No visibility
Posted on | October 22, 2012 | 2 Comments
How can we ever interest journalists and so-called “opinion-formers” in the maritime industry? It is a question that arises quite often, but no satisfactory answer ever emerges. Perhaps you can offer them prizes and awards for brilliant writing about our industry? After all, “Travel Writer or Financial Writer of the Year” seems to attract kudos.
Sorry, but it doesn’t seem to work. After having been a judge on one of these schemes for some years and seeing the downward spiral of interest in shipping in the marine industry in both national and provincial newspapers, I’m sure of it. Sure, the rare disaster sparks a nine day wonder amid the disaster junkies, except that it rarely seems to last nine days, and just occasionally, a financial journalist will make a foray into shipping, usually in the wake of a spectacular bankruptcy, or the emergence of terrible trade figures. But the only full press conference I recall in recent years was after a car carrier turned over, and the participants were all motoring journalists.
Back one of these hacks into a corner and ask him or her why they won’t write about what seems to us the most fascinating industry in the world and they will be apologetic, noting that if they turn up with a shipping story it will be instantly spiked. So why would they ever bother to write one, or even follow up a maritime lead? You go for what will bring you brownie points in the Editor’s eyes. “Money and markets” are what causes the news editor’s eyes to brighten which is why even our so called maritime publications are boring us witless, their staff oblivious to the extraordinary technology, the brilliant designs and the magic and mystery of ships as they shout about the significance of an imperceptible movement in the BFI. Yawn.
We all know the logical consequence of this failure to shift shipping out of the pages of the “enthusiast” magazines into the mainstream. It is a sad and everlasting lack of public awareness, that manifests itself in a failure to connect with politics, which leaves the industry floundering on the fringes of neglect, always on the defensive. And if there is no awareness, why would the brightest and best ever choose shipping as a career, afloat or ashore, even though it is arguably one of the most essential of industries, and a lot more fun than sitting grimly in a merchant bank, moving other people’s money around. Suggestions would be welcome.
Comments
2 Responses to “No visibility”
Leave a Reply
October 23rd, 2012 @ 8:32 pm
You’re more right than you know. That is, what you’re seeing with shipping applies to countless industry verticals – less and less profitability kills professional journalism.
The professional journalists are left fleeing to the places that will pay them, and the beats that those places want covered.
October 23rd, 2012 @ 9:18 pm
I agree with much of the above, although the “brownie points” point is a bit below the collective belt – reporters have very little control over what news editors want in the newsrooms these days. I don’t think news editors do either, by the way.
A few root causes, in no particular order: lack of investment by trade publishing companies in editorial staff – it’s tough when you have fewer and fewer peers to spur one on; to compete with and cooperate with. That leads to a vicious circle – hacks become disillusioned and – frankly – bored, as they become more overworked, leading to lower quality journalism, which ultimately depresses subscription and ad revenues leading to less investment, which in turns leads to the same again… and so it goes
Also, lack of interest in engaging with the press from large parts of the shipping world. Having covered shipping, logistics and air freight, I know that shipping lines can be really hard to deal with. There’s a barrier to entry in shipping which makes it much harder for the national press to penetrate the maritime world. And the nationals are suffering much the same issue of lack of resources that our sector is.
There are other, wider, social factors, beyond shipping journalism, too many to go into now (I’ve a feature on exploding reefers to file for pete’s sake) but I would end with a question for you: what sector/type of journalism being practised today has the sort of standards which you think we should be aspiring to?