and finally Get a good job – if you’re rich enough


Chris Proctor ponders the future cost of trying to break into journalism


I


t’s easier to get into a Hatton Garden safe deposit than to get into journalism these days. In fact, undertaking a major robbery might be a prudent first


step to becoming a scrivener, because it is a distinct advantage to be well off before you start looking for work. You see, not only do they not want to pay you – they may even want you to pay them. I can see a future where media jobs are offered for auction like any other coveted object. “Occupations in the media” could go under the hammer with Cartier watches and Kensington properties. I have a vision of a well-presented lady mounting the rostrum and beginning her description of the first lot … “Today’s first item consists of the attractive post


of ‘general reporter’ with the prestigious Nikkei consortium. Based in London, it features a 40-hour week, a staff canteen and free use of the telephone, and is available for a six-month period. We have a lot of interest in this one, with several bids on the internet, so I’ll start off with £1,000. Do I see any advance? Yes! The gentleman at the back with the Etonian tie and the bulging wallet … Oh! You’ve all got Etonian ties and bulging wallets!” Afterwards, the auctioneer will confide, “These items don’t come up very often. They are a niche market, usually purchased as birthday gifts by families wanting to get the children out of the manor.” Do television jobs ever come up? “Not on a


normal sale day. They feature in the select, high- value catalogues along with the Titians and inlaid Florentine ebony chests.” She pauses. “No riff raff.” Between lots, I will interview aspiring journalists,


discovering some who are new to the process and terribly naive. “I realise now that no employer is prepared to go to the expense of letting you work for nothing. It’s obvious to them that you should make a contribution,” says one.


First-time visitors will be recognisable from the large bundles of certificates under their arms. In brief – sad cases. Many media studies qualifications


are as useful as a biro at a jousting tournament. College prospectuses frequently mention that their graduates are pursuing careers in media research, publishing and film production. They tend not to stress that the majority are engaged in selling warm burgers or cold calling to sell mobile phones. Undoubtedly, the virtual world is a place to look for an entry into journalism. The good ne is an ever-expanding number of ou news is that the chances of m


sell mobile phones.


al world is a place to look for The good news is that there mber of outlets. The bad of making a decent living


are about the same as being struck on the head by ang struck on the head by a meteorite, surviving and recov win the St Leger on a pogo stic


recovering sufficiently to o stick. Blindfold.


tly to


I like the Canary’s enthusiasm but not its rausiasm but not its rather revealing claim that it “pays its staff from the bottom up”. Delete the word “up”, and you’re probably a trifle nearer the truth, as model contributors are “journalists, academics and students”. That is, two groups writing for a hobby, and one trying to make a living. Basically, you get paid a share of advertising depending on the number of clicks on your article. In their own words: “Writers give up the certainty of payment.” Variations on this


y a


model con nd studen by


n the n o . Th theme include the News


Hub, which only pays the top contributor in each category, or Blasting News whose fees are decided by “engagement figures”.


he top contribu sting Ne men


So how do employers justify stinginess on a scale that makes Silas Marner loo


hose fees


bountiful? Stephen Hull, editor in chief of the UK Huffington Post (revenue £1.6 billion) explained on Radio 4’s Media Show. This is (honestly!) what he said when asked why he doesn’t pay the 13,000 people who write for the its blog, while the employer is making a fortune with sponsorship and ads: “You know, if I was paying someone to write something, because I wanted it, to get advertising pay, that’s not a real authentic way of presenting copy. So when somebody writes something for us, we know it’s real. We know they want to write it. It’s not been forced orite it. It’s not been forced or paid for. I think that’s something to be proud of.” So there we are: that’t’s cleared it up.s cleared it up.


s justify stinginess on Marner look absurdly l, editor in chief of the U


write for the its blog, m You kno as pa


ething, because I w not a real au hen somebod


us, w something to be proud of.


Quiet please. No chortling. I’m trying to listen to the auctioneer: “Lot six. Wh t am I bid for a half-day work experience placement with a church bulletinement with a church bulletin compiler in Cheltenham? Do I see a tenner?”


ortling. I’m trying to listen to x. Wha


alf-da


a s its staff from the bottom ”, and y


26 | theJournalist


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28