "I would respectfully suggest that @niexecutive steps in to help NI newspapers struggling at this time. A drop in advertising revenue and sales means only one thing — newspapers here will die. Once they are gone, they are gone. Never has trusted news been more important than now."

HoldTheFrontPage reports: "The regional press industry has sent a united message of solidarity to the nation with more than 60 titles publishing identical front pages headlined: “When you’re on your own, we are there with you.” Archant, Reach plc, JPIMedia, Newsquest and Iliffe Media have joined forces to launch the #ThereWithYou campaign reassuring readers that their local title is there to support them in challenging times."

Dan Hodges on Twitter: "Journalists get a lot of stick. Justifiably in some cases. But you can't produce an entire paper remotely. And there are a lot of hacks, editors, subs, support staff, etc working away today making sure a free press doesn't become the latest victim of this virus. Spare a thought."

President Trump at a White House briefing on Coronavirus, as reported by CNN: "We were very prepared. The only thing we weren't prepared for was the -- the media. The media has not treated it fairly."

Trump replying to NBC reporter Peter Alexander, who asked what his message would be to Americans who are frightened by the coronavirus pandemic: "I say that you are a terrible reporter. That's what I say. That's a really nasty question and I think that’s a very bad signal that you’re putting out to the American people. That's really bad reporting. And you ought to get back to reporting instead of sensationalism."

The International Federation of Journalists in a statement: “The control over information by the Chinese authorities at this time is highly concerning. The IFJ reaffirms that the access to public information is critical, particularly during the public health crisis we are currently facing. The IFJ urges the Chinese authorities to consider its country’s place in the global community and the need for free flow of vital information at this unprecedented time.”

EU report, leaked to the Guardian: “Pro-Kremlin media outlets have been prominent in spreading disinformation about the Coronavirus, with the aim to aggravate the public health crisis in western countries, specifically by undermining public trust in national healthcare systems,”

Former Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger on Twitter after sharing a joint byline with Jonathan Aitken: "Miracles do happen. The most unlikely double byline in history? ⁦@ChtyCommission⁩ (from today’s Times)."

Jonathan Aitken's failed libel action against the Guardian in 1997 led to him being jailed for perjury and perverting the course of justice. When Aitken launched his libel action he claimed to be fighting "the cancer of bent and twisted journalism in our country with the simple sword of truth." The case collapsed when the Guardian proved Aitken had lied.

Media Quotes of the Week: Is Facebook a friend or foe to local journalism? to if you do enough business with the US you can murder journalists

David Higgerson, chief audience officer at Reach, in a statement on the plan to create 80 community journalsts via the Community News Project, funded with £4.5 million from Facebook: “This project is a fantastic way of increasing the number of stories published that would otherwise not be covered. The funding will help us pioneer new ways of local news gathering and distributing stories to underserved communities. It will help us increase newsroom diversity and inclusion and the publishers are pleased to be working with the NCTJ to recruit, train and qualify the community journalists.”

The Sunday Times [£] reporting the Facebook deal: "A senior industry source said it was a “dishonest” ploy to fend off the threat of tighter regulation at very little cost, adding: “Be honest about it, if you’re going to do it — just buy these papers. Local newspapers have seen readership and advertising revenues destroyed by the rise of Silicon Valley giants such as Facebook, Google and eBay. The strain on the industry was underscored on Friday when Johnston Press collapsed into administration."

Rory Cellan-Jones on BBC News: "A couple of years ago, many news organisations "pivoted" to video, convinced by Facebook that this was the route to huge audiences and revenues. Now many video journalists have been laid off after the crowds and the cash failed to materialise. At the beginning of this year, the News Feed was revamped to favour posts and videos from your friends and family, rather than those from businesses and news organisations. Facebook may aspire to boost the local content its users see, but right now regional newspaper groups don't appear to be benefitting. Any journalist will welcome the recruitment of 80 new community reporters, but unless their stories reach plenty of Facebook users and advertisers, this initiative could prove to be another blind alley."

Tom Watson@tom_watson on Twitter on Facebook: "When 250 local newspapers and their staff pensions are in jeopardy, this tax-avoiding, data crime-ridden monopoly, whose chief exec is too arrogant to appear before the DCMS Select Committee and parliaments around the world, responds...with a fig leaf."

