Cultural magazines across Europe are facing a funding crisis, and with it a crisis of editorial independence. But in Scandinavia, the situation for magazines is less precarious than elsewhere, thanks to a long-standing state support system, writes Mats O. Svensson in his article. Attitudes.
The 'Nordic model' emerged in the social democratic 1960s in response to the concentration of media in small linguistic spaces, and can be transferred to settings where reservations about state intervention in the press – a combination of historical experience and a tradition of laissez-faire – leave magazines untouched. Lifeline.
But although they are doing better, says Svensson (himself an editor at Scandinavian magazine Vajant), state-supported magazines in Scandinavia are not living in glorious abundance. On the contrary, there are very few people who can afford anything more than a small staff, and everyone relies on voluntary participation.
The increasing financial instability in Nordic journals is a result of the tendency of publishers to divest from what were once prestigious publications. In 2016, for example, Cappelen Damm split from Norwegian partner Eurozine the homeless Because it was not profitable (read editor-in-chief Audun Lindholm's comment, in which he claims that the publishing industry has abdicated its responsibility to the critical public). Major publishers did the same in Sweden (Bonaire) and Denmark (Gyldendaal).
Svensson writes: “For many years, cultural policy was based on the social democratic principle that the state should use subsidies to counter the negative effects of commercial exploitation in the cultural sector. This type of argument has not been made for a long time. However, the idea that the state should look after small cultural practitioners, protect them and take them under its wing persists. This is necessary both for criticism and for creating a new generation of critics.
Journalism is journalism?
Attitudes Editor Bastian Zimmermann talks to Timo Konraths, media lawyer and director of the German Journalists' Association, one of the largest associations of its kind in Europe. Their conversation revolves around the lawsuit the magazine filed earlier this year Universal message against Meaning and form (The in-house magazine of the German Academy of Arts, a publicly supported institution).
letter He claimed that indirect support from the state to Meaning and form It provided it with an unfair advantage in a field where direct state support for journalism – of which cultural magazines are a part – is prohibited. Konraths points out that the ban on state intervention was originally intended to protect freedom of the press. This tended to be overlooked in conflict. In fact, says Konraths, in German law there is no contradiction in principle between state non-interference and funding of magazines.
So why did state support for cultural magazines never begin in Germany, despite the clear need and pressure exerted by this sector?
Konrath believes that historical reasons, although important, are less decisive than constitutional reasons. In Germany, cultural funding is delegated to the federal states. Any funding at the national level must exclude qualitative criteria and be based on purely economic considerations. Given the financial distress that the journalism sector is suffering from, the competition for funds will be so intense that this process will be impossible to handle.
“Unfortunately, it's easier to maintain an existing system than to create a new one,” Konrath says. If it proves possible to create something that respects the principle of non-interference, the Association of German Journalists would also like to see some sort of media or journalistic funding in Germany. Because this is actually an area so important to democracy that it simply must be supported.
Editor's complaints
According to Colin Lange, former editor of art magazines Texts about art And It's risingCriticism today has become increasingly dependent on what it is supposed to criticize: artistic institutions. The crisis facing independent magazines means that they are increasingly unwilling to publish criticism that would displease advertising clients. Critics themselves were also now unwilling to write anything that might offend the institutions for which they might then write promotional material.
All of this puts the German state's refusal to fund magazines in a different light, according to Lang: “If there is truly no independent writing, free from the forces of influence, then the government's decision to stay out of the game is based on a lie.
How do critics, whose independence is supposed to be preserved, view the principle of non-interference? “I don't know, that's the short answer, but I can say that after working closely with young writers, I've never heard those sentiments expressed, either for or against.” These individuals were very concerned with securing the next gig and making sure they got paid for the current gig.
A new deal for music journalism?
At a roundtable meeting with music critics, theorists, and magazine editors, participants agreed that the continuing migration of music criticism from the cultural pages of newspapers to specialist music magazines is a good thing for criticism—provided that the magazines are able to finance themselves. But, as with their equivalents in the visual arts, the more music magazines depend on advertising, and the more critics themselves act as dramaturgs or curators, the more difficult it becomes for magazines to ensure critical independence.
'When he took over Attitudes“We insisted on some basic principles,” says magazine editor Andreas Engström. One is that ad sales were not tied to coverage. Most advertisers accept this. More complex, however, is the issue of authors working in the artistic field, whether as a sideline or as a main form of employment. We often face difficult situations where there are gray areas and undefined boundaries.
Everyone agrees that the New Deal for Journalism will not affect independence. The question is only how to achieve this. “With participation, initiative and unpaid work?” asks Sarah Walther, a magazine editor New Music Magazine. Although they are “in competition” for readers, the magazine's editors do not see themselves as adversaries: on the contrary. The market is facing a crisis, so why is there no pressure group?
