Editorial commitment to rigorous, independent, high-quality content – an enduring mission.
Early 2026 is seeing big milestones in the world of engineering media, with The Engineer marking 170 years since its first edition on 4 January 1856, and Engineering magazine’s 160th anniversary edition coming soon.
Both magazines were launched during the mid 19th century that also included the Economist (1843) and Mining Journal (1835). During that time, publishing expanded rapidly thanks to the development of the steam-powered rotary press. By printing both sides of paper at once, this machine cut production costs, creating new opportunities to serve niche and specialist audiences.
That development has parallels with today’s world, where the internet, social media and now AI are transforming and democratising the information landscape. But when anyone can broadcast any messaging to any audience, trusted voices have never been more important – and that is the advantage for trusted media brands.
Many magazines from the 19th Century fell by the wayside, showing it’s no mean feat to maintain a continuous stream of news, views and opinions. But we’re still seeing the publishing industry flourish, with new magazines being launched in recent years to serve hydrogen, energy storage and automation industries, and publishers evolving their existing brands in reaction to a changing industry.
We asked Jon Excell, Editor and Publisher of The Engineer, what it takes for a media brand to stay relevant over the long term and what it means to achieve the 170-year milestone.
He said: “Celebrating its 170th anniversary, The Engineer stands as a rare constant in a world transformed. Since 1856, the publication has evolved in step with the industries it serves – moving from steam power and agricultural innovation to aerospace, automotive, quantum technologies and beyond.
“Each generation of editors has embraced new tools and new platforms, and today that evolution continues at an accelerating pace: with innovations in digital publishing, data-driven insights and the emerging possibilities of AI all helping us to better understand and engage our audience, and to create ever more effective opportunities for our commercial partners.
“Yet one thing has never changed and must never change. At the heart of The Engineer lies a commitment to rigorous, independent, high-quality editorial content. Technology may shape how we publish and how we reach our readers, but it will never define our purpose. That enduring mission is the foundation on which the next 170 years will be built.”
What does all this mean for marketing and PR professionals?
One thing that has not changed over the past 170 years of The Engineer is that publishing relies on relationships between editors and industry experts.
The Engineer’s first-ever editorial recognised this, saying “it will be our business to describe all important experiments to which access may be permitted… Along with this… the small facts and figments of unrecorded knowledge, current in the workshop and factory”.
Editors, journalists, and PR professionals form an exclusive ecosystem that encourages collaboration, uncovers interesting stories, showcases market leading products and routes to expert voices. These relationships are built on an authenticity that helps to protect sectors like infrastructure, defence, manufacturing and pharmaceutical against the rise in deep fakes, hints of espionage and misinformation. The rise in interest of face-to-face connections is becoming more evident.
Neil Fullbrook, Director at Cadence Industrial & Technical Communications is convinced that it is just a matter of time before a bad actor does some serious damage in the critical infrastructure sectors. “We’ve seen recent examples of entire systems brought down by cyber-attacks. Our duty as communicators is to form a protective barrier that relies on real world communications. By fully understanding the sectors in which we all work, working with engineers, subject matter experts, journalists and trade bodies we can keep the risk message in the news”.
For PR professionals, this means explaining the context of technology and working with the media to identify and amplify the top trends and newsworthy stories that resonate with the thousands of readers who rely on their judgement and authority to sign their name against.
