The Leveson Inquiry is one of the biggest and most comprehensive reviews that the journalism industry has ever faced. Headed by Lord Justice Leveson, the Inquiry looks in fine detail at the way the newspaper industry operates, including press regulation and the changing media landscape.
As a former editor of News of the World and hugely respected media commentator, our founder and Chairman, Phil Hall, was invited to address a Leveson seminar on the pressures facing journalists and demands placed on editors in a competitive, fast-paced industry.
On Thursday 6th October, Phil spoke to an audience of 100 invited guests, including some of the most influential editors in the country, at the Queen Elizabeth II conference centre in Central London.
Drawing on his wealth of experience as an editor, Phil identified a common misconception that bid scoops increase newspaper circulation numbers.
“There is a challenge to produce a major scoop weekly, if not daily. But that’s simplistic: great scoops don’t increase circulation” he said.
“Circulation is affected by the overall strength of the package. Strong stories are important but they’re not the be all and end all. The pressures are more to do with the personal and professional price. There aren’t pressures to push the boundaries of what is reasonable.”
Phil also reflected on the importance of ensuring content is in the public interest and insisted that editorial standards have not dropped, despite the diverse and pressured modern media landscape.
“The confusion over what is in the public interest clearly puts a great deal of pressure on editors, particularly when they are working to tight deadlines, with dwindling resources in an age when advertising revenues are challenging.”
