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The move by French President Nicolas Sarkozy to support the media by stimulating a new generation of readers through  free newspaper subscriptions to teenagers  is an excellent initiative. It is also one which the Swiss authorities - and the international agencies in Geneva - should consider. Unless they’re reading the free web newssites such as the BBC, Christian Science Monitor or Global Post, young people simply cannot rely on U-tube, the Daily Show or 160-character SMS items alone as reliable information sources about their society and world events. There needs to be far more creative thinking of how to develop new readership, whether in print, broadcasting or new media, that is both critical and discerning. Just handing out subscriptions will not be enough. We need to get to kids even younger.

 

 

Sarkhozy’s pilot plan is to give away free year-long subscriptions to Le Monde, Liberation or other newspapers of their choice to teenagers celebrating their 18th birthday. This is designed to encourage new readers given the marked decline in young readership of print media. “The habit of reading the press is learned very young,” the president said. According to the plan, the newspapers will cover the subscription, while the government will pay for the distribution. This will be part of the Paris government’s increase in annual subsidies for newspaper and magazine deliveries to 70 million Euros for 2009, a dramatic increase from 8 million Euros last year. Paris will spend another 20 million Euros more on advertisements in print publications, plus defer certain charges.

For Sarkhozy, the initiative is designed to help the ailing newspaper industry over the next three years in order “to modernize and invest in the print media sector in exchange for important structural reforms.” However, as he also added, this alone will not be enough. The newspaper industry must basically “re-invent its future.” While a step in the right direction, this initiative is not enough to encourage new readership. As Sarkhozy himself noted, readership habits begin young. Most 18 year-olds are probably already beyond the rim unless they wake up to the need to be informed, perhaps through school or an event, such as the current economic downturn, which directly affects their lives.

We should be looking at 14 and 15 year-olds, if not younger for regular newspaper reading, whether online, in print, or both. To really have an impact, however, the investment needs to start far younger and needs to involve parents, school, employers and other parts of society, including the media. For one, schools should incorporate current events components in their curricula even before senior high school or lycee. This should include not only how to critically read the press, but also the internet.

As a high school pupil in the UK, I had a sixth form class entitled: Two Cheers for Democracy. Every week, two of us based on our languages had to present a broad spectrum of coverage of one or more key events by the British, French, German, Spanish and other European press. The idea was to show how reporting or portrayal of issues differed in each country and among different newspapers. The point, too, was to demonstrate that you cannot rely on one particular source for your information.

Parents, too, should subscribe, whether in English or French, it does not really matter, to a quality magazine for young people that will encourage them to read. I have been very impressed by the monthly Discovery Box magazine published in the UK by Bayard Press which my eight-year-old reads avidly. Another excellent series of magazines for different ages in French is the Le Petit Quotidien for 7-13 year-olds, which is published five days a week. However, this is almost too much as the issues tend to pile up. A weekly might be more appropriate. Other excellent kids’ magazines by National Geographic, Geo and others are also available.

A further step would be to pressure  the press distribution cartels in Switzerland and France to provide greater variety of children’s press at news kiosks. Unfortunately, a lot of the quality media for young people are only available by subscription or at very specialized news outlets. How many times have I looked in vain at news kiosks at railway stations or airports in Geneva, Zurich, Paris, or Lyons for something which was not blatantly commercial or cheap designed to sell products. My kids are drawn by them, but more by the toys or gadgetry offered as part of the package. Much of the conent is rubbish.

Perhaps the Lake Geneva Region on both sides of the border developing the Sarkhozy initiative further by bringing together schools, parents and media specialists to discuss how we can develop better and more critical readership among young people. The United Nations and other international humanitarian,  development or specialised organizations, such as WIPO,  ITU and WMO,  should also get involved. However, this means thinking out of the box not only by the communications departments of these organizations but also their directors and operations' people. In many ways, the survival of these organizations is based on people receiving better information about their objectives and activities.

The Lake Geneva Region is rich in talent and broadminded people open to the world so this should not prove a problem. We at The Essential Edge would be more than delighted to get involved. Perhaps we might all come up with the imagination of developing something that could be replicated elsewhere on the planet. Please let us know your reactions.

Edward Girardet, a former foreign correspondent, is a journalist and writer focusing on humanitarian, conflict and media issues. He is currently writing a book on 30 years of reporting in Afghanistan. Email: •This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it•