The UK journalism industry is as defunct as you think it is
In writing about journalism in the UK it’s important to make distinctions. It’s because it exists everywhere and also nowhere. The latter group are those who still brand it but don’t do it.
I won’t “name names” in this because it’s not appropriate. The fact of working in the UK is that people get it right and people do it wrong. That’s the point. It isn’t a brand name or a title which counts at all.
In my relative past I’ve met a fair few “fake” journalists. These appeared at stories I was working on with others and were laughed off themselves. They did’t make the cut or fit the cloth.
They just didn’t understand, and neither did their supposed peers who know.
My story into learning that journalism is sometimes fake here started in 2001. I met a lady called Heather (false name) who I spoke to about the trade. She didn’t have much to say about it that’s positive at all.
In fact, her review of it was it’s a “terrible” job. It wasn’t a good review in just those terms but she got more honest. Heather said it’s a “pretty shit” job that doesn’t pay unless it’s forced to.
In her stories she related it was clear her way of knowing was flawed. It’s as if she knew how to put a story together but the “truth” of each of its parts were not clear enough.
It transpired she hadn’t received any learning or education but her role was still a senior position in news. In my opinion she acted irresponsibly but her point was always to say, “it’s just journalism”.
It clearly wasn’t. Yet the brand she worked for passed it off as such. It isn’t clear if these people are still lingering but it’s true to say people here know. They know fake journalism like a book in parts.