Tomorrow's Business Today
Boris, Stormy and news as entertainment
A sharp intake of breath from the Department for Taking News Seriously.
Channel 4 has hired Boris Johnson and Stormy Daniels as “exclusive studio guests” for its coverage of the US election.
The jokes are too easy. I’ll start.
Who cares what a publicity-obsessed sex-addict blond thinks of the US election?
Channel 4 would say this is just a bit of fun. Sure.
But the maker of what is probably our best and most serious news shows has a porn star and a facetious Prime Minister as part of the same joke. What is this – Adult Celebrity Knockout?
It has plenty of other serious experts on as well, so perhaps we shouldn’t worry.
But what Channel 4 is doing here is to treat this election, perhaps the most important news of the year, as if it were entertainment.
(I struggle with the notion that Boris Johnson is entertaining. I have no opinion on Ms Daniels.)
On its own this might mean nothing.
But the wider context here is that the plain old news, however well you do it, just doesn’t pay.
If you are involved in writing it or shaping it, none of this is good.
Hacks and flaks increasingly need a gimmick, or else some editor will decide their work is a turn off for Gen Z and send it to the trash.
The FT reports: Advertisers’ brand safety concerns pose danger for quality journalism.
A study by US marketeers Stagwell finds that “news has been systematically demonetised”.
Advertisers don’t want their product anywhere near death, destruction or anything that might “trigger” the young folk. So they advertise on sports shows instead.
Mark Penn at Stagwell says: “There are a fair number of marketers who have intentionally zeroed out of news to focus on sports and entertainment. Journalism is under funded because news is under monetised.”
I’d say that the most important thing the sports and entertainment desks can do is make some money to fund the news department.
They don’t exactly see it like that.
On the basis of its coming US election coverage, neither does Channel 4.
It thinks the news should pay for itself.
And if that requires a bit of Boris and Stormy riffing about Donald Trump, then the producers will live with that, whatever it says about the actual product.
Hopefully the BBC won’t feel the need to play catch-up here. Otherwise we’ll have election analysis from Postman Pat and Vicky Pattison.
Please send candidates for press release of the day to: Simon.english@roxhillmedia.com
Press release of the day
The self-employed are under pensioned, underprepared and under pressure says this from interactive investor.
They face a second-class retirement – 38% have no pension at all. Almost two-fifths of the self-employed aren’t paying into a pension.
The slight flaw with all such reports is that interactive thinks the solution here is for people to buy more of what it is selling. It’s not a disinterested party.
This is a proper bit of work though, well put together.
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