More

Richard Parkinson @parkyrich on Twitter: "The #JohnstonPress quick change act leaves me with mixed feelings: huge relief that former colleagues still have their jobs tomorrow; anger that pensioners & shareholders were made to pay for this; uncertainty that a US hedge fund is really interested in running local newspapers."

Michelle Stanistreet, NUJ general secretary, in a statement on Johnston Press going into administration: “We welcome the commitments made by the current management of Johnston Press that no jobs will be lost in this process and the terms and conditions of staff are protected. However, we have significant concerns about what the long-term intentions of the newly-created company will be...Forcing the pension scheme into the PPF is a terrible blow for all of those members of the scheme and their future retirement plans, whilst the new owners are rewarded with a company free of its responsibilities and obligations to its pension fund.”

Frank Field MP, quoted by HoldTheFrontPage: “In particular, it would be helpful to have an explanation of why it was not possible to find a solution that would have avoided the pension scheme entering the PPF. It is difficult to understand why it is possible for JPIMedia to acquire the business, no doubt in the expectation of generating a profit from it, but without taking any responsibility for its pension scheme."

• The FT reports: "The Pension Protection Fund is expected to lodge a claim of £305m with Johnston Press’s administrators amid concern that its pension scheme was not treated appropriately when the newspaper group went into administration."

More

David Yelland @davidyelland on Twitter: "PM backed and centre ground held by Daily Mail and Daily Express for third day on trot. Extraordinary. Brexit lunatics like Rees-Mogg and Boris have lost middle England, these papers might yet back a People’s Vote...‘Fleet Street’ Brexit editors are uniting to put out the flames their own papers set on fire.... I have never seen days like these. There is hope for the PM."

Allison Pearson @allisonpearson on Twitter: "Readers of @DailyMailUK have figured out their paper no longer agrees with them on Brexit. They are Very Cross... Interesting to see the next circulation figures.."

Will Hutton @williamnhutton on Twitter: "It's time to call out the British right for their casual use of pernicious derogatory, excessive language. Andrew Neil on Carol Cadwalladr: “mad cat lady”.J Rees-Mogg on the May deal:”slavery”. Not only wrong, but carriers of a degradation of our political & journalistic culture."

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders in a statement after Judge Timothy Kelly issued a temporary restraining order forcing the White House to reinstate CNN correspondent Jim Acosta’s press credentials: "In response to the court, we will temporarily reinstate the reporter’s hard pass. We will also further develop rules and processes to ensure fair and orderly press conferences in the future. There must be decorum at the White House.”

President Trump in a statement: "We may never know all of the facts surrounding the murder of Mr. Jamal Khashoggi. In any case, our relationship is with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. They have been a great ally in our very important fight against Iran. The United States intends to remain a steadfast partner of Saudi Arabia to ensure the interests of our country, Israel and all other partners in the region.

Joel Simon executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists @pressfreedom on Twitter: "If you boil the White House statement down to its essence, President Trump has just asserted that if you do enough business with the U.S., you are free to murder journalists. That's an appalling message to send to Saudi Arabia and the world."

Washington Post publisher Fred Ryan in a statement: “President Trump’s response to the brutal murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi is a betrayal of long-established American values of respect for human rights and the expectation of trust and honesty in our strategic relationships. He is placing personal relationships and commercial interests above American interests in his desire to continue to do business as usual with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia...President Trump is correct in saying the world is a very dangerous place. His surrender to this state-ordered murder will only make it more so. An innocent man, brutally slain, deserves better, as does the cause of truth and justice and human rights."

 [£]=paywall

Media Quotes of the Week: From don't give up on print to the real steps the digital giants can take to combat fake news, hate speech and propaganda

Newspaper and magazine designer Mario Garcia on his blog: "Don’t give up on print, simply place it where it belongs: not as protagonist but as a strong secondary player. Don’t come to work in the newsroom each day anticipating the death of print, because chances are that you will die first."

