We have a 20th-century press ill-equipped in spirit and practical capability to associate with the diversity of 21st-century BritainWhen I look at the dwindling circulation graphs for Britains newspapers the image of a glider plane comes to intellect. It’s being piloted expertly – for many remain products of tall quality – but decidedly to earth.
I am also reminded of a ride I once took on a milk float driven around Blackburn by John “Jimmy” Mather. That had been his family’s trade for a generation and all was well until Blackburn changed and a large number of families of Asian descent moved to his patch. Many,particularly the women, had no English. He couldn’t speak to them, or he couldn’t sell to them. He could have thrown up his hands and piloted his own sales graph to decline. Instead,he learned Gujarati. Not fluently, but enough to associate with and befriend his customers. The market changed, or so Jimmy changed. There is a powerful deal our press could learn from Jimmy.
If we conclude that diversity is important,both morally and commercially – we can seek out or mould the bestContinue reading...
Source: theguardian.com