Lifestyle journalism - Session 1 - Introduction to Lifestyle Journalism

LIFESTYLE
JOURNALISM
INTRODUCTION

Soft News: primarily focuses on
audiences as consumers,
providing them with factual
information and advice, often
in entertaining ways, about
goods and services they can
use in their daily lives.
SOFT NEWS vs HARD NEWSSOFT NEWS vs HARD NEWS

LIFESTYLE JOURNALISM
Magazines have always strived to inform and entertain.

The rise of lifestyle journalism can be traced back as
far as the 1950s and 1960s and the emergence of
consumer culture.

Modern Lifestyle
Journalism was
pioneered in part by
Clay Felker, who
launched New York
in 1968. Published
among lengthy
investigative and
literary pieces were
tips and features on
fashion, food, and
travel.

As newspapers increase the number of pages
they need to fill and the arrival of satellite and
cable TV with the requirement for ever more
content – leads to the establishment of
dedicated channels, magazines and newspaper
sections.

Health and fitness, food and drink, fashion, property and home improvement, children and
education, computers and gaming, gardening, entertainment, leisure, music, arts.

DEFINING LIFESTYLE JOURNALISMDefinitions of journalism help us better understand what
Lifestyle Journalism is all about.
“Journalism is the business or
practice of producing and
disseminating information about
contemporary affairs of general
public interest and importance”
“It is in the arena of political
affairs that part journalism makes
the strongest claim to public
importance”

DEFINING LIFESTYLE JOURNALISM
In contrast Lifestyle
Journalism is seen as almost
unworthy of the term journalism –
thus it is often held in contempt by
those who practice journalism in the
service of Hard News.

A broader definition
An account of the existing real world
as appropriated by the journalist
and processed in accordance with
the particular requirements of the
journalistic medium through which
it will be disseminated to some
section of the public.
Allows for other forms of journalism that still document the real
world – for example travel journalism as distinct from travel
writers.

Another definition sees Lifestyle Journalism as
‘‘news you can use”
or
‘‘the way the news media provide their audiences with
information, advice and help about the problems of
everyday life”.

THREE DIMENSIONS OF LIFESTYLE JOURNALISM
Providing advice.
A review function.
And commercialisation.

THREE DIMENSIONS OF LIFESTYLE JOURNALISM
Lifestyle journalists see themselves: as cultural
mediators, critics, entertainers, information
providers and travellers.

THE BEATS
Travel, fashion, style, health, fitness, wellness,
entertainment, leisure, lifestyle, food, music,
arts, personal technology, gardening and
living.
These may be found in individual sections of
newspapers, entire magazines, programs on
radio or television, or even dedicated
websites.

COMMERCIALISM AND LIFESTYLE JOURNALISM
The strong
market-
orientation of
Lifestyle
Journalism is
certainly a
defining aspect
of the field.

Commercialism has always
been an integral
component of journalism.
Johann Carolus, who
published the world’s first
newspaper, Relation, in
1605, is said to have had
no journalistic motives for
changing his production of
handwritten news sheets
to the new technology of
mass printing.

Similarly, commercial
motives were
primarily responsible
for the introduction
of women’s pages
and women’s
magazines and a slow
increase in the
number of female
journalists in the late
nineteenth and early
twentieth century.

The expansion in
women’s pages in
newspapers during
the 1950s and 1960s
can also be traced
back to an attempt
to attract female
readers in order to
open new markets.

The rise of a consumer
culture in the West
in 1950's onward and
increased amounts of
individual leisure
time, has led to a
demand for
information about
how to best spend
the free time.

Did you know?
• 75% of all adults buy magazines
• There were over 250 new launches last year
• 10,000 magazines are sold every minute
• The UK magazine market is worth an
astonishing £4billion

UK LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE MARKET UPDATE 2013

DECLINE IN PRINT CIRCULATION

Sales of magazines have declined over the past
decade - by 4.8% between 2008 and 2012.

Women's lifestyle titles continued to account for the
majority of sales in the lifestyle category.

The strongest performing example being the health
and fitness title Women's Health.

Men's lifestyle titles observed a small increase in
circulation between 2012 and 2013.

Categories such as music and film, sports and
motoring observing particularly poor circulation

UK LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE MARKET UPDATE 2013

INCREASE IN DIGITAL CIRCULATION

Some publishers introducing new digital-only
specialist titles to appeal to the growing digital
audience.

Men's lifestyle magazine How it Works revealed that
around 21.8% of its total circulation was accounted
for by digital editions for the 6-month period ending
June 2013.

A continued rise in the number of people utilising
Internet-connected mobile devices, such as
smartphones, tablets and e-readers, should help to
boost digital subscription sales over the coming years.

5 REASONS TO LOVE LIFESTYLE JOURNALISM
Lifestyle and Service Journalism dominates the
news stands yet is still considered second rate
– audiences, it seems would disagree.

1. Quality is still just as
important and a lifestyle
feature takes as much research
as a hard news piece.

Freelancer David Hayes recalls
the first service piece he wrote
for Toronto Life in the ’80s; it
was on home renovation.

“You treat this exactly like

2. Selling copies doesn’t mean selling out.

Even Ravary, one of service journalism’s
biggest champions, acknowledges that
magazines have to be careful not to disservice
their readers by selling out to advertiser
demands.

But her solution is simple: “If we rewrite press
releases, if we pay homage to the big beauty
advertisers, then we deserve all the scorn
that’s heaped upon us,” she says. “Do your
work with integrity.”

3. Check the “best before” date.

Women’s magazines are often accused of
recycling ideas, information and articles―a
charge editors don’t necessarily deny.

Lifestyle Journalism grows wearisome when
we read, for the third time, to drink lots of
water (Chatelaine: January 1999, April 2000,
August 2001); how to get your body beach-
ready (Flare: July 1998, April 2000, June
2001); and to always eat breakfast (Canadian
Living: April 2004, September 2005, March
2008). Service doesn’t have to be, and
shouldn’t be, repetitive.

4. Packaging is more than just a pretty
wrapper.

Walrus won silver for “The Teenage Brain,” a
story about “why adolescents sleep in, take
risks and won’t listen to reason.”

Although the article fell into the service
category simply by being “explanatory” i.e. it
didn’t feature any of the characteristic
structural elements of a service story―there
were no instructional subheadings or advice.

The Canadian Living article published five
years earlier, “Hardwire Your Teens’ Brain for
Success,” by Kristin Jenkins, was a sharp

5. It doesn’t hurt to offer food: readers can’t
think on an empty stomach.

While advertisers indisputably play a role in
the content that appears in magazines, it’s
clear that the women’s books and city
magazines answer to a more powerful god.

“There’s no doubt that most readers want
service,”

“It’s the crack cocaine of the magazine
industry world.”

Ultimately, readers determine content by
voting with their cash.

CONCLUSION
Lifestyle Journalism doesn’t
appear in magazines because
editors or publishers are
enthusiastic about it, but
because it’s what readers want.

Sources
Hanusch, F. (2012) BROADENING THE FOCUS. Journalism
Practice, 6:1, 2-11.
Lockhart, J. (2008). 5 Reasons to Love Service
Journalism. Available online: http://www.rrj.ca/m4129/
[accessed 19-02-2014].
Research & Markets (2013). Lifestyle Magazines Market
Update 2013. Available online:
http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/2704895/
[accessed 19-02-2014].

Lifestyle journalism - Session 1 - Introduction to Lifestyle Journalism

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