A surprising conversation on whether print media is dead

Time to fess up – when did you last invest in print media and buy a newspaper or magazine? What does the future hold as we become a society of news-hungry scrollers…and should we care?

Willkommen! Bienvenue! Welcome!

I went for lunch with an editor recently and we discussed journalism and where things stand with the print industry and its future.

The conversation flowed nicely, and we ended up discussing the fact we both didn’t care for print media anymore. Not in a bitchy catty way or a derogatory manner – just more a confession that as humans our behaviour had changed and we didn’t care whether we saw a big celebrity shoot on a cover in actual real life or online.

We were both more than happy to absorb our fashion shoots, stand out covers and beautiful photography from our screens.

Admittedly, I was somewhat taken aback; this editor is a legend of print. Established, has had a long illustrious career (that’s still going) and they’re somebody I have a lot of respect for.

We’d not met before, and I went into the lunch expecting them to say they believed in print through and through and loved every second of holding a magazine or newspaper in their hands. Nope. It was a refreshingly honest encounter with an editor and a conversation which has really stuck with me these last few weeks.

“When did you last buy a proper magazine or newspaper?” they asked me.

The last time for me was probably an issue of Perfect. Or maybe Vogue, under Edward. For a proper game changer read. But truth be told, I can’t really remember which magazine it was – which says a lot. Maybe I’d buy The Times for Style magazine if it was a men’s issue. Or for a big celebrity interview. But then the value of a celebrity interview is practically zero now. So maybe not. It really takes something special these days to lure me into actually buying something in physical form.

It’s a far cry from the old days when, as a journalist, my job was to read everything. From the broadsheets to the tabloids and pretty much every magazine that had a shred of celebrity news. Back them we’d walk in on a Monday or Tuesday and there would be a huge pile of magazines waiting for me on my desk. It was insane how many titles there were back then. These days it would be a little bunch.

In truth, I love the arty shoots, the fashion, the big names and the huge cover reveals. But I find the likes of Vogue, ES, GQ etc so unrelatable these days. I struggle with them all. No, I don’t want a pashmina for £1200. Or a scarf for £600. That’s fucking stupid. I stopped reading ES as with the fashion they were recommending £10,000 watches and holidays that cost over 15k. Read the room, gang. Of course maybe only 1% of people reading ES in London could actually afford those sort of prices.

Of course, I totally appreciate said watch company probably made a commercial deal to be included in that fashion editor’s “round up”. But that sucks too. The fact there’s so much product placement in these magazines and that it has poisoned the job of a fashion editor is terribly sad. To me, it just means the editorial control has become so limited. Creative freedom snatched from the palms of the skinny fash pack. Obviously, I understand this is pretty much the best way for these titles to stay afloat but that doesn’t deter from the fact it sucks in a big way. The brands paying the big bucks is controlling the narrative. It’s not like the old days when the wonderfully effervescent and kooky editors were steering the ship on what we should be buying.

In an ideal world, I’d love to read a magazine that had the cool arty shoots but the prices and items featured would be for things I could actually afford. At least in the fashion stakes. In fact, if I was rich (like, multi-millionaire rich) I’d pass my time with a bi-annual high-end cool magazine featuring some of the best artists, photographers and talent. I’d have it printed and taken to all the cool schools, fashion colleges and available for free on subscription. Just for fun. No commercial bullshit. I’m RICH, daaarrrrrrrlings. Shove your Chanel and Dior product placement up your ass.

The reality is, magazines and print media are becoming dormant on every level. They’re in a hospice, if you like. Just a matter of time before they die.

The way I get my news has changed – that’s not to say I don’t still love the romantic nature of buying a magazine in print and flicking through the articles. I guess I just don’t believe in the format of print media anymore. It’s a very rare occasion where I genuinely enjoy the process of reading from a newspaper or magazine. I detest a Kindle and take books everywhere I go – but you can keep your magazines and papers.

I guess I’m not snobby about the way I see my celebrity or fashion shoots either. I “oooooh and ahhhh” just as much looking at them on a screen; as I would do holding a title in my hands. It doesn’t bother me how I absorb my news.

The editor in question OBVS came to me with lots of questions. I was up for the challenge and expected it.

What magazine did I still think was game changing and agenda setting?

What did I think of Vogue with Edward’s departure?

Would I buy it?

Did I think the magazine industry was dead?

I’m not going to drop all the Tea on what they said – was private, after all. But the reality was I started to think about the titles I worked on. Closer and Loaded predominantly - and a long list of freelance titles. I’m shocked Loaded is still about in this latest recent reincarnation. I don’t get who a Loaded reader is these days. I’m shocked people are still buying a title like Closer – one rather old dog throwing zero new tricks.

Then just a few days ago US Weekly relaunched in the States which was highly perplexing. I caught some of the pages online and saw the cover with Selma Blair. Felt like the early 2000s had never left – proper nostalgic.

But I was left with an overwhelming vibe of, who in the hell will buy this sort of thing? Despite, no doubt, hundreds of thousands of pounds spent on the relaunch how is a magazine like that going to be able to build readership in 2024. I just can’t see it.  Nobody under the age of 50 is going to become a new reader, are they? It’s such a tired old repetitive format “good week for” / “bad week for”.

One thing’s for sure I couldn’t ever step back into that world and work on the magazines again. There are loads of sad things about the journalism industry right now. I hate the paywalls – just means so few people are able to access good journalism. But without those paywalls no title would last. But is it enough to have a paywall anyway? The papers continue to axe staff whether there’s a paywall or not. All the good writers are migrating here. Some good, some indifferent.

To me, it still feels like there’s a gap and something missing in the journalism industry. A format that can be monetized, keep journalism alive, vibrant and ensure titles have a future. But in the meantime, I’m scrolling for my high-end magazine covers or new shoots and enjoying the odd thing.

Then again, who knows maybe we’ll come full circle and print will find its niche and have a moment once again. I guess part of the problem with the industry has been its unpredictable nature and the speed at which technology has turned the journalism  world upside down. Social media has been the final nail in the coffin of print.

What was the last magazine you bought and enjoyed? Please let me know.

And tell me, is print dead?

I’ve littered this piece with some stand out covers I’ve loved over the years.