The outgoing editor of a Newsquest-owned weekly has hit out at “lazy” journalists and “obstructive” press officers in a series of parting shots about the state of the industry.
Steve Dancey, who has served as editor of the Andover Advertiser for the last two and a half years, is bowing out after almost a quarter of a century in the local press.
At a farewell bash, Steve decried press officers for churning out “useless press releases” as well as “lazy” journalists who then cut and paste them straight into stories.
However, he also admitted he had enjoyed his time working in newspapers – which has seen him hold various roles at local titles in Hampshire and Wiltshire.
Said Steve, pictured: “People employed in big organisations’ corporate communications departments are happy to puff out endless useless press releases for the band of lazy journalists to cut and paste, but their parallel function is to obstruct and prevent reporters getting to the truth.
“Sadly fewer and fewer local reporters seem to have the time or inclination to properly research stories fully. However in just a few years there won’t be much of the industry left to worry about.”
Of his departure from the Advertiser, Steve added: “The break was a civilised one. I’ve enjoyed my time working in newspapers but times change and nothing lasts for ever.
“The thing I’ll miss most is the buzz of the newsrooms and the amazing characters who work in them.”
Steve currently serves as a town councillor in Warminster, Wiltshire, as well as writing for the hyperlocal website www.visionforwarminster.co.uk.
The farewell party at the town’s White Hart Hotel attended by past and present colleagues as well as close contacts, including North West Hampshire MP Sir George Young.
Sir George paid tribute to Steve, adding: “‘Steve has done a great job for the Advertiser over the past three years, when times have been difficult for local newspapers.
“He has led his team through the recession, and kept the paper full of news and events, with fewer staff.”
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Steve’s leaving speech sounds a real hoot. Bet they were rolling in the aisles. Press officers churn out useless press releases and obstruct reporters when they want the real story. Who’d have thought it? Memo to reporters: get some contacts outside the press office.
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Has it really taken him a whole ‘almost a quarter of a century’ to work out that press officers dish out only their employer’s side of the story and try to stop journalists digging deeper?
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No mention of lazy editors then ?
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He sounds a bit jaundiced by it all?
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Who is responsible for training the lazy journos?
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Judging by his picture, he looks as though he’s already in ‘chilled’ mode. I like to see editors (retired or not) with a collar and tie when presenting to their audience.
However he’s right about the modern cut and paste brigade – the death of the sub editor will ultimately lead to the demise of the newspaper in print.
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Presumably not a single reporter on Steve’s papers ever copied and pasted a press release, and he pulled up every single story to ask its source and credentials?
So many PR people now are ex-journalists that the standard of the good ones is rising because they know where a good story is. Just because it arrives from a PR doesn’t always make it a bad story or a cover up job, and to be honest, getting out good stories is a press officer’s job, so don’t knock them for it.
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Don’t blame the journalists Steve. In my recent experience they barely have time to do anything but cut and paste press releases, and if they want to leave the office on a story they are grilled by their news editor and frowned on by their hard-pressed colleagues who are all but chained to the furniture. New recruits work just as hard, if not harder, than I did when I started 30 years ago.
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What a knob head. Get out and shut up!
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What a true gentleman.
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Sad but largely true. I agree that journalism itself, especially in local papers, has become lazy but I’m not convinced it’s always due to laziness in individual reporters. It’s often a consequence of newsrooms being too poorly resourced to do the job properly. They have to churn like mad just to get the paper finished.
An illustration from my own experience: I used to work at a title that was owned by a well-known major publisher and was actively encouraged to cut corners at every opportunity. In fact, my news editor would have a go at me if I “wasted time” trying to dig deeper and get to the truth behind a press release.
On one occasion a council sent out a release criticising another public body. I was told off for a spending a whole hour (heaven forbid!) out of the office so that I could meet that organisation and get their side of things.
The mentality was that “hey, they’ve sent 500 words and that’ll fill a gap, so why make more work for ourselves?” And the trouble is, I can’t blame them. They were massively under the cosh from the editor, who in turn was working at a remote subbing hub 30 miles away and had to edit several titles at the same time.
I’m pleased to say that, as someone who enjoys getting my teeth into the stories I cover, I’m no longer there.
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Bowing out … or victim of Newsquest cutbacks? Don’t think there’s many lazy journos at Newsquest these days.Too few of them ,too busy trying to fill their papers
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When I was involved in training would-be journos (not so long ago), I would tell them that, in my opinion, press officers were guilty of “prostituting their art.”
I still believe that. No matter how well-written (a rarity in itself) a press release may be, it is still simply using the paymaster’s voice. Hardly surprising, then, that lazy (or perhaps overworked) reporters resort to cut and paste.
A few years ago, in this very publication, there was an article attacking the “spoon-fed” breed of journos who were dominating the industry. Plus ca change………
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I think a number of comments on here are getting prickly about Steve Dancey’s use of the word “lazy”.
No-one believes young reporters these days are not working harder than ever – but so often it is just to fill space and then move on to the next top single, anchor or flight of nibs.
Surely, it’s up to us old hands to remind them that standards are important. If they do have to compromise, then at least realise that’s what they’re doing and not accept it as the norm or best practice.
