In The
Pink
The FT Weekend Editor tells NTU
media students that ‘fake news’ has created a new hunger for the real thing. Catherine
Adams of the Media
and Film Cultures research group reports.
The pink pages of the Financial times are no longer the preserve
of stern men in bowler hats on the London commute. Described once as ‘dry and
dusty’ by David Cameron, the FT now does Facebook Lives, animated trailers and even
a festival. ‘Disruption’ is the key to keeping readers, according to the 51
year old editor of FT Weekend, Alec Russell. And that applies to the content
too: ‘Surprise me, punch me in the throat, pull up my conscience’ one 30-something
subscriber advised him. The FT still claims to be read by the agenda-setters. ‘The
brains’ behind Trump, Steve Bannon, was snapped on an escalator on the Tube
recently with FT Weekend under his arm.
“ It’s the golden age of long-form,
deep journalism”