Is journalism dying? It is a question worth asking as traditional media outlets grapple with savage financial cutbacks, and it also warrants the airing of a few home truths about our very own football media.
Though it’s hardly the main football story of the week – what with the Socceroos taking on Brazil and Harry Kewell being named as club captain of Melbourne Heart – there was nevertheless an interesting stoush between The Roar’s own Joe Gorman and The Age’s veteran football journalist Michael Lynch on Twitter during the week.
It seemed to start, as far as I can tell, when Lynch took umbrage at a fairly innocuous Tweet from Bonita Mersiades advertising her new Australian Football news aggregator, which prompted Gorman to aim several stinging barbs at Lynch.
Anyone who knows ‘Lynchy’ knows his quips are par for the course – he is, if nothing else, a vociferous proponent of the art of traditional news media.
Rare is the occasion when he doesn’t aim a wry “just another blogger” or “media tourist” quip at an unsuspecting newcomer to the press box, and given that his livelihood is currently under siege, it’s not hard to see why.
Though I don’t know him particularly well, I’ve got a lot of time for Lynch. He’s one of the most respected football journalists in the country and I make a point of reading his reports.
He also gave me the best career advice I’ve received to date.
Midway through writing an academic treatise, I said to him, “Lynchy, what would you do if you were in my shoes?”
“Find a copywriting job at a company that can afford to send you overseas,” he replied. “The money’s not worth it in print journalism.”
After a stressful near-12-month stint as a casual on the sports desk at a major online news outlet – the instability of which contributed directly to my marriage breakdown – I decided to take him up on his advice.
Which brings me, in a roundabout way, to the crux of the matter.
Unless you’re on staff at a major metropolitan newspaper, there is next to no money in writing about football.
To put it bluntly, I’ve earned as much in one year in my current job as I did in about five years writing freelance football articles for whatever publication would accept them.
Which can be frustrating as a person who holds degrees in History and Journalism, is bi-lingual, possesses a working knowledge of Asian football and has experience in the field.
However, the commercial reality is that newspaper advertising rates have crashed and the horse bolted long ago when it comes to monetising internet content that most readers expect for free and are unwilling to pay for.
Is journalism dying? Maybe not, but jobs in the industry are thin on the ground.
It’s led to the term “blogger” being bandied about as a pejorative term to denigrate those not working in traditional media and in many respects, I understand the sentiment.
My favourite Aussie journos – Lynch, Marco Monteverde, Ray Gatt, Phil Lutton – have all spent years building their contacts, writing to deadlines and sniffing out scoops for a mainstream newspaper audience.
Their efforts have not only been hindered by the increasing use of media department spin, they’ve also been undermined by the proliferation of niche blogs – many of which, I should stress, serve their purpose.
I’m grateful to The Roar for this paid platform, though I’m often bemused at being criticised for airing my opinion in what is, quite obviously, an opinion column.
There are arguably better writers than me putting in more effort to various blogs out there, though I’m fearful they’ll burn out once the rent cheques start coming in.
So what is one of the key differences between a journalist and a blogger in this day and age?
A living wage.
Arto
Guest
@ kellet_1992: Whilst, I can't comment on everything that eith you or Mike have written, judging by the way this discussion has gone so far, I think what he's essentially trying to tell you is that after a while people get tired of negativity and that you sound like you've got a chip on your shoulder. Then again, maybe Mike's piece was a verbal slapdown disguised as an open invitation to debate to readers who comment here - especially those who criticse him - to portray what he does as something more than the average blogger?! Regardless you sound angry, man! :-)
Seb Vettel
Guest
Modern day Journalism: Expanding rumours, making up rumours, regurgitating other articles, repeating phrases, writing bias opinions. Blogger: Pretty much the same thing without the punctuation and grammar of a Journalist.
Ben of Phnom Penh
Roar Guru
Perhaps next year, Mike, your S-Pulse will face the might of V-Varen Nagasaki and their dreaded mascot, V-V Kun
Cameron
Roar Guru
I think 'The real Kevin Rudd' takes the cake! If you haven't seen it then YouTube it.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
Not just for football fans either, it's a great time to be a supporter of any sport. The volume and variety of reporting/analysis/opinion available on all sports now is brilliant, not to mention the capacity for readers to interact in a manner previously impossible.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
Definitely it is the first and foremost concern and a big part of what makes blogging and freelancing a tough gig. As for Mr Abbott...the less said...
Cameron
Roar Guru
Enjoy your stuff Joe but don't tempt me ;)
Ian
Roar Pro
Cheers I can certainly empathize with those dedicated journalists like Mike who have done and are still doing a great service to the game I do however find most interesting, the insinuation that the "blogger" community are somewhat less "educated," especially when reading some of the quality work written by the "crowd"
Joe Gorman
Expert
hey Kellett, write what you want mate, we need more bloggers out there with balls. That's what blogging is for. And you never know where the support might come from when you do say what you think. Now I've given you my free advice, I still expect you to abuse me next post. I might even call it the 'minor premiership' just to get you going
Cameron
Roar Guru
Just my opinion. You can go back to ignoring my contributions if you like, but don't write opinion pieces if you can't take mine or anyone elses opinion. If my contributions are demeaning or derogatory in any way then im sure others will let me know. Otherwise I would say that 90% I offer something of value. If my time on the Roar affects my future ambitions then you can already put a line through that career. I'll let the person hiring me at the time decide. Great journalism or highly opinionated? They'll decide. I bet if i'm good enough, they'll take me. But no need to concern yourself with my guru written pieces which currently do nothing for me but provide an outlet to share my passion of sport.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
Sure, I appreciate that. But, I would have thought not earning an income is the biggest & most significant concern for every worker. Whilst self-employed people confront this massive pressure every day, people who are employees don't ever have to worry about this pressure ... at least not unless Tony Abbott wins tonight. ;-)
Mike Tuckerman
Expert
Mate, I've been writing this column for close to five years. In that time I've seen plenty like you come and go. And I can can guarantee that not many in the industry are impressed by those whose loudest and most frequent contributions are nothing more than complaints about others. Concentrate on your writing if you want to make it in the biz. Whether you like what I post or not is irrelevant.