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Can there be any lazy journos left? My old paper once had seven full timers, many of them seniors, and now has two kids. They are not proper journos (because they don’t have time to be) but I wouldnt call them lazy. They spend their days writing stories, putting press releases straight on to page, sorting pictures, fiddling around with the website, tweeting and facebooking (good verb!). Not very good, but certainly not lazy.
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At least Steve is not afraid to get out of the job and try something else before he becomes an old fossil.
There’s a perception going around on HTFP that because a journalist has been in the job for years and years (and usually on the same publication) he must be good at his profession.
The fact is that there has been a lot of dead wood in newspapers. People who have written the same column for years and years, editors who have occupied the same chair in the same small town for decades, photographers taking the same pics that they were taking in 1980.
So often I have heard the expression: “I wish old-so-and-so would retire”.
Readers don’t want sameness, and they don’t buy your paper just so that you can stay in your job year after year.
Have a good run at it but remember: “The old must make way for the young”.
I’m 65.
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I got out for that very reason Alice. I was sick of the fall in standards on JP papers and felt my own were slipping. I was lucky to have the chance to get out. A lot do not have and have to slog it out to the bitter end.
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I’m sad to hear of so many jaundiced souls in our once great profession.
I count myself very fortunate to have spent half a century in what I still regard as the greatest job on earth. Admittedly, I had the best years – 1960s onwards – but it was the sheer variety that made journalism such a fascinating challenge, and I give thanks every day that I didn’t end up as a solicitor, chartered accountant, civil servant or banker.
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What?
Who dares criticise the regional newspaper industry’s army of thrusting young reporters?
For the sickening thud of another failed title has nothing whatever to do with them.
Why, if they were the editor instead of…er…the editor, there would be an instant renaissance of the Golden Age when the local paper was a PROPER paper and all editors were fearless in their relentless pursuit of truth.
Ah yes, ye editors of yore. A band of men so staunch they had managing directors and proprietors quaking in their boots – unlike the servile management lackeys and miserable running dogs of the Establishment we have today.
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Great words Brassington. It’s good to hear from someone who still enjoys it.
I felt exactly the same way for many years (ignoring the crap pay) until my paper was reduced to a worthless shell and I received regular abuse from the public about its drop in quality (all the result of JP management decisions).It was then not worth the effort. But I realise some have to stick it out and wish them luck.
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I agree with Brassington. Fine fellow. I also worked in the best years, 1960s onwards….
This fellow Dancey is generally right with his comments though he looks improperly dressed and needs to stop slouching.
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we all loved the job, but the job we loved has gone. So we move on. glad you are happy in your work Brassington. Nice to hear.
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Where those days when journos hung round everywhere picking up the goss? At one time you could not go to a jumble sale without seeing one!
Never heard the expression PR then!
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“Sadly fewer and fewer local reporters seem to have the time …”
Therein Steve, therein …
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1) Pete – The fact that many PRs are ex-journalists is of no relevance. Some of the worst press officers I have to deal with are ex-journalists. They are obstructive, rude, dishonest; it is difficult to believe they were ever journalists, because they are so committed to keeping people in the dark and seem to despise journalists with absolute fervor.
2) Most young journalists are not lazy but extremely overworked. In our office we have roughly half a full-time journalist per newspaper we produce. We do our absolute best not to fill the papers with churn, but we necessarily have to use a lot of it because we simply don’t have the time or resources to source all our stories ourselves. The money men do not care about journalism; they don’t value it. They believe you can pull in any old rubbish – user-generated content and iphone photos – and it won’t make any difference.
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Alice. Don’t under-rate older reporters. I worked with one in his 60s whose energy, grammar, local knowledge and story finding inspired those around him. As a young reporter I thought I knew it all . in the nicest of ways he made me aware I didn’t. Sadly i heard he got sick of JPs staff cutting and acceptance of poor quality and quit.
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This has hit a real nerve and draws attention to the balance between being a journalist and a desk bound reporter. I am retired but still occasionally provide copy to the locals. I regard myself as the former.
I think that the modern newspapers should do something to stop the early loss of experienced journalists by offering a work share system.
An experienced journalist nearing the age of retirement or wishing to get out should be offered the chance to work alongside a new recruit sharing the hours accepting a slight cut in remuneration.
If not then ‘churnalism’ is the future particulary at the regional and local level.
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When I began my “Weeklies”career at the Stockport Express; a “feeder” newspaper for Northern editions of National Newspapers, ALL 12 reporters were assigned their own “patch”.
After deadline, they were told to “Go out at come back with at least a ‘Page Lead’ and several other stories..or don’t come back at all!
The Cardinal Rule in local newspapers was: ” Pub landlord, sub Postmaster, Newsagent, Priest or Vicar and WI.
The premise being: “Anything they don’t know, isn’t newsworthy!”.
Several journalists, including myself, went on to work for National newspapers, television and radio.
My point is this.
Where is the “freedom” for young journalists to find time to “cultivate” contacts?
The ‘Award-winning’ Stockport Express (which had a 70% readership saturation circulation), is now just another weekly newspaper, based 12 miles away, where readers simply ‘buy it out of habit’, to read the BMD columns, or buy a car!
So sad for British journalism!
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