Newsletters in a High-Choice Media Environment with Nick Taylor-Vaisey

In this episode, Elizabeth talks to Nick Taylor-Vaisey, a journalist for Politico who works on the Ottawa Playbook, a free daily morning newsletter decoding Canadian politics. Nick and Elizabeth discuss the role of newsletters in curating information in a high-choice media environment and the way journalism has adapted to becoming digital. They discuss newsletters as a form of political information sharing and how this type of media can facilitate a direct relationship between author and reader. Elizabeth and Nick close out the show by chatting about the different reasons that individuals might subscribe to a political newsletter, the role of news aggregators in curating information, and what it's like to work in the Ottawa “fishbowl”.

Additional Resources:

• To learn more about the high-choice media environment, check out Wonks and War Rooms’ first episode: The High-Choice Media Environment with Jane Lytvynenko.
• Nick mentions how newsletters are an old medium that are being updated to stay fresh and trendy. For some background on the history of the newsletter, consult The Newsletter Boom, 300 Years before Substack.
• Nick provides examples of how the unmediated and relational nature of newsletters allows him to cultivate a direct relationship with his subscribers. For an academic perspective on this, consult: Email Newsletters and the Changing Journalist-Audience Relationship.
• Elizabeth and Nick talk about how audiences are increasingly seeking out journalists’ opinions on the news. For an example of this, consult The Rise of the Talking Journalist: Human Voice, Engagement, and Trust in Live Journalism Performance.
• Elizabeth and Nick discuss the parasocial relationship between the author and reader, for more details on parasocial relationships, check out the Wonks and War Rooms episode on Parasocial Relationships with T.X. Watson
• Elizabeth also mentions the blurring of the boundaries between political journalist and political pundit or social media influencer or columnist or opinion writer. For more information about the difference between journalism and punditry, consult the article: Are pundits journalists?

Contributors

Host: Elizabeth Dubois
Research Lead: Mykenzie Barrera
Transcript: Michelle Rodrigues
Audio Editing: Ayman Naciri
Translation: Els Thant & Helena Legault
Publishing and Promotion: Helena Legault
Producer: Michelle Hennessey

Check out www.polcommtech.ca for annotated transcripts of this episode in English and French.