A very particular set of skills
Magazine publishers have the weapons to fight Trump's fashy dystopia
First published in The Magazine Diaries on Substack. Sign up to get new posts sent to your inbox as soon as they're sent out.
They used to say journalism was the first rough draft of history, but social media is the first rough draft now… rough AF!
However well crafted, instant quicktakes sink without a trace in social media swamps fetid with misinformation. That means long-form journalism, specifically slower features journalism, has become the first reliable rough draft of history.
America's re-election of a convicted criminal has sparked a crisis of conscience throughout the journalism community, from news organisations to magazines. In an incredibly well considered, but utterly depressing LinkedIn post, media analyst Thomas Baekdal asks:
What the hell is the point of journalism if nothing changes?
I get it.
It’s easy to despair when TikToks of people slapping each other with tortillas get more attention than any deeply researched journalism. But that’s why now, more than ever, serious journalists need to step up their efforts to make sure the truth is told and heard.
There are people way smarter than me trying to figure out how to do that; as a starting point, I’d suggest taking Shirish Kulkarni’s lead:
“Journalism needs to] stop blaming people for choosing not to engage with products that fail to meet their needs, and, for once, take some responsibility for its own actions.”
That means:
A very particular set of skills
Writing on LinkedIn, Dutch historian Rutger Bregman says:
Instead of endless soul-searching, could we perhaps take action? Because here’s the thing: playtime is over. Autocracy and fascism (yes, that’s what it’s called) are on the rise around the globe. This is not the time for lazy cynicism, tuning out, or throwing your hands in the air. We need a moral revolution. And it has to start with us.
In the comments to Rutger’s post someone asks, Yes, but what action? His reply is, that depends on your skills, your experience, your talent.
Well, just like Liam Neeson in Taken, magazine makers have a very particular set of skills that make us a nightmare for people like Trump.
Here are some of them…
Attention Getters
Until Trump closes down the newsstands, adding them to his ‘enemies of the people’ schtick, magazine covers spotlighting the darker side of Trumpian politics are a very public reminder that everything is not fine.
A magazine with a cover that shows Trump wrapped in an American flag throwing a Hitler salute is a reminder of who he really is. And, whether everyone that sees it agrees or not, they can’t ignore the fact that theirs is not the only world view.
If the medium is the message, then the message is that Trump is at least a bit fashy.
Utility Givers
Solutions journalism, solutions to the problems being created by autocratic governments, can be an invaluable resource for readers. Knowledge is power and magazines are perfectly placed to share that power.
Following the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe vs Wade, New York magazine published a practical guide to the abortion clinics in every US state, how to reach them, and the services they offer. It also offered advice on where to seek services if abortion is banned or restricted in your state.
What solutions can you provide?
Deep Divers
We know a lie can travel halfway around the world before the truth gets its boots on, but deeply researched investigations give the truth the opportunity to kick back. Facts can be denied, but they can’t be erased and doing the hard yards can have an impact.
It took 15 years, but the dogged determination of two Computer Weekly magazine journalists finally brough the UK post office to book, exposing the biggest miscarriage of justice in British history. Over 15 years, Karl Flinders wrote 350 articles on the scandal because, “I like supporting the underdog against powerful institutions.”
We all need to be more Karl.
Community Builders
Jacobin magazine is a rare beast in America. In a country that thinks Kamala Harris is a Marxist, it offers a truly socialist perspectives on politics and culture. With an average circulation of 60,000 and an average of 2 million page views a month, the title’s Facebook group has 380,000 followers.
The magazine articles it posts draw dozens of comments and shares from a community of people that care deeply about the issues it covers. Of course they don’t always agree, but they are engaged and they are debating from a point of view that the right would rather didn’t exist.
Keep the conversation alive.
The work starts now
The flipside of despair is apathy, thinking the threat posed by Trump is someone else’s problem.
It’s not.
Trump loyalist and potential FBI Director Kash Patel has said, “We’re going to come after people in the media.”
That’s you.
Immediately after his re-election, Guardian editor Kath Viner highlighted the dangers Trump poses to a free press and has promised to “Stand up to these threats… The work starts now.”
Magazine makers have the tools to help get the job done.
First published in The Magazine Diaries on Substack. Sign up to get new posts sent to your inbox as soon as they're sent out.