Most of the voices are just noise, and industry "experts" seem hard to come by, but NYU has rounded up a rather respectable panel: Dan Rather, Jay Rosen, Tom Curley of the AP, Jill Abramson of the New York Times.
What do they have to say? Pretty much the same thing as the rest of us idiots: the industry will change, reporters have to change with it, and sacrifices will have to be made.
What do they have to say? Pretty much the same thing as the rest of us idiots: the industry will change, reporters have to change with it, and sacrifices will have to be made.
I'll try and sum up the best points made by these unusually distinguished talking heads, as some of the perspectives were insightful.
Dan Rather called himself an optimist, explaining that he doesn't see the newspaper dying anytime soon. Being as old as dirt, he recalled a few other times in history when doom and gloom was prophesied for the newspaper industry, including when radio and television gained relevancy. Rather compared the media industry not to a pie whose pieces are being increasingly gobbled up by online media, but rather a pie that is growing. Many readers, Rathers said, come from demographics that weren't reading the news at all 10 or 15 years ago. Rather thinks that older people will always read newspapers, whether it is 2009 or 2020. Rather is himself blazing new territory as a journalist, anchoring HDNet news, a privately financed on-demand news program. Check back in the future for a blog on Rahter's new baby.
Jay Rosen expressed the same loathing that he always seems to direct at what he sees as the dying old media. He too made a new analogy (at least, one I'd never heard before) to describe the changing landscape of the media. Rosen talked of a forced migration taking place, where traditional journalists are moving from the traditional lands of scarce resources, crossing the "digital divide," where they're finding a land already inhabited by amateur journalists. They'll have to adapt or leave. Rosen, however, is optimistic about journalism as a trade; he points to past evolutions in the industry requiring new business models for journalists. The new media, according to Rosen, just has to come up with a new business model; once they do that, it's back to business as usual.
Mr. Curley and Ms. Abramson spoke mainly about how their organizations are making the journey across Rosen's "digital divide." For the most part, it's a bumpy transition, but the two organizations feel that they are doing well. The AP is moving into more digital content on the web, and the NY Times is augmenting their online content with more multi-media and in-depth reporting.
I think it's nice to see some major movers and shakers in the industry talking about journalism's future, but as circulations and revenue continue to drop, words alone aren't enough.
Hopefully executives and directors will listen to their input and do something, anything, to bolster the industry and ensure its necessary survival.
I highly recommend watching this panel discussion and letting me know what you think.
Jay Rosen expressed the same loathing that he always seems to direct at what he sees as the dying old media. He too made a new analogy (at least, one I'd never heard before) to describe the changing landscape of the media. Rosen talked of a forced migration taking place, where traditional journalists are moving from the traditional lands of scarce resources, crossing the "digital divide," where they're finding a land already inhabited by amateur journalists. They'll have to adapt or leave. Rosen, however, is optimistic about journalism as a trade; he points to past evolutions in the industry requiring new business models for journalists. The new media, according to Rosen, just has to come up with a new business model; once they do that, it's back to business as usual.
Mr. Curley and Ms. Abramson spoke mainly about how their organizations are making the journey across Rosen's "digital divide." For the most part, it's a bumpy transition, but the two organizations feel that they are doing well. The AP is moving into more digital content on the web, and the NY Times is augmenting their online content with more multi-media and in-depth reporting.
I think it's nice to see some major movers and shakers in the industry talking about journalism's future, but as circulations and revenue continue to drop, words alone aren't enough.
Hopefully executives and directors will listen to their input and do something, anything, to bolster the industry and ensure its necessary survival.
I highly recommend watching this panel discussion and letting me know what you think.
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