Bold media moves
by Michèle Nardelli
By the time you read this story it’s possible that,
Merge, a self-funded magazine established six months ago by UniSA graduates Owen Lindsay and Joshua Fanning, will have disappeared – or at least changed form.
With a $2 cover price, the 1000 print run magazine is costing them $4 a copy to produce and as issue three hits the streets, funds to keep going are drying up.
The pair is happy to admit that their failing may have been in not really devising a business plan for the venture - but business was not what this was all about.
Both graduates in journalism and international studies, their goal in publishing an alternative magazine with a focus on arts, culture and politics was to offer something quite different from what they describe as formulaic mainstream media.
"Even from my brief experience in working journalism at Radio Adelaide and ABC radio, I found I had a real struggle with the editorialism in reporting and the drive to ‘make news’ even where none existed," Fanning said.
Inspired by the history of Oz Magazine in the 1960s and 70s, Fanning contacted Richard Neville and was encouraged to take the leap.
"That’s another interesting thing about the media today – as a journalist it’s like you have a mystic cloak that gives you access to people who would never take your call if you didn’t have the media title. There is a sometimes disturbing nexus between journalism, business, celebrity and politics," Fanning said.
Using the savings for an overseas trip, he poured it all into the first two editions and had to borrow more money to continue.
"I think for me this has been about having the follow through to actually do what I wanted to do," he said.
Lindsay, referred to by Fanning as a "prolific talent", is keenly focused on issues, which he portrays in the magazine through comic strip art.
"Across the Adelaide’s youth culture scene there are some pretty negative attitudes – a lot of people say a lot but don’t do much," Lindsay said.
"For us Merge was about bringing to life something we thought was important – something that might motivate more constructive discussion and thought around issues that affect us."
Both are quick to point out that they don’t subscribe to any particular ideology.
"Given that this has not been a money-spinner for us – people could easily cast us as idealists," Fanning said. "That’s not us at all. I think we are realists. We can see through all the ‘isms, to a realistic view - economics is politics, is everything. Some young people adopt a kind of aggressively ‘not caring’ response to that. What we have tried to do is create something that engages with the issues from a balanced standpoint and isn’t influenced by any agenda."
So while the next edition of Merge (which may be the last) is likely to be available free, the sheer boldness of the venture makes you feel that Fanning and Lindsay are names we will hear of again.