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- Wednesday 15th March: Let's be blunt about the state of Reach's sites
Wednesday 15th March: Let's be blunt about the state of Reach's sites
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I try not to unceremoniously dump on people's hard work, especially when there are job losses involved. But there were two stories published today on Press Gazette which really highlighted how ridiculous the situation at Reach has become.
It's so frustrating for those of us in the industry who really want local journalism to succeed. Reach does do some great work and important reporting - its investigation last year into the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak due to mould has affected a law change that will improve the lives of people nationally. But vital work like this is buried in a slurry of pageview target-driven crap that has totally lost the trust of the general public.
That's before we get started on the horrendous reading experience on Reach sites. It must be gutting for journalists who work there to see their work presented that way. Indulge me this rant.
Playboy, which stopped printing in 2020, is relaunching as a digital publication later this year. But instead of featuring Playboy bunnies, it will highlight young 'creators'. Amusingly Ray Schultz has noted that the cover 'does not reflect the values of the MeToo movement'. #MeToo isn't about desexualisation, it's about consent, so as long as cover star Amanda Cerny was photographed consensually and without harassment... Quite how the 'younger, politically correct' readers will respond is quite another thing.
The top-line findings here are nothing new (short-term uncertainty, long-term optimism), but there are nonetheless some interesting findings in WAN-IFRA's latest World Press Trends study. Of particular note is the opportunity for revenues in developing countries - something that has not historically been a priority. AI is also forecast to have the biggest impact on publisher businesses in the next few years, but that's less of a surprise.
Zuckerberg has two new slogans he's throwing around: "flatter is faster", and "leaner is better", on top of his management theme for 2023 which is the 'Year of Efficiency'. Will any of these be applied to his black hole of a metaverse department though? Axios doesn't say.
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