28 May 2024 - Are magazines back?

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G’day. Before we get into the topic of magazines and local news, I wanted to loop back around on your take on last week’s topic: Baby Reindeer and the fallout since it went up on Netflix. It’s part of a bigger debate about claims of ‘truth’ and the obligations of streaming platforms.

We asked you: “Are you interested in the truth, or do you just want to be entertained?” Half of you wanted a bit of both. Some didn’t mind as long as they were entertained, and 30% were concerned about something being truthful. 

I have pulled this quote from one of you:

“As long as it's not claiming to be all true, what's the harm? Sometimes, real-life needs a little tweaking.”

It’s a good articulation of the tension.

From there we pick up this week with a continued focus on media and entertainment. In particular, the resurgence of the humble magazine. That’s because several big, legacy brands have reentered the print market - we’re talking about Elle, Cosmopolitan… even CommBank recently launched a magazine. The question: is there a growing desire for non-digital experiences that means print is not dead?

To help answer that this week on the podcast I speak with Annabelle Hickson. She’s the founder and editor of Galah Magazine, an independent print magazine that captures regional Australia and the people who live there. And whille there’s some excitement about magazines, we also talk about the lack of local newspapers and how that might be feeding perceptions of rural and regional Australia that aren’t quite accurate. You can listen here. 

Chew on all of that as I introduce our Club Picks this week:

1. This Australian Financial Review piece from last year by Squiz fave Lauren Sams about the magazines making a comeback lays out the case and data.  

2. This article from ABC Online about the closure of Broken Hill’s last newspaper, The Barrier Truth. After more than 125 years, they published their final edition in April.

3. A piece of research by Pew that takes a look at American’s local news consumption habits. While a large majority say they value local news, only 15% have paid for it in the last year.

4. Finally, we’ve recommended Galah a few times on the podcast and often gift it to friends and family. Sign up here, and you’ll receive 3 issues delivered to your door.

As always, keen to hear from you. Just hit reply or vote in our poll below.

Your friend in news
Kate Watson

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As part of News Club, each Saturday we host the Weekly Wrap podcast. As it says on the tin, it’s a wrap of the week in news and a look at what's coming up. We reckon this review from one listener sums it up…

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