Future Of News Blog Posts
Journalists Need to Advocate for Better Media Policy
The Stop Online Piracy Act has sparked an important debate among journalists and within journalism organizations about their role as advocates for and against policies that impact the future of news. Of course, journalists have long been important advocates for policies like the shield law and the Freedom of Information Act and have been staunch defenders against incursions on freedom of the press. However, in terms of some of the most important media policy discussions, many journalism organizations have been silent.
Field Reporting: Going, Going, Gone?
Veteran TV journalist David Marash knows the news.
Marash is a former correspondent for ABC’s Nightline and won Emmys for his reporting on the Oklahoma City bombing and the explosion of TWA Flight 800. He was an anchor for Al Jazeera English from 2006–2008. He’s spent a good 50 years in the business.
Which also means Marash knows when the networks are trying to pass something off as news that isn’t news. He calls it “news whiz”: Like Cheez Whiz, it’s an embarrassing substitute for the real thing.
Journalism for What? A User-First Approach to the Future of News
As we debate the future of news, we need to keep in mind what this debate is really about. We need to ask ourselves, “What is it we’re trying to save, protect or foster?” Or asked another way, “Journalism for what?” Identifying what we mean by journalism and why we care about its future is central to figuring out what solutions might get us there.
The most common response to these questions is that journalism is fundamental for our democracy. It's hard to argue with that, but how does it help guide us toward a new vision for news?
A Subtle Victory for Policy Interventions in Media at the FTC Workshop
The Federal Trade Commission's final workshop on changes in the media business, “How Will Journalism Survive the Internet Age?," ended with the sense that only limited policy recommendations would come out of the session, at least in terms of recommendations by the FTC.
Yet in a larger sense, the convening of publishers, industry analysts and academics revealed a surprising development: a growing consensus that some public policy intervention in media is not only possible, it's already happened.
200 Journalists and Citizens Discuss the Future of News in Denver
The Colorado History Museum gift shop in Denver is already selling collector’s copies of the final edition of the Rocky Mountain News for $5 a piece.
But last night, more than 200 people showed up at the museum to prove that quality journalism is not yet a thing of the past. At an event organized by SaveTheNews.org and Denver’s IWantMyRocky.com, local citizens, journalists and nonprofit leaders came together to talk about the future.
Change the Channels
Check out the interactive map to see consolidating newsrooms near you.
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