Technology Is Changing Journalism Just as It Always Has
Our journey into the digital future begins with an essay by Tom Regan, associate editor of The Christian Science Monitor’s Web site. His advice: Remember that technology is changing journalism, “as it always has;” wireless is the next publishing realm, and the Web—as a news distribution method—is (almost) already dead.
Figuring out how to make quality online journalism a financially viable proposition is consuming vast amounts of brainpower. The answer, so far: have very deep pockets. Mark Sauter, cofounder of APBnews.com, writes about what happened to his site, where stories won numerous journalism awards but reporters lost their jobs because of bankruptcy. Jack Fuller, president of Tribune Company, outlines a strategy in which media converge and create financial support for “the expensive business of newsgathering.” David Weir, a vice president at Excite@Home, believes journalists should not shy away from involvement in creating the financial models for new media news companies. Danny Schechter, executive editor of mediachannel.org, describes the tension he experiences in being a journalist and having “to get down (and dirty) in the money troughs,” as he looks for a way for independent media voices to surface on the Web. Jay Small, a former journalist who manages digital services for Thomson multimedia, offers journalists advice from the world of consumer electronics: “Let the methods of delivering the news flow from the business model, not the other way around.” Gerald Jordan, professor of journalism at the University of Arkansas, ruminates on whether broadcast rights fees might be jeopardized by new technologies.
