What was the most important media news story of 2021?
From growing steps towards social media regulation and sustainability, to industry recovery from lockdown and political fallouts, this year has had its fair share of media news stories.
Mediatel News spoke to media strategists, newspaper editors, media owners and columnists to find out what they thought.
The media strategist
Rich Kirk, chief strategy officer at Zenith
“I think there are three big stories out there, but they have yet to reach the proportion where they will have seismic impact on advertisers.
“Legacy social media going through a “big tobacco” moment – but the public hasn’t turned its ire from Facebook to those funding it (for now).
“The introduction of carbon calculators – but the cost and enforcement of offsetting is negligible (for now).
“The cookieless and the demise of reliable digital tracking – but that can has been kicked down the road by Google (for now).
“What actually happened this year that changed investment? Probably the rise & rise of TikTok as an ad platform and genuine competitor to YouTube and VOD as an incremental reach driver.”
The newspaper editor
Alison Phillips, editor-in-chief at The Mirror
“Right when it seemed like the Tory party couldn’t possibly disappoint us more, our Politics team proved us all wrong with yet another scoop – this time revealing Downing Street’s shameless Christmas parties during last year’s lockdown [front page pictured below courtesy of Reach].
“Spearheaded by Political Editor Pippa Crerar, we once again pushed Boris’s hypocrisy and lack of empathy into the limelight with what will be a year-defining and maybe political career-defining story. I think this will be the moment that takes the British public to their breaking point with this government.”
The columnist
Raymond Snoddy, media consultant, national newspaper columnist and former presenter of NewsWatch on BBC News
“Eye-catching stories by the media were led by Matt Hancock in his office on candid camera – The Sun, followed by party time in Downing Street – the Daily Mirror, and then Allegra Stratton and the mock press conference – ITV.
“But the underlying media story of the year was how both news brands and commercial television bounced back from lockdown and began holding an incompetent and politically corrupt Government to account.
“Recovery was underwritten by the accelerating drive to digital with The Independent announcing its fourth year of profit and plans to hire another 30 journalists.
“Meanwhile The Guardian reached 1m digital subscribers. Overall not a bad story for Annus Horribilis 2021.”
The media owner
Chris Duncan, CEO UK publishing at Bauer Media
“The most important media story of 2021 has been the renewed scrutiny on digital platforms and their impact on news, information and commerce.
“We finish the year with the Digital Markets Unit in the UK under construction but with a more realistic appraisal of both the good that the platforms have done and also the danger of unfettered market power.
“The role of the media in continuing to decode and detail in plain English that which the platforms have sought to keep shrouded in mystery has been the story of the year, because it will change the nature of the internet in this country for the next generation.”
The media strategist
Tony Mattson, head of strategy at Havas Media Group
“A code red for humanity- on 9th August, this headline ran across the world in response to the publication of the IPCC’s latest report on climate.
“The report found that humans are unequivocally to blame to global warming. We are at risk of killing our home.
“This is now the setting in which we operate, and it signals a wake-up call for systemic change.
“The media industry has a huge role to play in driving that change: building sustainable brands, marketing sustainable products, encouraging sustainable behaviours.
“For me, nothing escapes this headline. And it makes all other headlines pale into insignificance.”