"Journalists need to establish their own brand"
Katharina Kort, the U.S. Bureau Chief in New York for the German business daily Handelsblatt, spoke to the Association Foreign Press Correspondents in the USA (AFPC-USA) and Thanos Dimadis. Kort shared her experiences from her extensive career as a foreign correspondent.
“You have to have your own brand.”
Kort spoke on the growing necessity of journalists having an online presence. “When I started, it was mostly you write your article, and it’s done, no, [now] you have to self-promote it, you have to do SEO, you have to do Twitter and LinkedIn,” said Kort. Kort also spoke on how social media can help journalists personally and professionally by giving readers more access to online content.
Always keep in mind who you’re writing for
Her advice to younger journalists starting their careers is to find their niche. Kort touched on the importance of writing about what you cared about and added that expertise is your “currency.” Kort reminded journalists that in today’s reporting, climate writers must always ask themselves, “why does it matter?” and tell their readers why the story they are reading is essential. Kort explained that it is also crucial for foreign journalists to keep in mind what their audience back home wants to read about. “Always look for parallels and try to sell the story that way.”
On objectivity
Kort spoke on the public’s distrust in media and how former president Donald Trump had a hand in creating that distrust. “It’s even more important [now] that if you write critically, you have to have your facts right and that you also give credit to things that are positive on the other side.” Kort explained her displeasure with the U.S. media coverage of Trump’s presidency, calling the reporting “very biased.” She felt that CNN and Fox News outlets relied on too much commentary instead of objectivity during the four years. Kort compared America to Germany in terms of news outlets and objectivity. She talked about how commentary pages and news pages separate German outlets.
“The more we can finance ourselves by our readers, the more objective we can be”
Kort discussed the importance of the change over to subscription models that many significant outlets have been adopting. She added that her outlet, Handelsblatt, has decreased the revenue provided by advertisers and state subsidies. She explained that the old model of relying on advertisers and publishing articles to read for free was not the best move towards objectivity. Now the biggest concern is making sure journalists get paid. “But I’ve seen it in Austin, Italy; they have been cutting foreign journalists. A lot of newspapers, that’s the first thing they cut.” Kort hopes that the trend changes and more readers will be willing to pay for their news. On the nonprofit model, Kort is skeptical: “You have to have your checks and balances, that it’s not some hidden agenda.”
Advice to young journalists: “I still think it’s one of the best professions you can choose.”
“You need curiosity,” said Kort. She went on to explain that writing an article is something that can be learned, but a journalist needs curiosity and has to want to do that job. To the German journalist looking to work in the U.S., Kort advised to “look for the career stories and speak to the people.”
