Is investigative newspaper journalism dead?

[Bletchleyite]

While I agree that people will at some point have to realise that even online journalism costs money, some (a lot of) sites really don't help themselves. And I'm not just talking security here. Some ads are so intrusive and obnoxious, I am thinking of auto playing video with loud sound or full page roll over animated ads (even on mobile), that they fully deserve to be adblocked. Sadly local newspaper websites are often horrible for this.

If you don't like that (and I don't), simply don't use the site. Advertising revenue drops, and they are forced to change their way of working.

 

[Trog]

I use the Metro myself very good value, although it does not burn very well, tending to have a sulky blue flame that is not that good for lighting the kindling in my stove. I think it must be the ink that causes the problem, would be better if they did a plain version without all the funny patterns all over it.

 

[Busaholic]

Speaking as an Independent reader for the whole of it's existence this is a sad announcement from my prospective. It may give The Guardian a temporary filip in it's circulation and or the I.

I must be the exception to the rule being neither left of centre , young or well off.

For me a newpaper is an important part of my daily life.

I could almost have written all that myself except I did switch to the i about three years ago, also I suppose I probably am left of centre.

I hate it when a paper closes down, even one which I never regularly read. I still remember on my one visit to the Soviet Union in 1974 being warned not to take any newspaper into the country other than the Morning Star and, being more than a little bloodyminded on occasion, flouting this with potentially grave consequences. I have lived to tell the tale and, yes, a copy of the Daily Telegraph was 'discovered', but, more important, having a free press with all its imperfections and prejudices is so much better than the alternative.

 

[Butts]

I could almost have written all that myself except I did switch to the i about three years ago, also I suppose I probably am left of centre.

I hate it when a paper closes down, even one which I never regularly read. I still remember on my one visit to the Soviet Union in 1974 being warned not to take any newspaper into the country other than the Morning Star and, being more than a little bloodyminded on occasion, flouting this with potentially grave consequences. I have lived to tell the tale and, yes, a copy of the Daily Telegraph was 'discovered', but, more important, having a free press with all its imperfections and prejudices is so much better than the alternative.

Perhaps The Guardian will seize the opportunity and offer former Indy subscribers a good deal to defect

 

[Busaholic]

Perhaps The Guardian will seize the opportunity and offer former Indy subscribers a good deal to defect

I'll give the new i a chance, but suspect it won't be to my liking. The new owners are already saying it will have lots of local news content i.e. recycled from their weekly papers. Sorry, but I'm not terribly interested in what happens in Scunthorpe from my eyrie in Cornwall, and vice versa applies too.

 

[miami]

I'll give the new i a chance, but suspect it won't be to my liking. The new owners are already saying it will have lots of local news content i.e. recycled from their weekly papers. Sorry, but I'm not terribly interested in what happens in Scunthorpe from my eyrie in Cornwall, and vice versa applies too.

The fact they were laying off seasoned journalists and employing "new media" journalists tells me they'll be trawlling twitter looking for some celeb's tweet to quote to make a full page story out of.

Be interesting where their columnists end up.

 

[cf111]

Speaking as an Independent reader for the whole of it's existence this is a sad announcement from my prospective. It may give The Guardian a temporary filip in it's circulation and or the I.

I must be the exception to the rule being neither left of centre , young or well off.

For me a newpaper is an important part of my daily life.

I buy the Indy 4 or 5 days out of 7 including the Sunday edition and I am very upset at the news of its demise in a paper format - I don't want to read my morning paper on a screen.

None of the other nationals interest me so I may have to resort to the Press & Journal! :cry:

 

[Kite159]

I'll give the new i a chance, but suspect it won't be to my liking. The new owners are already saying it will have lots of local news content i.e. recycled from their weekly papers. Sorry, but I'm not terribly interested in what happens in Scunthorpe from my eyrie in Cornwall, and vice versa applies too.

Same here, if the local papers in this area are anything to go by it will be 10% actual news, 80% houses and 10% junk (mainly paid-for adverts dressed up as articles) (excluding regular adverts)

How long before the new owners increase the price?

 

[Busaholic]

The first thing the new owners of the i should do is commit to a Sunday edition, so that it is a true seven days a week paper - no need for magazines and supplements, or other advertising dressed up as copy. 50p as on Saturday, distribution costs are no greater on a Sunday these days.

