1646 - Issue 1

I thought I knew quite a bit about magazines when I left Reading Blue Coat in 2013 to study English Literature at Bristol University. Probably because in my free time I spent so much time reading them. I was involved in publications at school and later in other forms of student journalism, which I’d highly recommend. I imagined reading my by‑line in freshly printed pages and dreamed of what it would be like discovering new and exciting lifestyle and fashion content three to four months in advance. Working for the beauty team at Harper’s Bazaar and Town & Country is sometimes like that, but I have also seen the industry transform over the last few years. So much so that the job roles soon-to- be Old Blues will fill come 2020 and beyond would have never existed when I was in Sixth Form. They say that print media is ‘dying’ and in some ways that’s true. Magazines I’ve interned at are swiftly closing or turning into digital-only platforms with vastly cut-back teams. Even my own job role has been extended so that I sit between the print publication and the world of online beauty journalism. Now the news (and journalists) never sleep. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t a challenging time to be an aspiring journalist. The old cliché that I duly ignored, as I think everyone does at 18, about doing it ‘for the love, not the money’ now rings even more painfully true. (Though, of course, I still cringe when I repeat it.) Talk to a magazine journalist about ‘hubbing’ or ‘hot-desking’ and their faces will say it all, as it means working across multiple titles often for the same reward, with the added risk of not having a desk in the morning. I speak to friends who haven’t read a print magazine in years, aside from at the hairdressers, and it’s hard to compete when breaking news is available at the click of button on every device we own. In fact, my colleagues and I often joke that to be a journalist you need to live in three time periods: print time (three months ahead), digital (one month ahead) and reality (that if we’re honest, we don’t really have time for). But people still dream of becoming a magazine journalist and I wouldn’t dissuade them. Because, in this brave new world, you’ll also find a host of new opportunities and experiences. For example, you might never have stopped to wonder how Google chooses which web pages to show you when you type in a query. But there’s a search-engine-optimisation expert for that working at all your favourite magazines and newspapers. In some cases, there’s a whole team. The magazine industry is also a sector that takes social media seriously, even in the face of the backlash against claims that Gen Z and so-called ‘Snowflakes’ live their lives online. Individuals who share their opinions on art, music, theatre and lifestyle topics from their bedrooms using blogs, Instagram and YouTube have increasingly been hired into the big media companies. It’s proof you no longer need to be in the office making endless cups of coffee, or have some nepotistic connection, to make the right, positive impression in journalism. Whereas bankers and doctors and lawyers might feel like they are doing the same thing for years, you won’t get that in an industry that truly earns its reputation as a place where every day is different. I came to Bazaar to write about beauty in beautiful magazines and while I still do, it’s no longer what I spend most of my time doing (there are digital stories, events, beauty boxes and social media to juggle, too). In the next few years, as media companies race to increase their digital presence (to cover and exceed the fall in traditional print advertising), there’s no doubt even more change will come. But I’d suggest you jump in and use your creativity, flexibility and drive to enjoy the ride. I’d suggest you jump in and use your creativity, flexibility and drive to enjoy the ride.