A race against time

In April 2019, four-time Formula One World Champion and Ferrari race driver Sebastian Vettel expressed concerns over Liberty Media's planned changes. He was quoted saying that Formula One (F1) was turning more into a "show and a business" than a sport. One of F1's most recurring theme is cost-cutting, but racing teams spent approximately $480 million in the 2019 season alone! Once Liberty Media got the keys to F1, the company's principal aim as Forbes reports, is “the sale and exploitation of digital rights and services connected to F1”. Although Liberty began investing heavily in promoting the events digitally, it made a high-octane loss, with criticism flowing in on the F1 TV Pro as users had to pay $100 in subscription fees. Following this, the digital and social media division made a net loss of $1.9 million. On the larger picture, the question posed here is whether such media services are relevant to majority of the fans, an average F1 fan might not be buying apps if the content is accessible online for free. 

Much like what is expected of the race drivers, the mic is now towards Motorsport and F1 journalist Chris Medland, to discuss the rise in digital media, and paramount pressures faced by journalists and how this affects their mental health. While the driver races against time to meet the chequered flag, Chris is on a similar race to get his news story out. He is a freelance motorsports journalist, featuring for outlets such as MBC Action, and the RACER magazine. He developed a passion for sports, exotic cars, and storytelling from a young age. He describes his eagerness to be the first to share news stories as an annoying trait but admits that it has been the base for his journalistic instincts. Having graduated from university, Chris worked as an assistant editor at ESPN, an outlet that was trying to establish itself at the paddock back in the day, before switching to the role of a freelancer.

"The challenge of being a freelancer is that you need to be connected all the time. You never really switch off, and that is a stress in itself." - Chris Medland

Constant travel means switching between time zones and more time away from home, and more expenses. While it increases the chances of income and access to events, staying connected on multiple platforms and producing content in a short space of time takes a huge toll on a person's mental health. Chris says: "as a freelancer, you to be switched on all the time and you have to love the job. You don't get the luxury to unwind, and flight traveling gets very draining. "You have your low moments as work stacks up and the little things start to annoy you when things don't go your way", he continued. In all these circumstances, self-awareness is key, and one should know when to 'switch off' or disconnect themselves from the heavy schedule. But it is not just the workload journalists have to deal with. Social media can be used for good or ill. 

Trolls or trolling culture is the devil's advocate that makes jokes at the expense of professionals and finds itself as a factor of mental health which is less discussed. "You might think it's easy to laugh it off, but it's not," says Medland. However, he has been lucky not to receive too much stick for his work. He says: "I do get comments on my looks, especially after the first season of Drive to Survive, where the viewers felt that I was boring." Why would someone be scrutinized for following orders? It is a tough question to answer, and most journalists try to laugh it (trolls) off, but it is rough when you receive personal abuses. 

In late 2019, Autosport magazine, the so-called 'bible of motorsport', announced an agreement with Lifestyle Media. While the Motorsport Networks have seen a surge in the digital audience, with over 50 million visiting their online properties, the print editions have failed to generate revenue. Autosport is now playing along the lines of nostalgia, to attract customers to buy its print edition. Weighing in on the 'print vs. digital debate', Chris believes the way forward is capitalizing on digital media: "People understand the costs that go behind when producing a physical magazine copy, but they are yet to realize the costs of running a website," he says. While several sites provide content for free and make money through advertising, he feels it is important to pay for good quality journalism or change the expectations on the quality of content. 

In October 2019, the then President of Motorsport Network, Mr. Yavor Efremov stressed that print editions are part of the company's heritage, and for most brands, shifting to digital is not the end of the brand but an evolution. After all, motor racing is about evolution. But digital media has its complications and Liberty Media holds a huge advantage over other digital outlets. It was only a matter of time for Formula 1 to be its independent outlet and produce its own content, but Chris shares his concerns on this matter. He admits that he and other freelancers are unable to create video content or news at a pace that Liberty Media does making it an uneven playing field. Recalling a recent embargo situation in the testing season, he explains that the journalists in the press conference were not allowed to record the discussion, and it was later distributed by Liberty Media, the writers of their own rules.

A very bespoke and creative approach taken by Liberty Media was to increase engagement among the fans and the racing teams, and they achieved this through social media. While teams issue press releases (with Liberty at the helm), these stories are as objective as one might guess. This begs the question: Will there be a need for sports journalists to tell a story, with social media and sites like the Players Tribune taking over? Chris has a different take on this, suggesting that journalists play a key role in holding the people in power accountable: "A lot of teams approach journalists for their editorial and social media posts, so there is still the element of storytelling required, and that's where we fill the gap", he says. The internet has enabled the public to produce their own sports media content, transforming the dynamic between sports journalists, athletes and fans.

Would it make a difference to the readers if news reporters hold accreditation? It should. A fan who's that interested to hear from the horse's mouth will equally be interested to hear a specialist's take who might add some history, context to the sport and balance to the data. While these issues persist, the focus of journalists remain on maintaining fair and accurate reporting on stories. Autosport’s story about William’s press offices Aaron Rook must be a wakeup call to both the audience and the media involved in the sport. The post, which was published in February, mentions that Aaron even contemplated suicide as he “simply couldn’t cope”. The burnout and mental health of media personnel must be discussed often, and sports journalists need support.

Bonus feature:

Check out the complete conversation in this podcast and be sure to follow Chris Medland on twitter.

#sportsjournalism #sports #journalism #f1media #freelancejournalism