Postcard: Bochum – Meeting the Ruhr Baron
By Segun Adeoye
Ruhrbarone, a blog of more than 30 journalists in the North Rhine-Westphalia region, is a veritable source of investigative and well-researched stories. In its two-and-a-half years of operation, it has “broken” exclusive stories, which have got it more than 10,000 unique visitors a day.
Stefan Laurin, whose journalism practice began in the early 1990s, is one of the brains behind this great feat. He co-founded the blog with David Schraven. Stefan’s stories, like “A sign of Solidarity?” posted on the blog on December 20, 2009, have brought about societal changes, making the blog popular in Germany and abroad.
I had only read and researched about him and his works. But here at the conference hall of the Hotel Plaza, Bochum, (along with my other colleagues on the study tour of media organizations in Germany) that cool Tuesday, July 13, was Stefan – in flesh and blood. All eyes focused on him, and indeed, all questions.
On the hot seat
Stefan listened with rapt attention to the questions, using the opportunity to shed light on the activities of Ruhrbarone. He spoke in a rather soft voice, (sometimes you needed to strain your ears to pick his words). He complimented his answers with gestures. He shared some of the “secrets” that have made the blog so far greatly successful, and based the strength of the blog on its ability to “scoop” exclusive stories, and publishing such, faster than any other medium. “We are faster, that’s why people like us,” he said. "We chose the name for its uniqueness."
Are there laid down rules for its bloggers? Not at all, Stefan said. “We are professional journalists,” he said, giving a giggle as he took a sip from his cup of tea. He stunned the gathering with the revelation that Ruhrbarone has more than 3,600 posts with only two incidents of lawsuits. “The blog is a good way to invest in your reputation and many of the other projects I’ve been involved in have been through my efforts on the blog,” he said.
A piece of advice to bloggers - your reputation is attached to your blog!
Bucking the Trend
It was, however, surprising that in an age where there is an obvious shift from print to online journalism, Ruhrbarone seems to be doing it the other way round. The blog has introduced its practically advertisement-free glossy magazine. “There is a huge difference between the content of the blog and the magazine. We decided to go into publishing a print version because there is no much financial gain through blogging,” he said. But more than this, the decision to do so, he said, was also based on the fact that there was restriction in the use of many photos, and longer stories, (which could span 7 to 8 pages) in online media.
So far, 1,300 copies of the 122-page publication, financed by Essen publishers Klartext (a subsidiary of the WAZ media group), have been sold. But, what does Stefan think about the general perception that the print media may be heading for doom, with the evident shift to online and multimedia platforms? For many, who still cherish the printed word, his words are indeed cheery. “I don’t think we would have a situation where the print media will come to an end. There would be some challenges and changes in the next few years, but the print media getting to an end? I don’t think so. It will always be there,” he said. “Perhaps, I’m too old to imagine it coming to an end.”
