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You are here: Home i In Focus i In focus 2014 i Media in crisis - a challenge for democracy? i From journalist to spin doctor and back

From journalist to spin doctor and back

Journalists becoming communications advisors, or in particular spin doctors to politicians, often say goodbye to journalism for good. But not always. Three former spin doctors tell us about their return to the media world. They all agree their time ‘on the opposite side of the table’ has made them better journalists.
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Facts

Jakob Høyer

43 years old
2006 Graduated as a journalist
2006-2001 culture journalist and culture editor for several daily newspapers
2001-2003 spin doctor for the then Minister for Culture Brian Mikkelsen (Conservative Party) 
2003-2007 culture editor for the daily Berlingske Tidende. 
2007-2010 editor in chief for the daily metroXpress
2010-2013 Head of Communication at DSB
2013-2014 Director, Public Relations LEAD Agency 
From September 2014 Head of Communication at the Danish Football Association (DBU)


Amalie Kestler 

38 years old
Graduated as a journalist
Began her career as political reporter and political editor for Ritzau and news editor for Berlingske Tidende
2010 Head of press for the finance administration at the Copenhagen Municipality and spin doctor for Lord Mayor Frank Jensen (Social Democrats).
2012-13 political editor for the daily Information
2013 – Editorial writer and now editor for the comment pages at the daily Politiken


Ulla Østergaard 

49 years old
Graduated as a journalist
Started her career as a political reporter and editor at the daily Jyllands-Posten
2001-2006 Spin doctor at the Ministry of Interior and Health and spin doctor for Lars Løkke Rasmussen (the Liberal Party). 
2006-2007 Editor for the TV channel TV2 News 
2007 Head of Press for the Liberal Alliance
Today back as editor at TV2 News

Shrinking media

The Danish media sector is shrinking while the communications business is growing. One in ten jobs in media — ca 2,000 jobs — have disappeared in the past three years in line with a fall in revenue. The economy is particularly strained for printed media like newspapers, weeklies and magazines, as well as for district papers and classifieds. They have seen a major fall in advertising revenues and fewer people are buying newspapers. From 2010 to 2013 Danish newspapers’ readership fell by some 11 percent, and nationals have seen the greatest fall with 27 percent. In this same period many new jobs have emerged in the communications business. 

Source: The Danish Agency for Culture, “Report on media’s development in Denmark” 2014, and more.

 
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