TheDailyAus appears to have a model that satisfies some of these requirements. Website, daily email and podcast - short form. Covers a limited number of political items each day with background provided. Uses "sponsorships" rather than advertising. Aimed at young people but even I (an old white male) can get value out of it. Doesn't talk down to the audience.
Too much political commentary is like the sports pages where the concern is who is going to win and why, rather than what’s happening and what are the likely consequences. I sort of wonder how long it is before we start to hear that Mr X’s lie has been a brilliant strategy and Mr Y needs to stop trying to counter it with the facts!
So true, Ross. Some of our best-known journalists have made careers out of this; one in particular comes to mind. In fact, for many in the msm, this IS political journalism.
I am tired of AI Who is guessing every word I tre to White and it removes my pleasure in actually contributing to’ our conversazione ..See what I mean already 🤷🏾♀️
It is going to be so (darkly) interesting watching the likes of the NYTimes--them in particular--respond to the next four years. I think we all know how it will go.
"They yearn for authoritative, reliable and trustworthy outlets capable of holding politicians to account, informing them, and explaining things in a meaningful and entertaining way" This is exactly why I subscribe to your Substack, Tim. And also why I stopped watching/reading/listening to any MSM "news" more than 10 years ago.
The other salient point in your article was that newsreaders are condescending. It seems to me that they all attend the same newsreading school. They adopt the same inflections, cadence and sonorous tone for reading the news, and I find it formulaic, boring and most definitely condescending. Just speak to us! We're not idiots, and we might actually like your normal speaking voice! I miss Lee Lin Chin!
"don’t treat them like your own personal broadcast channel." Can you explain this a bit further? They seem that way to me, but I assume I've misunderstood you.
It's something I've noted for a while, even during Twitter's glory days. Esp relevant to msm usage. They just plant a link that normally pulls the lead from the article and so you get an unhelpful grab repeated in the tweet (post); the same grab in the link; and then often the same grab captured in the screenshot of the article. So repetition, no further context, and no engagement. No effort really. It was bad enough then, but now, where link traffic is buried anyway, you need to treat the space, I think, as a standalone post and develop what Karten calls native content for the platform, not just broadcast a link. It is also about acknowledging comments and engaging wth other users, not just basting out your own stuff and never responding. Interestingly, I think the character-limited Twitter thread worked well for all this--my best engagement always came from that sort of thread--but that was another thing Elon killed with his "improvements". Giving blue ticks unlimited space meant I started getting these long, long "tweets" showing up in my feed that I was never going to read in that format. Even if I was interested in the topic. Anyway, the basic idea is to create "native" engagement with whatever platform and to engage with other users. Having said all that, I haven't figure out Substack Notes at all--what works there--and tend to be guilty of "just linking".
This is an eg of what I mean: a link but no further info. Trying to drive traffic, which is fair enough, but it makes for an unsatisfactory platform experience. Could've easily included some extra details, quotes etc and would likely have actually driven more traffic. https://bsky.app/profile/danilic.bsky.social/post/3lcll6ejz2c2x
A really striking example of journalistic objectivity. When Trump told 50000 lies, and was called out on it, they all stuck to the objective "falsehood". After all, who could know what was actually going on in Trump's head?
But when he talked about a third term, and elicited some nervious laughter from the audience, they reported that he was joking. How did they know?
I think a lot of "fact-checking" is a problem here too. Very literal readings of comments by candidates, or hairsplitting about certain issues, in a way that actually served to mslead people. While actively ignoring the ongoing big lies on which the Trump campaign was predicated.
Thanks so much for such a thoughtful and considered response. You’re absolutely right in that media is failing in many ways to respond to the moment - and that people are hungry for alternatives. I’m hoping to experiment with some sideways moves - but I also believe what you and others in this space do, is performing a very important role x
Just some quick thoughts, Amy, thanks. But based on thinking over a long period, I guess. All the best with the new gig: looking forward to seeing what you all come up with. Very encouraged, as I am sure many others are.
TheDailyAus appears to have a model that satisfies some of these requirements. Website, daily email and podcast - short form. Covers a limited number of political items each day with background provided. Uses "sponsorships" rather than advertising. Aimed at young people but even I (an old white male) can get value out of it. Doesn't talk down to the audience.
