The Times has expanded out from reporting on and criticising government policy to actually writing it.
The title’s Health and Education Commissions broadly sit under the definition of solutions journalism and could be one way of addressing both declining trust in our business and falling engagement in what many see as a relentlessly negative news agenda.
But asked on the latest Press Gazette podcast whether the commissions could also deliver financial benefits for The Times “brand”, leader of the projects Rachel Sylvester was a little nonplussed.
“I suppose so, I haven’t really thought of it like that, but that would be a secondary consequence rather than the primary consequence. I think if we were doing it for that reason, it would seem fake and we also wouldn’t put all this effort into it. So, you know, I’m busting a gut working full-time on this, I’m not doing that for any kind of brand.
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“Sorry if that’s not a good commercial thing to say. I’m doing it because I think it’s important, really fascinating and actually we could make a real difference to the country…
“You can either watch from the sidelines or get into the arena and actually make a difference.”
Solutions journalism at The Times: Coming up with ‘ideas for how to fix it’
Sylvester has been working on the projects for two and half years, with a second Education Summit bringing 180 leading figures to the News Building at London Bridge on 8 June to discuss the sector’s challenges.
The two bodies bring together a cast of leading public figures as commissioners, and they have sought evidence and ideas from around the UK. The first Education Commission report is 100 pages in length and suggests a 12-point plan to fix the sector.
The Education and Health Commissions have generated a wealth of material, housed in a non-paywalled section of The Times website. The Education Commission was launched two years ago under then Times editor John Witherow (and does have a commercial element in the form of a partnership with PWC) and the Health Commission kicked off this year.
The two projects broadly fall under the definition of solutions journalism, meaning reporting that takes a more constructive approach to the news. According to the latest Digital News Report from Reuters, a growing proportion of Britons are actively avoiding the news because they find it negative and untrustworthy. Alternative approaches to journalism appear to be essential if this trend is to be reversed.
Sylvester says: “I don’t think any newspaper has done this before. It’s almost like a little mini think tank. We hold evidence sessions with outside experts zooming in, round table meetings around the country.
“We set up a young people’s panel for the Education Commission. We’ve got a patient panel for the Health Commission. International visits, domestic visits, trying to work out yes, what the problem is, but also then come up with some answers.
“So rather than just complaining about the status quo, come up with some ideas for how to fix it.”
Can The Times make real change?
There is an impressive amount of content, ideas and talent amassed by Sylvester in her work for the two commissions. But will it all lead to anything in the real world?
“I hope so. I think we’ve framed an argument that all the political parties kind of get and see the point of, so the sort of multifaceted case: economic and social, and personal and cultural.
“Just in the last month, there’s been a pilot published of our idea for an army of student tutors to teach pupils in their local schools.
“Rishi Sunak, during the first Tory leadership contest, talked about introducing a British Baccalaureate which was one of our ideas. And he’s already gone for a change of teaching maths to 18, which again was part of the report. Keir Starmer has talked about reforming the curriculum along the lines we’ve suggested, and I think he’s also interested in assessment reform.”
Could The Times end up, effectively, writing parts of the next general election manifestos for the major parties?
“Well, we’re giving them a long list of ideas they can pick from and I think almost any of the ideas could be taken up by any political party, because they don’t come with any ideological baggage. They’re just driven by common sense and pragmatism, by talking to people and following the evidence.
“For the Education Commission we spoke to more than a thousand people from all over the world and also from all different parts of society. Often when you’re writing about education people just talk to teachers or politicians or policymakers. But we spoke to artists, we spoke to Anthony Gormley, we spoke to Steve McQueen, the film director, we spoke to Mary Beard, the classicist. We spoke to business leaders, James Dyson, [Richard] Branson, and scientists, and they all had a similar message.
“The current education system is too narrow and they all said we need more breadth.
“We need a greater range of skills. We need a greater connection between education and work, and we need more creativity. And that’s something really positive.
“So rather than just focusing on the doom and gloom of the pandemic, we want to make it a moment that’s a sort of pivot for the system so it can change into something that prepares children for the future.”
Journalism on the other side of the fence
Have the commission projects changed Sylvester’s view about the role of journalism?
“Our job’s to tweak the tail, isn’t it? And cause trouble and mischief, and that’s what a story is really. But maybe this has made me think a little bit more responsibly. That if you tweak the tail, then you have to work out what you’re going do when the beast starts turning around and roaring.
“And what actually are some answers to the problems you’ve unearthed?
“It’s been quite interesting for me because I’ve had to try to persuade people…to try and make the argument to politicians of all parties.
“It’s like being on the other side of the fence. Normally they’re trying to persuade us of their case. It’s odd, but I think what’s interesting is it’s a mixture of news and comment if you like.
“I was a news reporter then I was a political reporter, then I was a columnist and I’m an interviewer as well. And it sort of synthesises all of those different skills because you’re having to out what the problem is, report on it, but then also then analyse what the solutions could be and sort of bring it all together.”
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