De Journalist, 9 November 2007, pages 12–14
(rough translation by Belinda Stratton)

The suppleness of internet-Tintins

by Frans Oremus

The internet journalist has developed from ‘hobby-Tintin’ to serious colleague. But isn’t there a threat that he will be used to replace the traditional and more expensive journalist of the ‘old media’?

Like the meter reader and the textile worker, the journalist does not have a very promising outlook in the 21st century. This prediction is in the Occupational Outlook Handbook 2006-2007 of the American Labor Department. Media companies are going to increasingly merge their editorial departments, according to the report – despite the fact that the exploitation of news is going to further increase as well. So less news will be pumped around growing numbers of platforms. Generated by a decreasing number of editorial staff, who will be partly replaced by freelancers and cheaper personnel.

A rather sombre perspective, that leads to the question of whether publishers and broadcasters in the Netherlands are also busy grasping the media convergence to make more money with less news.

Important in this question is what is actually the profile of the internet journalist. Has he emerged from being originally a ‘hobby-Tintin’ to become the cheap little brother of the traditional colleague with a notepad; or is he the mature successor, who produces journalistic work in line with agreed professional codes and working conditions?

Research (2006) by the Radboud University Nijmegen and the NVJ [Dutch journalists union] shows that the internet editor is usually a man (70%), who is generally reasonably highly educated and well paid – in many cases in accordance with a journalist CAO [collective labour agreement]. He is aged between 30 and 50 years. His tasks are largely the editing of news, sometimes accompanied by images and sound and relevant links. Generating news stories himself or ‘lifting up stones’ as an investigative journalist is not widespread. Although there are exceptions: one of the most famous internet scoops – the Lewinsky affair – came from the American web reporter Matt Drudge, who thereby probably also forced the pioneering decision to publish the Starr report (named after Clinton’s prosecutor) via internet first.

But according to the research, the webjournalist usually works from behind his desk and rarely goes on to the street to gather news. In journalistic terms, the online editorial departments lean heavily on the ‘mother medium’ or, at independent sites, on news agencies. Webjournalists, however, are better able to find their way on the world wide web, which then delivers specific news – especially in the ICT field – and the occasional scoop that is then taken over by other media.

“Nu.nl has shown, as the first in the Netherlands, what the power of pumping headlines around can be. Teletext with pictures. It has been copied a lot.” According to Laurens Verhagen, chief editor of one of the biggest news sites in the Netherlands, made by four permanent webeditors and a few freelancers. According to him, there is a gradual evolution going on; news sites are increasingly adding exclusive content. “Such as the great, direct input of the reader. And news in the field of ICT and entertainment, or a scoop via the web itself. Through Alarmeringen.nl we were the first to report the fire in the Armando Museum in Amersfoort. A lucky hit.” According to Verhagen, the lack of exclusive news “across the whole breadth” is a result of the general demand for speed; “gathering news oneself simply costs time”. Nu.nl maintains its network mostly via internet, but also goes to the Microsoft press conference. “But there is no point us having our own correspondent in The Hague.” [at the Dutch parliament]

Koen Kleijn, acting chief editor of De Groene Amsterdammer [weekly opinion paper], is less taken with ‘pumping around’. The editorial department has one webeditor, who mostly places the pieces from others online, and does not do any journalism himself.  The Groene uses its site as archive (all articles from the period 1877–1940 and from 1994 onwards have been digitalised) and ‘overflow’ for production that does not fit in the paper any more. But weblogs from editorial staff and colleagues – such as the one from Afghanistan correspondent Joeri Boom – are also given plenty of space. The Groene site will be expanded in the future, if Kleijn has anything to do with it,  to become the foremost platform for ‘informed opinion’. The intellectual opposition “that is still missing in the Netherlands” to GeenStijl [‘no style’ = weblog with mixture of news, scandals, opinion, nonsense].

At Elsevier [weekly magazine] the site has yet another function and so does the webediting department. According to Elsevier chief editor Arendo Joustra (“we have the most visited site of all magazines in the Netherlands”), all journalists are now increasingly chained to their desks because of the arrival of the internet. “It is a general trend; you can surf everywhere so you simply don’t have to travel physically as much. It is a philosophical question whether this is a good development.”

Elsevier makes its news and opinion site with eight webeditors. In charge is deputy chief editor René van Rijckevorsel. Joustra: “The fact that we have put the deputy chief editor on this shows how seriously we take online journalism.” Although, according to him, “no-one knows yet” what the best approach is, he has chosen for a semi-integrated webeditorial department, in which the journalists who work on the magazine are encouraged to contribute to the site. “In this way we can also publish our own news, such as blogs and opinion pieces.” Van Rijckevorsel adds: “The editorial departments of website and magazine are growing slowly towards each other.”

On the other hand, chief editor Harm Taselaar of RTL Nieuws [commercial TV news] tries to consider his news site, on which five staff webeditors work, more as an independent medium. “Of course content comes from the television, our core business, but it also happens increasingly that we make separate items for the RTL news site: background pieces, interviews and recent exclusive photos of Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Máxima in Bhutan.” Taselaar does not believe that internet and television will ever completely merge. “Internet has its own rules; you can’t transfer everything one on one.”

According to the Vice President of the NVJ [Dutch journalists union], Eric van Heeswijk, it is too early to judge how web journalism will develop. The research of the Radboud University and the NVJ is “the first attempt” to get any insight into it. “It is a strongly innovating sector, in which you should not try to regulate too much as yet.” So a large number of websites do not work with their own separate ‘redactiestatuut’ [editorial charter - agreement on relationship publisher/editor in chief/editorial and journalistic staff, re editorial independence etc], or even with a charter at all. Sanoma Uitgevers, that does have a ‘redactiestatuut’ for its print publications, has a general policy not to set one up for its web publications. Van Heeswijk: “From the research it appears that web journalists are concerned about this. 80 percent would like to work under such a charter.”

It is logical that webjournalism still leans heavily on news that is brought to the surface by traditional media, according to Van Heeswijk. “The sites that operate in a niche are the ones that are more likely to make their own news. Such as for example marketingfacts.nl (for marketeers) or webwereld.nl (for ICTers). And it is worth noting: the founder of Vaart.nl [portal about ships/boats etc] – who was a former editor on weekly paper 'Schuttevaer' [for the shipping profession] – was found to have become so influential with this site that he has recently been taken on board again at 'Schuttevaer', but now as editor in chief.”

An indication that the sector is quickly maturing is, according to Van Heeswijk, the increasingly prominent place that the ‘new media’ have in journalism training (at both polytechnic and Masters level). “The new generations are familiar with the convergence phenomenon from the start.”

BOX

One CAO* for journalism

Internet journalism has specific working conditions and dangers such as the constant deadline and RSI, that lurk here more than elsewhere. And yet there is no separate CAO, as there is for other disciplines in the field of journalism. Web editors tend to fall under the journalism CAO of the medium to which the site belongs. For independent sites the company CAO is sometimes used, or no CAO at all. Many web jobs are on a flex or temporary basis.

Because different media forms – in a single company or even within a single title ­– are increasingly found together, the NVJ [Dutch journalists union] wants to achieve a single journalism CAO in the future, as can be read in the plan of approach for 2007. Deputy chief editor René van Rijckevorsel of Elsever [weekly magazine] says this is “logical and sensible”. His web editorial department works in three shifts (the first starts at 07.00, the last ends at 0.00). “The work rhythm is more like that of a daily newspaper editorial team. But the difference will get steadily smaller. Getting rid of all those discipline-based CAOs will save a lot of negotiating time as well, it seems to me.”

*Collective labour agreement.