The Journalist August-September 2025
Features on page view targets, public interest journalism, Norway's state-funded media, picketing during the Thatcher years, and more.
When better than the holiday season to read your copy of The Journalist? The new edition is available here and the Freelance supplement is here.
Many of us are enjoying a well-earned break now and nobody more so than our colleagues who are stressed from unrealistic page view targets and the prospect of chicken feed bonuses or unfair disciplinary action depending on the clicks they get. We visit Page View Farm in our cover feature by Sean Meleady.
Page view targets and general clickbait demands cut the time available to journalists to talk to people. But Sophie Atherton finds that when you have the time to speak to a press officer you can’t find one. Barckley Sumner, who looks after the busy communications for the Unite union, disagrees, though he thinks reporters are losing the art of chatting and getting valuable insights.
We also have our regular features of On Our Patch – this time Ruth Addicott talks to reporters about covering Elvis impersonators in Porthcawl – and our columnists Ray Snoddy and Chris Proctor.
If you’re a full member of the NUJ and would prefer The Journalist in print please update your preferences on MyNUJ on www.nuj.org.uk or email [email protected]
I hope you enjoy this edition of your magazine.
Christine Buckley
Editor