David Higgerson on his blog: "Digital is not replacing all of the money being lost in print. But it does contribute many many millions, and publishers which focus on driving audiences, and understanding those audiences, will be the ones who secure more revenue now and in the future...Regularly, the strong online audience performances regional publishers report are mocked by commenters on sites such as Holdthefrontpage and Press Gazette. But those publishers are in a far better place in terms of revenue – and therefore cash to support journalism – than if they persisted with early 2000s strategies of trying to strangle digital presence to force readers into print. For all we want to believe it, there is no evidence anywhere that investment in newspapers, or holding back digital, drives up revenue or newspaper sales."

Minister for Digital Matt Hancock in a speech at the UK Internet Governance Forum: "The impact of the digital disruption is far reaching. Our world beating music industry has, over a long and painful time, discovered in streaming a new business model that appears to be sustainable and bearing fruit. Yet the news media, and the high quality journalism that provides such a vital public service, has yet to find such a sustainable business model, and we must work together to get there."

Woman in Journalism in a new report revealing male bylines still dominate national press front pages: "At Women in Journalism, we believe that democracy can only flourish when the mirror the media holds up to society provides a true reflection; we argue today that because of the lack of diversity in British newspapers the lens we hold up to society is a distorted one. Society sees itself not as it is, but through the prism of a predominantly old, white, male gaze. This puts half the population at a disadvantage – and, at its worst, can put women off entering public life."

Robert Shrimsley ‏on Twitter: "So Boris resorting to the classic 'I don't write the headlines' defence. Well fair play to him, I don't suppose he painted the bus either."

Sydney Ember in the New York Times: "The potential sale of Rolling Stone — on the eve of its 50th anniversary, no less — underscores how inhospitable the media landscape has become as print advertising and circulation have dried up."

Polly Toynbee in the Guardian: "Mounting abuse of the BBC could in the end destroy it: it only survives on the trust and affection of most citizens. Those on the left joining in the attack, dismissing the BBC as part of an “MSM” plot, fuel the right’s aim to dismantle and privatise it."

David Aaronovitch in The Times [£]: "A lot of the stories on sites like The Canary and Skwawkbox are “isn’t life crap under the Tories” offerings, frequently picking up mainstream media items. You also get the occasional straightforward conspiracy theory. But one of the biggest attractions is calling out the BBC for being rigged against the left. That always gets attention, for in the demonology of these sites the BBC or The Times are in on the plot. Never mind the Daily Mail, the Laura Kuenssbergs of this world are the true villains. If you want a revolution and you don’t want too many awkward questions asked about it, you don’t just ignore what you call the conventional media. You try to destroy its reputation. In fact you must make your battle against it one of the centrepieces of your struggle."

Birmingham Mail NUJ chapel statement on plans to cut 10 more editorial jobs: "Our editor Marc Reeves likes to refer to the Birmingham Mail as a ‘house that’s on fire’. There is no doubt he has poured petrol on that house this week...This operation has been run on the fumes of goodwill for too long. That goodwill has been extinguished. In light of this the Chapel has taken a vote of no confidence in the editor or the vague proposals being made. If compulsory redundancies are threatened by management on Monday, we will immediately ballot for industrial action over these forced job losses, low staffing levels and high workloads."

Christopher Williams in the Sunday Telegraph: "The owner of the Evening Standard has made an approach to buy the Metro newspaper from the publisher of the Daily Mail, as media barons jockey for position in an industry merger melee. Evgeny Lebedev, the 37-year-old owner of the London freesheet edited by former chancellor George Osborne, is understood to be keen to add the Metro to his stable to drive cost savings and expansion outside the capital. Industry sources said Mr Lebedev aimed to use the Metro’s nationwide distribution network to launch regional versions of the Evening Standard."

Financial Times reports: "Lord Rothermere, the chairman of Daily Mail and General Trust, has told staff at the UK media group that it is 'not actively considering any change to the ownership' of its free daily title Metro."

Financial Times editor Lionel Barber, in a lecture on fake news to Oxford Alumni Festival: "So what is to be done about the fake news phenomenon and the collateral damage to quality journalism? First, the dominant technology sites must recognise they need to take more responsibility for the content which appears on their sites, not just fake news but also hate speech and extremist propaganda. Second, they must drop the pretence that they are simply platforms and channels for publishers’ rather than media companies themselves. They have fast become the main source of news for significant portions of society. The reality is that they are influencing or even deciding via algorithms what information is consumed."

