Message to the magazine industry-focus on storytelling

the media available to people has way outpaced the ability and willingness of publishing to keep up. The possibility of audio and video and motion graphics and Flash design have bypassed or been ignored by most publishing companies. Not that there aren't elements of those on some print publishers' websites, but the art and craft of storytelling hasn't been reinvented to incorporate those media.

It's worth a read of Jim Gaines' interview over at Media Shift as he talks about the changing environment for magazines.

The former reporter at Newsweek and later, managing editor of People, Time and Life magazines at Time Inc gives a range of view on the publishing industry.

He firmly believes that magazines have a part to play in the art of storytelling adding that

The fact that these media all co-exist in a form that's ubiquitous and becoming more mobile all the time suggests that it's manifest destiny, it's not a passing fancy. Life magazine, which I used to edit, started with photography, it started with a media form. Different kinds of storytelling follow available and compelling media. That's how television started, how radio started. I don't pretend to know all the forms it will take because the future will tell us that, and reader reactions will tell us that. As the platforms become ubiquitous, this kind of storytelling will become dominant.

New Journalists lacking some of the basics

Another interesting piece that has come out of the Society of Editors conference is the consensus that a lot of new journalists are coming into the industry without the necessary skills.

A study by the NCTJ reveals that

found that 71 per cent of employers felt there was a skills gap for journalists to work and be trained across multiple platforms.

I have to admit that I find this strange having had the multi-platform requirements literally forced down the throat whilst at UCLAN.Perhaps the journalism school is in the minority.

Of the 217 employers surveyed, 59 per cent said new entrant journalists lack sufficient video recording and editing skills, while 57 per cent found a skills gap amongst trainees in writing for search engine optimisation (SEO).

Perhaps even more worrying though is the news that

More than 200 media organisations and 50 training organisations were surveyed. The research identified a skills gap in the ability of new entrants to find and write stories, with 64 per cent of those asked highlighting it as a problem area. Use of language came in second as a trouble area with 51 per cent.
The report found that ‘old-fashioned’ skills such as gathering facts and a tight writing style were still paramount, and interviewees said that the basic journalism skills must not be lost as new skills such as video recording are taught.