Cameron
Roar Guru
Cheers Damiano, I agree whole heartedly - "... The best material on the site is usually those with blue headlines."
Cameron
Roar Guru
Oh so its only when I offer negative comments that either: 1. They get reported to mods 2. Seen by mods and deleted Or 3. I finally have some form of interaction with these experts. You put opinion pieces out there all the time and I'm sure you're well aware you cause a stir a fair bit. I don't know if its intentional or just who you are but your opinion pieces in my OPINION (remember this is an opinion based website) are bland, ask more often then not very plain questions (makes your topics just seem a quick put together so you get $) and then you add pointless but in your mind relevant points, about other sports. Stick to football. And if my aspirations to become a journalist are affected by you well then I have no hope. Btw I'm no closer to becoming a journalist then I am to writing my next article. When I write I at least try to take the time out my day to reply to those who have contributed to help you. Your writing may provoke conversation but the discussions that occur on your articles always go off topic and have people making pointless comments. My opinion, if you don't like it then lump it.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
Absolutely and that's why I had that caveat..."(aside from monetary concerns)".
asanchez
Roar Guru
An interesting article. I always enjoy Mike's articles. Looking at it from a Football supporter's perspective, thank god for the Internet and blogs coming along when they did, so people like me can read and enjoy rather than reading 25 pages of AFL/NRL in a 30 page sport lift out in any of the rags. For our sport, bloggers have paved the way for what happens today at major newspapers. I really enjoy Michael Lynch and Dave Davutovic's articles, however their hands are somewhat tied as to how much (little) space they have to work with, if and when they get a slot. The mainstream media here has been and will always be the same, they'll never bite the hand that feeds them! There's always self interests at play. This is something that an online blogger doesn't have to worry about, they can write 100% what they feel, with no restrictions. Our presence and profile has grown in the mainstream media in the last few years, with Lynch, Davutovic, Gatt, Hasset, Smithies, Monteverde, Foster and others writing articles and growing their own careers. This will only get bigger now that SBS will play games on FTA. I can't help but think that the bloggers of yesterday helped make the game what it is in the media today. So for me, there's not many differences between bloggers and journalists, but with bloggers there's no politics or bullshit attached!!
ciudadmarron
Guest
Good post Ian. As the almighty dollar squeezes the journos and their employers fail to adapt more and more we see lazy journalism using (funnily enough) blogs etc to source their information because they don't have the time given what they are expected to do to do a good job. The difference should be accountability, but there seems to be less and less (or it is enforced less anyway) in the world of journalism. A blog to me is a soapbox - it's just that many more people can hear your ramblings - and yes in many cases they are just as (or more!) accurate and well-researched as traditional news sources - but the accountability level remains the same. The LCD doesn't necessarily know the difference either...
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
"bloggers operate under next to no pressure (aside from monetary concerns)." As someone, who has worked as an employee - in the super-competitive environments of investment bank & management consulting - and, who is now self-employed... ... I can assure you there is no greater pressure, or stress, in life than not knowing if/when you will receive your next dollar.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
The big difference for me - having worked for 9 years at daily newspapers and currently as a part-time blogger and freelance writer for newspapers while backpacking the world - is that bloggers operate under next to no pressure (aside from monetary concerns). As a reporter at a big daily newspaper there is fierce competition with the other major outlets and at any given moment one of your competitors may be out getting the scoop which will see you get absolutely reamed by your bosses. You have to be across every single story and issue in your round and have a huge range of contacts and even then you can still be scooped and receive the subsequent blast from your boss through no fault or laziness on your part, merely because your competitor pulled off a coup or had a lucky break. From my perspective, blogging is stress-free in comparison to working in the mainstream media.
Damiano
Guest
You do know, given your vocation, where you speak to, and get feedback from the public, you will be subject to the positve and the negative? I gather from your comments to Kellett, the message, is be quiet or it's bad for your career, and to me, to politely shut up. Seems a little bullish from one, who by the nature of their job, should develop a thick skin. You are quite right, I've left a number of negative comments, perhaps a bit over the top.Fair enough, but those like me are a valuable commodity on the Roar, I've chosen to lend the site my eyeballs, and become engaged in the discussion, both activities central to their business model. I'm sorry, I've made comments which were personal. I should not have done so, my apologies. When you write an article detailing your existentialist crisis about the direction of your writing career (which, to my admiration, you've been paid for), then expect some feedback about your career as a writer. So, I put it you again, as one of those in the rare position of being a journalist engaged to write about Football in this country, use this power you have. Advance the game with the power you have. Resist the urge to sensationalise or demonise other codes. Aspire to do something excellent for the game, my feedback has been , so far, I don't see it.