 

[Butts]

The first thing the new owners of the i should do is commit to a Sunday edition, so that it is a true seven days a week paper - no need for magazines and supplements, or other advertising dressed up as copy. 50p as on Saturday, distribution costs are no greater on a Sunday these days.

I agree with these sentiments

I was suprised at the lack of "hoo ha" in Saturday and Sundays Independents about the forthcoming closure.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

The first thing the new owners of the i should do is commit to a Sunday edition, so that it is a true seven days a week paper - no need for magazines and supplements, or other advertising dressed up as copy. 50p as on Saturday, distribution costs are no greater on a Sunday these days.

If no income is to be generated by advertising matter, will the monies received from the sale of the newspapers be enough to pay for all the costs involved in running such a newspaper?

 

[Bletchleyite]

No is the simple answer. I have never heard of an advertising free newspaper.

 

[Busaholic]

No is the simple answer. I have never heard of an advertising free newspaper.

The i currently gets nearest to the advertisement-free model, and it's this part of the Independent group that has been successfully sold. I buy four newspapers on a Saturday, including the i. Next Saturday I shall weigh the four newspapers together, then just the i. I'd be amazed if the i weighs more than 10% of the total, accounted for by the lack of a glossy magazine brimmed with adverts and other supplements gushing with features on interiors and luxury holidays, neither subject of which I have the slightest interest in, but my wife unaccountably does, in the case of the former.

 

[Abpj17]

I can't imagine buying a daily newspaper. I want to read a diversity of political views so that means dipping in and out of several on the internet.

Investigative journalism is alive and kicking within Private Eye at least.

The other huge example is the huge who did the FIFA scandal. The Guardian has its moments too. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...d-the-fifa-scandal-that-toppled-sepp-blatter/ was a great read.

UK TV channels are continuing (just) do to some of the longer term investigations too (Panorama, C4 etc).

 

[Busaholic]

I can't imagine buying a daily newspaper. I want to read a diversity of political views so that means dipping in and out of several on the internet.

Investigative journalism is alive and kicking within Private Eye at least.

The other huge example is the huge who did the FIFA scandal. The Guardian has its moments too. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...d-the-fifa-scandal-that-toppled-sepp-blatter/ was a great read.

UK TV channels are continuing (just) do to some of the longer term investigations too (Panorama, C4 etc).

A hell of a lot of Private Eye's coverage of events comes from journalists working for those papers - it has precious few journalistic resources of its own, never having been able to replace Paul Foot for example. I suspect hardly any money changes hands for those stories anyway, especially where a newspaper has 'spiked' a juicy story either because of our archaic libel laws or because the interest of a proprietor may not be best served by the story.

Speaking of investigative journalism, and being an inveterate Times reader despite its ownership, the paper's treatment of the Conservative Party intrigues me. They had a long-running campaign against Lord Ashcroft when he was Treasurer about his non-dom status and other matters, and now they really can't stop having a dig at G.Osborne about anything and everything (I'm far from complaining about this!). For a feature last Saturday about Gideon and his brothers, ostensibly on the back of one of those brothers being struck off as a psychiatrist, a piece of information was drip-fed that I don't recollect seeing anywhere before, namely that the late John Aspinall was their uncle. Aspinall's name has just featured in the news again recently in connection with the 'official' death of Lord Lucan, being perhaps Lucan's best friend, as well as a close buddy of James Goldsmith, the founder of the Referendum Party and uncle of mayoral-hopeful Zac. An 'interesting' man, shall we say.

 

[Butts]

If no income is to be generated by advertising matter, will the monies received from the sale of the newspapers be enough to pay for all the costs involved in running such a newspaper?

The I currently sells about 275,000 copies per day and made a few million last year by all accounts.

 

[deltic]

The I currently sells about 275,000 copies per day and made a few million last year by all accounts.

However its not clear whether the I accounts cover the cost of the Independent journalists that actually provide most of its stories given they also appear in the Independent.

 

[Butts]

However its not clear whether the I accounts cover the cost of the Independent journalists that actually provide most of its stories given they also appear in the Independent.

As I understand it part of the deal is that the Johnston Press sale includes access to the stories from the new "Online Indie" and Evening Standard.