Remembering the craft and process of original reporting can help build a loyal audience.
So far this week, I have looked at a couple of strategies for creating stand-out content over the coming years: hands-on reviews and real-life stories. There is a third area, and in a sense it’s about going back to the future and focusing on something that never truly went out of fashion: original reporting.
Back in 2008, my reserve arch enemy Danny O’Brien and I were debating what the difference was between blogging and “proper” journalism, and Danny ended up liking one of the ways I put it: that “journalism is when you pick up the phone”. Even then, that didn’t mean a literal phone – email was the hot communications thing. But it meant, as Danny put it, “journalism requires some actual original research, rather than just randomly googling or getting emailed something and writing it up as news.”
That’s the core of original reporting, and as Danny also pointed out, a great deal of what passes as editorial doesn’t meet that standard (opinion columnists of the UK media, stop looking so shifty).
Original reporting in any topic area is about uncovering truths, providing context, and delivering stories that matter to audiences. AI, while adept at aggregating and rephrasing existing information, lacks the ability to conduct investigative journalism, engage in ethical decision-making, and provide the human empathy that is often central to impactful storytelling. I would consider myself broadly an optimist about the developing capabilities of AI, and even I don’t think it’s likely to be able to do this in my lifetime.
And “picking up the phone” is definitely having something of a renaissance. Take, for example, the series that The Verge is currently working on under the label of “we only get one planet”. Digging into how Apple and others add to the mountain of e-waste while claiming to be on top of their environmental efforts takes a lot of work, and importantly, original research and interviews. The Verge might not be physically picking up the phone, but they’re more than living up to the spirit.
Obviously, investing in original reporting is expensive, and it can’t just be a moral imperative. It has to be a sound business strategy, too. First, audiences appreciate its value. According to a 2019 Pew Research survey, “about seven-in-ten U.S. adults (71%) say it is very important for journalists to do their own reporting, rather than relying on sources that do not do their own reporting, such as aggregators or social media. Another 22% say this is somewhat important, while just 6% say it is not too or not at all important.”
Original reporting can elevate a publisher's brand reputation and recognition, which can be a key to unlocking more direct traffic. In a saturated market, having a distinct journalistic voice and a reputation for in-depth reporting can be a significant differentiator.
Publications like The New York Times and The Guardian have successfully leveraged their reputations for quality journalism to build robust subscription or contribution-based revenue models, with The Guardian hitting record annual revenue this year. And, importantly for its long-term profitability, nearly half its traffic is direct (and its biggest search terms are branded ones).
One thing that’s worth noting: The Guardian’s strategy was a three-year plan. Do you have a three-year plan to diversify revenue, have a more direct relationship with your audience, and leave yourself less vulnerable to the whims of Google or Facebook?
