RTE.ie editor James McNamara speaks to Griffith journalism and PR students​

Oscar Wilde once said that “the only thing to do with good advice is to pass it on. It is never of any use to oneself.”

Even though opening a story with a lazy quote like that is something that RTÉ home page editor James McNamara would never allow – he took Wilde’s advice to heart when speaking openly to Griffith College journalism students.

“If I was only to offer you one piece of advice,” he told the students. “It would be to take every chance that is given to you. If you are working in a newsroom and are given a task to do. Just do it.

“Don’t think that you are ever above doing a piece of work. So if an editor comes to you and says they want you to write a three-paragraph picture caption, don’t think ‘I’ve studied journalism for years, that is work that’s beneath me’.

“Instead, do the job as well, and as quickly, as you can. Then, the next piece of work that comes along, do the same again. And when the bigger stories come along, your editor will know that you are someone who can do an honest and professional job and they are more likely to send you to do it.”

The changing nature of the media landscape

McNamara was speaking to lecturer Aoife O’Donnell’s PR class – a module that journalism students take in their final year. McNamara is still relatively new in his role at RTÉ but brings 19 years’ experience to the table; working for many leading titles, as a reporter and editor, including The Manchester Evening News, The Irish Sun, The Irish Mirror, The Sunday Business Post and now RTÉ digital.

Because of McNamara’s own journey from a print journalist to an online editor, he is in a unique position to advise students on the changing nature of the media landscape.

That's part of the reason PR Lecturer at Griffith College Aoife O’Donnell invited McNamara in to speak to her journalism and PR students; "Public relations professionals and journalists enjoy a symbiotic relationship," she said. "And it is important that we understand each other's role within the media landscape. In recent years, with the explosion of media channels and growth of technology, the boundaries between the professions have merged even closer.

"James's insight into the role of a multi-media journalist in today's world was invaluable for the final year students as they prepare to enter the media workforce," she said.

But regardless way we consume our media, McNamara says that the basic tenets of journalism still apply.

“You need to have a good story. And the most important term you need to keep in your mind is the ‘topline’. There is a lot of jargon in journalism but your ‘topline’ is a one- or two-sentence synopsis of the story. It’s the hook or the essence of the thing. If you don’t have a ‘topline’, you probably don’t have a story,’ he explained.

For journalists and PR professionals alike – the process is much the same. It involves pitching to editors (like McNamara) and he says that process involves two main elements – the above-mentioned topline as well as the ‘assets’ you can bring to the story.

It’s all about the assets

"Assets," explained McNamara, "are the building blocks of a story. When you speak to an editor either on the phone or by email, the first thing you do is tell them the topline. Then you tell them about the assets you have. That could be a picture carousel or a video but those assets are what an editor wants – they can then hold people on their site – because every editor wants to avoid that dreaded bounce rate.”

The battle against bounce rate is one that McNamara fights every day as Home Page Editor of RTE.ie. For those who don’t know, bounce rate is basically where somebody comes to a website and then leaves (bounces). The aim of all websites is to create what McNamara calls ‘sticky’ content – which encourages the reader to stay (stick) on the site.

“Bounce rate is the scourge of all news sites and RTÉ is no different. To combat that, we are looking at increasing ‘dwell time’ which is the amount of time that readers spend on the story. To do this – we are focusing more on analysis and long reads.”

Exploit those contacts if you want to be a journalist

“At the weekend especially, we focus on giving the reader something to dig their teeth into. Part of that is our Brainstorm initiative – where we get academics to write articles about topical issues.”(Editor’s note – Griffith College lecturers will soon have articles on Brainstorm).

As part of his visit – McNamara gave students an insight into the real-time analytics of RTE.ie and even showed the students how many people were on the site as well as the gender breakdown and what stories were the most popular.

His last piece of advice? “Exploit every contact you have. Whether that’s someone you know who works in a newspaper or website; exploit those contacts. That’s what journalism is all about.”

Aoife O’Donnell lecturers in PR and media at Griffith College Dublin and can be found on Twitter HERE.

James McNamara is the home page editor of RTE.ie and can be found on Twitter HERE.