Magazine – Gonzo

Gonzo is typically classed as factual entertainment. It is presenter-led (don’t try to sell a factual entertainment without it being presenter-led. E.g. Ross Kemp, Louis Theroux), has an element of a quest (there needs to be a journey, narative, reason), and there should be jeopardy (something for them to overcome, revelation as a result).

Shift in form of narration FROM DIGETIC (telling) TO MIMETIC (mimicking, showing) – ‘Seeing’ not ‘Telling’.

You should go beneath the surface to see the situation for what it is – Freudian. What people say is not what they think. Therefore we need to show what they mean rather than say.

Tom Wolfe – fictional was boring, factual was way more interesting. Radical chic. Electric kool aid acid test – he took lsd and wrote down everything he experienced. Detail is absolutely key.

Another example: The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat.

There is an element of honesty and authentic experience, rather than boring objective scientific truth.

It can be described as performance journalism (‘Superize Me’), and is very popular in an age dominated by visual images.

TOM WOLFE’S RULES

The four tools for story telling in this way (The New Journalism) :

1. Scene by Scene construction (with jump cuts or punctuation)
2. Phonetic dialogue / actual speech (‘wild track’)
3. Third Person restricted point of view (no “I” see; used “It is”)
4. Concentration on symbolic “status life” – their lives

Magazine – Pitching to Editors

As explained in the introduction, there are different types of feature, and no such thing as a generic ‘feature’. When pitching to editors you need to have a specific type of feature you’re going to propose, and you need to format it in a way that will fit with the magazine. If you send off a random feature that isn’t targetted towards a certain slot, it cannot be used – it is then put into the ‘slosh pile’.

Pitching to editors is one of the hardest things in freelancing – news more than features. A good way of knowing this would be to network with the commissioning editors and to get to know the things they like. It becomes easier once you have a portfolio of work and they can trust the work you produce. If you get no answer, that is a resounding no.

You have to persuade the commissioning editor of two things: that you have access to the event/person/topic of your feature, and that you have the ability to deliver.

Important elements to think about:

• Pictures (portraits and collects[a picture that when you do an interview with someone you have a collection of pictures of the subject]/availability of subject)
• Timings (the person can be interviewed, it can be written up in time) Lead times – how long it takes to get a magazine out on a stand [cosmo are working on april/may in jan/feb]. You need to be able to produce your article instantly.
• Style – important that you write in the style of the magazine itself (e.g. Sun would be short words, colour [life], straight forward)

Payment:

• For yourself – look at how much it pays per word when freelancing. Subbing pays more. Aim for £350+ per 1k words. Take all effort and time into consideration and judge whether it is worth it.
• For the subject (all women’s will pay the subject, newspapers won’t generally).

Never assume/presume, always ask about all the above points and make sure you’re clear.

Jennifer Kahn (journalist in USA, works for NYT magazine, sports illustrated) shared crucial points on freelancing and how to do it. Here is a summary of The Science (Not Art) of the Magazine Pitch:

• Magazine = strip tease, newspaper = flashed on the subway.
• Research before you pitch (10 one-hour phone calls before pitch, 25% of reporting done before pitch)
• Send pre-pitch introductory email before major pitch – the editors have then asked for the pitch.
• Pitch in five paras
  1. Summarise story or use an excerpt
  2. Why we should care
  3. Why the story affects people in the real world
  4. Go into specifics – people, places, travel plans
  5. Remind editor what question you’ll be answering in your feature. Include what you have done, prove yourself, include it in the body of the email rather than seperate.
• Be specific in what you’re going to cover – don’t present ‘junk in the trunk’ – a trunk full of junk that you’re going to rummage through. Have a narrative.
• Keep the start of the pitch short and sweet.
• Send follow-up email 1-2 weeks later. Send an email reminding the editor what your story was, ‘just wanted to check and see if you had a chance to look at it yet’.
• Email subject lines don’t matter – be brief.
• Re-pitch elsewhere if you’re turned down.

Press Gazette is generally a fantastic website for resources, and when it comes to pitching they have an article ‘perfect pitch’ that gives you an insight into some editors’ expectations.

Once you get a good 10 articles published, then contact a PR website.

Very important – where do ideas come from?

• Keep cuttings
• Little jottings
• Talk to friends and family
• Community

When it comes to a portfolio, think about websites with pay walls on. You cannot show your story from a website that has a paywall on it.

Private Eye

Private Eye is a news and current affairs magazine, published fortnightly at the price of £1.50. The magazine is most notorious for its heavily satirical and relentless approach to investigative journalism, hence the title ‘Private Eye’.

The main head behind this controversial magazine is Ian Hislop, the editor. He is best known for his participation in ‘Have I Got News for You’, an equally satirical news program. Hislop has been named the ‘the most sued man in English legal history’ due to the many libellous claims while working on the Private Eye magazine.

A famous case held against the Private Eye was by James Goldsmith. The magazine had said that he allegedly was involved in sheltering Lord Lucan, a suspected murderer. Goldsmith issued over 60 writs and Private Eye was financially threatened. This resulted in a settlement of a public apology. Although this ended with no real damage, other cases against the magazine have been known to end not so well. An example of this is the Sutcliffe case, where the magazine was sued £600,000 after allegations that Sonia Sutcliffe, the wife of the Yorkshire Ripper, was using her husband’s profile in order to make money. The £600,000 that Sutcliffe was given then reduced to £60,000 on appeal. Hislop commented on the situation saying: ‘If that’s justice, then I’m a banana’.

The Private Eye’s audience is predominantly 25-54 year old ABC1s. Over half have received a degree or some sort of higher education, and 68% are male. Their media pack also released information that 68,000 readers renew their vehicles every 3 years, and that over 100,000 have been abroad for business in the last year. This information is particularly interesting when you consider the advertisements in conjunction. Companies and organisations that regularly feature in the magazine consist of Jaguar, British Airways and Oxfam, thus reinforcing these seemingly trivial statistics.

The magazine’s front page is iconic and worth mentioning as it defines its satirical and mocking nature. Hislop explains that they ‘use a current photograph and stick a bubble on it’, thus creating a comic strip out of serious current issues. There are a number of notable covers, all stated in this video featuring Hislop commenting on his favourite ones. Recently Rupert Murdoch was featured alongside Rebekah Brooks and James Murdoch under the title ‘Gotcha’. This was in retaliation to Murdoch’s headline, ‘Gotcha’, when Britain sank an Argentinian ship in the Falklands War. This is an example of how deep some references may go in order to make an impact.

The general set out of the Private Eye is somewhat dated but simple enough to connect with the target audience. The sections featured range from News to Letters and from Literary Review to ‘Commentatorballs’, the suffix ‘balls’ being very popular throughout the magazine to imply a mocking tone. Readers are encouraged to send in humorous photographs, and make personal adverts for the ‘Classified’ section. This creates a sense of community which most news outlets cannot achieve.

Overall, Private eye’s approach to journalism emphasises the idea that the media are the watchdogs of society, existing to make their own agenda for the public.