Definitely part of that newish news ecosphere and a welcome addition.
Too much political commentary is like the sports pages where the concern is who is going to win and why, rather than what’s happening and what are the likely consequences. I sort of wonder how long it is before we start to hear that Mr X’s lie has been a brilliant strategy and Mr Y needs to stop trying to counter it with the facts!
So true, Ross. Some of our best-known journalists have made careers out of this; one in particular comes to mind. In fact, for many in the msm, this IS political journalism.
I am tired of AI Who is guessing every word I tre to White and it removes my pleasure in actually contributing to’ our conversazione ..See what I mean already 🤷🏾♀️
Would that you were writing for a publication in the US. Or running one!
It is going to be so (darkly) interesting watching the likes of the NYTimes--them in particular--respond to the next four years. I think we all know how it will go.
(I keep using that quote of yours!)
"They yearn for authoritative, reliable and trustworthy outlets capable of holding politicians to account, informing them, and explaining things in a meaningful and entertaining way" This is exactly why I subscribe to your Substack, Tim. And also why I stopped watching/reading/listening to any MSM "news" more than 10 years ago.
Thanks, Kylie.
We have to keep developing this alternative news system, which was why Amy Remeikis' comments were so welcome.
The other salient point in your article was that newsreaders are condescending. It seems to me that they all attend the same newsreading school. They adopt the same inflections, cadence and sonorous tone for reading the news, and I find it formulaic, boring and most definitely condescending. Just speak to us! We're not idiots, and we might actually like your normal speaking voice! I miss Lee Lin Chin!
"don’t treat them like your own personal broadcast channel." Can you explain this a bit further? They seem that way to me, but I assume I've misunderstood you.
Do you mean that reporters should not treat Bluesky etc *solely* as venues for republishing traditional media content. That makes sense to me.
It's something I've noted for a while, even during Twitter's glory days. Esp relevant to msm usage. They just plant a link that normally pulls the lead from the article and so you get an unhelpful grab repeated in the tweet (post); the same grab in the link; and then often the same grab captured in the screenshot of the article. So repetition, no further context, and no engagement. No effort really. It was bad enough then, but now, where link traffic is buried anyway, you need to treat the space, I think, as a standalone post and develop what Karten calls native content for the platform, not just broadcast a link. It is also about acknowledging comments and engaging wth other users, not just basting out your own stuff and never responding. Interestingly, I think the character-limited Twitter thread worked well for all this--my best engagement always came from that sort of thread--but that was another thing Elon killed with his "improvements". Giving blue ticks unlimited space meant I started getting these long, long "tweets" showing up in my feed that I was never going to read in that format. Even if I was interested in the topic. Anyway, the basic idea is to create "native" engagement with whatever platform and to engage with other users. Having said all that, I haven't figure out Substack Notes at all--what works there--and tend to be guilty of "just linking".
This is an eg of what I mean: a link but no further info. Trying to drive traffic, which is fair enough, but it makes for an unsatisfactory platform experience. Could've easily included some extra details, quotes etc and would likely have actually driven more traffic. https://bsky.app/profile/danilic.bsky.social/post/3lcll6ejz2c2x
A really striking example of journalistic objectivity. When Trump told 50000 lies, and was called out on it, they all stuck to the objective "falsehood". After all, who could know what was actually going on in Trump's head?
But when he talked about a third term, and elicited some nervious laughter from the audience, they reported that he was joking. How did they know?
Perfect, isn't it?
I think a lot of "fact-checking" is a problem here too. Very literal readings of comments by candidates, or hairsplitting about certain issues, in a way that actually served to mslead people. While actively ignoring the ongoing big lies on which the Trump campaign was predicated.
Thanks so much for such a thoughtful and considered response. You’re absolutely right in that media is failing in many ways to respond to the moment - and that people are hungry for alternatives. I’m hoping to experiment with some sideways moves - but I also believe what you and others in this space do, is performing a very important role x
Just some quick thoughts, Amy, thanks. But based on thinking over a long period, I guess. All the best with the new gig: looking forward to seeing what you all come up with. Very encouraged, as I am sure many others are.