Great interview, Meghan's experience with moving from print to online journalism resonated with me. it used to be that rich kids wanted to be journalists for the access to showbiz parties. Now they want to be influencers as well.
One time in the 1990's I managed to get a 'plus six' for all of my friends into a Sneaker Pimps gig. It was all downhill from there, as far as freebies were concerned, because when I became a full-time journalist I had a policy of not accepting any. A less conscientious friend of mine got an all-expenses-paid trip from London to New York on the pretext of reviewing a Lexmark laser printer.
Fascinating. It just occurs to me now that I’m living an almost ad-free life, and I hadn’t even thought about the massive shift that represents. I would read a long form article examining all this, but I suppose you could only publish it on Substack.
Back in the days when you could buy a wide variety of print magazines from a Barnes & Noble, unless you had a huge trust fund (like The Guardian) you were dependent on advertisers and their reader offers to cover the up-front costs of layout, printing and distribution. If you made money from readers buying copies then you could pay writers as well. One magazine I worked on almost full-time for seven years had copies printed in the UK, put on a ship and sold in California for example, which costs a lot.
IBM's advertising buyers told us that they weren't interested in supporting a magazine for average computer users, they wanted to reach professionals, decision-makers with budgets to spend. That aligned with our vision and so IBM bought regular advertising at full price, and also booked large stands at the trade shows we organised which covered venue costs. As a start-up, we of course gained huge credibility from having IBM's backing.
So it's not just the content that advertisers influence, it's the direction of the publication from day one. I doubt the digital publishing space is much different.
Great story! I’d like to say I would have had your ethical scruples but all I know is I would have put that printer through the paces: A5 envelopes, peel & stick labels, 2 sides collated… What I don’t get is: what did the magazines gain from burning time and cash like that?
The magazines never paid for those trips, the advertisers did. In this example, Lexmark (the printer division spun off from IBM) wanted a favourable review, in order to tempt Mac users away from their Apple LaserWriters. The more boring the product, the greater inducement that was required for the journalists to write about it. Another perk was what I would call 'mutual support'. If a manufacturer was keen on your magazine, they would buy double-page adverts at rate card price, instead of haggling for every half-page like everyone else. Another time I organised a really positive interview article about a processor, without any thought of a kickback, and later the manufacturer sponsored a software non-profit I was involved in. It wasn't hype on my part; the processor was actually a game-changer and the rest of the industry followed.
Just finished. Such a great discussion. I was shocked to hear that you (Jenny) don’t have more in-depth intellectual discussions in real life. I can’t imagine you not constantly being involved in debates and witty repartee
You both sold me on the unspeakeasy!
And I agree - with, as you noted, much nuance needed, we do need to hash out the “over-feminization” of the current culture. (And by feminization, I am not just speaking of women - but of what we consider “feminine ideals.”)
Thanks for the compliment, H'esq! Yes to your other points, but I think we'll need to frame it as something more gender neutral unless we want to suffer social death as well as death of the message! 'Stop being such a girl' will land about as well as 'curb your whiteness,' lol. The irony, right? I mean: we both have daughters we wish would start acting like girls.
Your point is important but courageous people like Helen Joyce wrote about gender anyway even though she was an editor at The Economist. She has said that it comes down to massive cowardice.
It also comes down to being British (or Irish, in HJ's case, but working in London) vs. being American, sorry to say. We have courageous journalists too, but they've all been relegated to Substack.
Great interview, Meghan's experience with moving from print to online journalism resonated with me. it used to be that rich kids wanted to be journalists for the access to showbiz parties. Now they want to be influencers as well.
She's described that need-to-be-invited-to-the-party as one of the most powerful perverse incentives in publishing. I don't doubt it.
One time in the 1990's I managed to get a 'plus six' for all of my friends into a Sneaker Pimps gig. It was all downhill from there, as far as freebies were concerned, because when I became a full-time journalist I had a policy of not accepting any. A less conscientious friend of mine got an all-expenses-paid trip from London to New York on the pretext of reviewing a Lexmark laser printer.
Fascinating. It just occurs to me now that I’m living an almost ad-free life, and I hadn’t even thought about the massive shift that represents. I would read a long form article examining all this, but I suppose you could only publish it on Substack.
Back in the days when you could buy a wide variety of print magazines from a Barnes & Noble, unless you had a huge trust fund (like The Guardian) you were dependent on advertisers and their reader offers to cover the up-front costs of layout, printing and distribution. If you made money from readers buying copies then you could pay writers as well. One magazine I worked on almost full-time for seven years had copies printed in the UK, put on a ship and sold in California for example, which costs a lot.
IBM's advertising buyers told us that they weren't interested in supporting a magazine for average computer users, they wanted to reach professionals, decision-makers with budgets to spend. That aligned with our vision and so IBM bought regular advertising at full price, and also booked large stands at the trade shows we organised which covered venue costs. As a start-up, we of course gained huge credibility from having IBM's backing.
So it's not just the content that advertisers influence, it's the direction of the publication from day one. I doubt the digital publishing space is much different.
Great story! I’d like to say I would have had your ethical scruples but all I know is I would have put that printer through the paces: A5 envelopes, peel & stick labels, 2 sides collated… What I don’t get is: what did the magazines gain from burning time and cash like that?
The magazines never paid for those trips, the advertisers did. In this example, Lexmark (the printer division spun off from IBM) wanted a favourable review, in order to tempt Mac users away from their Apple LaserWriters. The more boring the product, the greater inducement that was required for the journalists to write about it. Another perk was what I would call 'mutual support'. If a manufacturer was keen on your magazine, they would buy double-page adverts at rate card price, instead of haggling for every half-page like everyone else. Another time I organised a really positive interview article about a processor, without any thought of a kickback, and later the manufacturer sponsored a software non-profit I was involved in. It wasn't hype on my part; the processor was actually a game-changer and the rest of the industry followed.
Just finished. Such a great discussion. I was shocked to hear that you (Jenny) don’t have more in-depth intellectual discussions in real life. I can’t imagine you not constantly being involved in debates and witty repartee
You both sold me on the unspeakeasy!
And I agree - with, as you noted, much nuance needed, we do need to hash out the “over-feminization” of the current culture. (And by feminization, I am not just speaking of women - but of what we consider “feminine ideals.”)
Thanks for the compliment, H'esq! Yes to your other points, but I think we'll need to frame it as something more gender neutral unless we want to suffer social death as well as death of the message! 'Stop being such a girl' will land about as well as 'curb your whiteness,' lol. The irony, right? I mean: we both have daughters we wish would start acting like girls.
I love the ending!
I'm also fascinated that she thinks women are the driving force behind cancel culture.
Thanks for going the distance! I'm curious about your reaction to Meghan's opinion about women and cancel culture: do you disagree?
I neither agree nor disagree. I simply never thought of it.
Your point is important but courageous people like Helen Joyce wrote about gender anyway even though she was an editor at The Economist. She has said that it comes down to massive cowardice.
It also comes down to being British (or Irish, in HJ's case, but working in London) vs. being American, sorry to say. We have courageous journalists too, but they've all been relegated to Substack.