Category: Media Industry Author : Duncan Riley Posted: June 30, 2009
Tags : bloggers, epic fail, google, news corp
John Hartigan, the Chief Executive of News Ltd, the Australian arm of News Corp has joined in with his colleagues in the United States today in bashing Google and bloggers.
In a wide ranging lecture about how News Ltd was better than the rest and how original content has a future, Hatigan’s attack on Google nearly copied the exact same wording as that used by his company colleagues in the Unites States. “The most profitable sites, in fact the only ones making serious money are the sites that aggregate news, like Google and Yahoo” said Hartigan. “They pay nothing for content produced by newspaper journalists but make money by supplying it in easily searchable forms online.” At least he didn’t use the word parasite.
Of course the fact that News Ltd can easily remove their content from Google tomorrow, and that they encourage linking via social sharing buttons on each story may have been missed by Hartigan, but facts should never get in the way of a good story…well, if you’re the head of Australia’s largest tabloid newspaper publisher at least.
Then he went after blogs and independent sites, despite News Ltd itself running a sizable number of blogs (indeed I’m reading the speech notes from Andrew Bolt’s blog)
Almost anyone can start one of these sites, with very little capital, no training or qualifications. Then there are the bloggers. In return for their free content, we pretty much get what we’ve paid for – something of such limited intellectual value as to be barely discernible from massive ignorance.
And just to be clear: News Ltd doesn’t publish blogs…oh wait, not only do they publish blogs, they’ve actually signed up bloggers to write for them.
You know though that the bash is going to be serious when someone starts quoting king luddite Andrew Keen, and Hartigan managed to offer a range of quotes from Keen…oh wait, I thought only bloggers didn’t provide original thought and quoted others extensively.
“Citizen journalists, he says, simply don’t have the resources to bring us reliable news. They lack not only expertise and training but access to decision makers and reliable sources” Hartigan says of Keen, while in the same speech noting on their coverage of the Victorian bushfires was:
Who can forget the images of the fireman sharing his water bottle with the Sam the Koala, perhaps the iconic image of the tragedy? The images that appeared on television around the world carried the water mark not of Seven, Nine or Ten but of heraldsun.com.au.
Except that the image was published online until The Herald Sun picked it up. Double bonus: the picture was taken by a firefighter, not a professional journalist. Citizen journalism at work? Lets ask Hartigan:
The fires were an example of how journalism should directly touch readers and not always remain detached on the sidelines. Alongside traditional reporting from the scene, we had incredible eyewitness accounts from readers, including amazing pics and video.
Hang on, now I’m confused. Hartigan says citizen journalism isn’t worth shit, but then he boasts how The Herald Sun used citizen journalists to supplement its coverage.
I think though the best line was when Hartigan tried to claim that the problem with newspapers in the United States and the UK was circulation, or as Andrew Bolt said, Hartigan noted “that the crashes in circulation seen in the US and Britain have not been seen here.” That may be true in the UK, but it’s not true in the US. Yes, some papers have declined, but the overall trend hasn’t been that great. The real reason newspapers are in trouble in the US and UK is a crash in ADVERTISING, figures easily confirmed by the relevant industry bodies in both countries. The trend started before the recession, and was driven in a large part by online alternatives. But hey, why let facts get in the way.
I’ll repeat what I wrote on June 16: if Hartigan really believes that Google and others are stealing from News Ltd, then take the News Ltd out of Google. It’s one line in a Robots.txt file. If Hartigan refuses to, then he has ZERO credibility on the subject of Google.
Jun 30, 2009
LOVE the tabloid comment… so sick of their papers!
Jun 30, 2009
Erm, what was all that stuff his chief, Rupert, was going on about with the Boyer Lectures. Surely Hartigan the great survivor is not bucking the boss? Or maybe he didn't listen/read.
Jun 30, 2009
Look, print publishers need to get the with the programme and realise that consumers will only increase their preference for digital, so the most prudent option is offer both and do it in multiple formats. News jumped the shark in Australia when they first tried to shut digital out by refusing to carry advertising for Monsterboard and other emerging online organisations and then by setting up independent digital divisions with their own budgets, identities, P&L's because they didn't think it would swim. Not only did these divisions swim, they drowned the parent publisher and had no requirement to collaborate.
There are a lot of stakeholders to the issue of how to sustain the print industry. Newsagents are a segment that just constantly bellache and rarely come up with anything innovative. Newsagencies need to get into the 21st century and realise that their current business models will not survive unless they can figure out a way to get a clip of the digital ticket and this means working with digital publishing companies that can give them access to more magazines than they could possibly carry in store, and allow newsagents the rights to offer digital subscriptions.
Right now in Australia, an increase in postal costs from Australia Post has got the whole print pubishing indutry in an uproar, claiming jobs will be lost. Everybody needs to realise that this “ohhhh, so many jobs are gonna be lost” is one of the most tired and hackneyed PR responses to price increases. IF the industry realises that digital publishing uses all the same production and editorial skills that print does, then there is no reason that jobs should be lost, and every reason for skills to simply converge and become even more relevant.
Jun 30, 2009
“something of such limited intellectual value as to be barely discernible from massive ignorance” could be the Daily Tele's editorial mission statement.
Jun 30, 2009
It was a joke when Rupert originally said it all and now his puppet demonstrates the lack of his autonomy – or understanding. I fear the last of the great media moguls may have lost the knack. Lemmings, meet cliff.
Jun 30, 2009
Wow, incredible, absolutely crushed it.
I consider myself a thinker along these lines and applaud the blistering and unforgiving commentary by Mr. Riley.
The business model is out the window and the day of the media moguls has come & gone for the most part. How beautiful is it that if you have a great idea relating to journalism, entertainment, or media, you don't need some self important person in New York or Century City to greenlight it? You greenlight it yourself and make it happen.
Also interesting is how fast Myspace has fallen from grace. No more than a couple years ago it seemed to be pegged as the key asset for the entire company going forward. It was the steal of the century having been bought for a paltry $500M. Now, it just looks like another flavor of the month (Delphi Internet?) who's days with the bloated Google contract are running out. Although none of the social network co.'s seem to be making money, Facebook is eating its lunch, and the trend is only picking up steam.
The next few years are going to be very interesting.
Jul 1, 2009
The cream will rise to the top and demand an audience, and if they are smart – advertising or other revenue streams. As long as there are smart people reading smart content then advertisers will want to fund that channel. Call them bloggers, journalists, or monkeys.
Blanket accusations from traditional, new, social, or whatever media is just tedious – there are leeches in both camps.
Whinging about one or the other in general terms just shows you don't get online media.
Jul 1, 2009
Awesome analysis – thanks, Duncan!
Jul 1, 2009
So he *does* read News' blogs, then…
Jul 1, 2009
“Does he think his readers are from Venus and bloggers from Mars?” beautifully said:)
Yes, they like to cause problems from the air and then shout about it on every street …