Journalist Spotlight | Interview with Kim Smee, founder and editor of Manly Observer

Kim Smee is the founder and editor of the Manly Observer, a local news outlet that has quickly become a staple for residents of the Northern Beaches. Born out of frustration with the closure of longstanding local papers and the rise of paywalls and clickbait journalism, Kim created the Manly Observer as a passion project, intending to serve her community with honest, accessible, and relevant news. What started as a side venture grew into a thriving publication, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, and has since become a vital resource for over 100,000 local residents.

In this interview, Kim shares the story behind the Manly Observer, the challenges of starting her own media outlet in a competitive industry, and her approach to local journalism. She speaks candidly about her experiences in the industry, the importance of community-based news, and the impact of social media and AI on small journalism outlets.

What prompted you to create the publication? What does finding your news outlet entail, in particular, the challenges you’ve faced in starting your paper, especially in such a monopolised industry?

Manly Observer was created as a reaction to three things: the closure of a long-standing print paper in the area which then went behind a paywall, a frustration with clickbait and difficulty accessing useful, relevant information in my local area, and finally, a personal belief that one shouldn’t have to pay to be informed about important issues affecting your immediate community.

It was intended as a passion project, a side quest while I tended to my freelance comms work, sick dad and young family but it resonated so strongly with the community that it grew rapidly during COVID.  

Creating your own news outlet entails a lot of trial and error and, to be frank, it’s essential to have a bit of start-up capital already behind you so you don’t get so desperate you have to jeopardise your values. 

We are all so bombarded with poor-quality information and hyped-up news content that the best way to cut through in a crowded market is by being helpful. Don’t fight for attention, be worth their attention. If it’s not worth everyone’s attention, what are you doing this for?

One of the major challenges I have faced is forcing myself to look at making the masthead sustainable. Bringing in revenue streams was essential to pay bills and be able to hire contributors to add diversity to the writing, and to allow me to have my second child and actually spend time with him. I’ve been known to rock press conferences with a pram or watch council meetings online while folding the laundry.

You are also the editor at Manly Observer. What does your current media cycle look like and how far in advance do you plan and produce content?

We have a few different content streams: our Manly Observer app, which is on Apple and Google Play and was at one point ranked the number 1 news app in Australia, which I am pretty stoked about. We also have our socials, which is chiefly Instagram and Facebook, now also Manly Observer TV on Youtube and our mothership, the Manly Observer website. 

The only hard deadline is the Thursday weekly newsletter and everything else is largely reactive, with a few longer term projects or human interest stories usually in the wings. One thing that makes us a bit different is that I don’t have content quotas or audience KPIs. If there’s no news, don’t make news. Just let everyone have a break or share something funny. I don’t schedule any social media. It’s probably a terrible approach but more than 100,000 local residents seem to approve of it.

There are rarely periods without news on the Northern Beaches I have found, however. My main issue is not finding stories but triaging them. This means I have found a lot less capacity these days for non-core news and press releases. If you’re opening a new restaurant or have a big music event coming up I can try to give it a mention or pop in to try the food but it’s quite unlikely I am going to have the time. This is where sponsored articles or just straight ads are really the better way to cut through (and support) local news!

Before this, you’ve also worked in multiple news publications. How has your experience influenced how you run your own news outlet, and how has it helped you in your current role?

I have been an employee of News Ltd and Macquarie Radio and also freelance for Fairfax and magazines and you always learn nuggets of wisdom from mentors and co-workers in those roles. I was the editor of a local newspaper when I was pretty young, about 25, and have managed publication teams in the WA prison system (Justice department) so it all helps build necessary skills like assessing news value, managing information flow, contacts etc. It’s also satisfying being able to remove the processes you didn’t like.

Most news outlets utilise social media in one form or another. Social media has also given rise to more independent journalists/journalism. Does social media play a role in your outlet (I know you have your own news app)? And how do you think the rise of AI will impact small/local journalism?

Social media has been a huge part of Manly Observer’s success. Even just looking at the last four weeks, I see Instagram alone has had over 6 million views. Our Facebook channels are a big part of community discussion on local issues and still drive 40% of our website traffic (the rest being direct or through search). With Facebook, though I really struggle to find the time to moderate and sometimes the negativity can be exhausting. I get a lot of messages from readers which is important because they are an invaluable part of the news flow, but I can’t respond to everyone all the time and sometimes people take that very personally. 

Because of the threats of Meta bans, I invested in the Manly Observer news app and also have a news tip line. I absolutely have taken on too much, and have absolutely no exit strategy planned so I guess this is just my life now! Some days it drives me crazy but I absolutely love what I do and the community feedback on the street is mind-blowing.

Could you also speak on the continuing importance of local journalism? Why should we be championing local and community journalism and media outlets?

I think having a point of connection that keeps everyone in your community informed about what is happening, who or what needs help or attention, and at least attempts to help us all understand each other a little better is fundamental to our quality of life. Being disconnected and mis- or MALinformed is a breeding ground for self-destruction. Also, it’s fun to know the neighbourhood tea!

What makes for a good pitch? What should people know about and what should they be avoiding when pitching?

I get great pitches but often just don’t have the time to do anything about it. The best pitch is one that explains straight up what the angle is, and the basic who, what, when, where and why. Don’t try to bury the controversial bit, that motivates me to highlight it… I don’t mind and encourage follow-ups for strong pitches (it may have come through while I was mid-nappy change and I have forgotten) but please forgive me and let it go if I ignore you. If you have no budget and it’s a bit of a weak pitch, get creative with how you can offer value to our readers. Can you offer a $500 product giveaway? Do you have an original and really strong image and caption that might bring some joy on socials?

If pitching a genuine news event, consider providing us with an advanced warning under embargo so I can organise resources. An hour heads up on a door-stop interview can be a nightmare to manage.

Most pitches can be sent to editor@manlyobserver.com.au, and community events can be listed for free via whatson@manlyobserver.com.au.  We also have a paid public noticeboard at listing@manlyobserver.com.au and the head of advertising is Kylie Gibson advertising@manlyobserver.com.au.

Please don’t call for press release follow ups, but a short text is ok.