[£]=paywall

Media Quotes of the Week: From confronting the London Bridge terrorists to the 'tactile pleasure' of a new newspaper defying the digital age

Sunday Express journalist Geoff Ho on confronting the London Bridge terrorists, as reported by Press Gazette: “I had to shield my friends and the people there. Then I noticed they had what looked like suicide vests on. I tried to slow them, they attacked. It happened so quickly. The bastard in the Arsenal shirt came at me first. I think I got a hit in on one of them, but either he or his accomplice got me with a shot to the throat. They got my friend who was behind me with a minor stab wound in the face and hands and ran off. I picked up my friend and bundled him into the store room. I called the police and within moments they arrived. I gave the police descriptions of the three and we were evacuated.”

The Society of Editors in a statement: “The confirmation by Labour and the Liberal Democrats that they would fully commence Section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act if elected is extremely disappointing. While both parties have given assurances that they value the freedom of the press and the media’s important role in a democratic society their position on Section 40, an appalling piece of legislation, is in direct conflict with this."

Daily Mail in a leader on the BBC: "We have expressed our admiration before for the neutrality and objectivity of the corporation's journalists in the lead-up to the EU referendum. Sadly, it is difficult to apply either word to its election coverage. The truth is the tone and texture of so much BBC output, whether comedy shows or current affairs programmes, betrays a distinctly anti-Tory tinge. Normally, this paper doesn't approve of politicians complaining about the BBC, but in this instance, Downing Street is absolutely right to register a formal protest."

Emily Thornberry answering a question from The Times' political editor Francis Elliott, as reported by Press Gazette:  “Alright, alright, everybody no, no, no, come on…we all agree we should have a free press, they should be allowed to ask questions, no matter how stupid [cheers and applause] and shouldn’t be booed, sorry Francis…”

David Higgerson on his blog suggests local press should endorse political parties: "In some ways, journalism and democracy hug the same iceberg. The less people are engaged in democracy, the less likely they are to value our work. Taking a neutral standpoint might avoid tricky conversations with people who disagree, but at least we’d be playing a more active role in democracy – advising people based on our research, our knowledge and our passion for our local areas. Daily, I see reporters expressing political opinions on Twitter and Facebook, because they are human beings. It does not call into question the ability of their titles to be fair and balanced? I don’t think so. There would be flack, there would be stick, and there probably would be abuse. But journalism will only survive if it gets better at being part of an ongoing conversation."

David Barnett in the Independent on 'death knocking': "So why do newspapers do it? For the human interest stories, of course. Tragedies sell papers, get clicks. But also because it can be a form of public service, done right – the number of calls and notes journalists get thanking them for the results of their death knocks are testimony to that. For every Twitter thread complaining about journalistic practices and harassment, there will be many more people who felt that they were perhaps allowed some closure through speaking to a reporter."

Greg Gianforte, the Montana Republican representative, who assaulted Guardian journalist Ben Jacobs (above), in a letter of apology:  “My physical response to your legitimate question was unprofessional, unacceptable, and unlawful. As both a candidate for office and a public official, I should be held to a high standard in my interactions with the press and the public. My treatment of you did not meet that standard...I made a mistake and humbly ask for your forgiveness.” 

• Gianforte has also agreed to donate $50,000 to the Committee to Protect Journalists. 

Jailed Turkish journalist Tunca Ogreten in a letter to The Sunday Times [£] from his cell: “I’m in prison because I ask questions, investigate the things that the public should know, I’m in prison because I did what a journalist must do.”

The Times [£] on its new Irish print edition: "The Times is delighted to display its own confidence in the republic’s future by launching an Ireland print edition, starting today. It will join our digital version of the paper that has been published since 2015 and will sit alongside the Irish edition of our sister paper, The Sunday Times. Some thought that the rise of digital media would kill print as a medium, but new ventures such as this give lie to such gloomy prophecies. Demand for the unique, tactile pleasure of leafing through a newspaper has proven robust."


[£]=paywall