As a typical ‘gen z-er’, I easily would have said: “Newspapers, who even reads them anymore?” like the annoying teenager I was (and still am) whenever I saw a paper in my local co-op. But four months into the industry, this view has completely changed.
Since starting here, I have learnt so much. From organisational skills from the EA, to eye-opening statistics from the insight team. If you were to tell 17-year-old me that in 2020, 31 million people read news brands every single day, I would probably say that it’s fake news – but it isn’t.
A perk of my job is that I get to read all the newspapers every day. I love doing this. Although I am ‘young’, I am still very old fashioned. I don’t like reading information online half as much I enjoy reading the physical version of it. For it to be memorable, I need it to be tangible. Reading the papers every day allows me to keep informed on the current affairs of the world, helps me to confidently start and hold a conversation and most importantly, annoy my parents when I come home and bombard them about the interesting stories I’ve read in the paper that day.
Today, I will annoy my parents about ‘How seagulls prefer food that has been handled by humans’. Last week, I was telling my mum how many deals Morrisons had!
Last month I was lucky enough to attend the Newsworks training that the client services team run every month. Sitting among newcomers to the advertising industry, I learnt about why journalism matters to society and how they bring about change – something that made me proud to represent the news industry. The example that really struck a chord with me was without a doubt, Andrew Norfolk’s story. I found it inspiring to learn how quality journalism uncovered the truth about the case, outdoing the work of social services and the government.
The way news can change the world for the better, is truly incredible. And this is why journalism matters to me.
At times, they can get it wrong (like we all do), but when they get it right, they can really get it right.
