Old Media and New Media: are we in this together?

Prague, July 09/2007, by Evgeny Morozov

Outline

1. Problems with Old Media2. Will “new media” save or destroy “old

media”?3. Is it old vs new or old AND new? 4. Are we in this together? 5. Tomorrow’s media: what is it like?

Outline

1. Problems with Old Media2. Will “new media” save or destroy “old

media”?3. Is it old vs new or old AND new? 4. Are we in this together? 5. Tomorrow’s media: what is it like?

Trust in “Old Media” is falling

Source: State of the News Media, Project for Excellence in Journalism, February 2007

Average Circulation is Falling

Average Viewership is Falling

Average Ratings Are Falling

Local wins over national/international

Bureaus are closing down

People read news online

Young people go digital

“Monopolies” disappear

Growing misinformation

Too little attention; too many mistakes

Outline

1. Problems with Old Media2. Will “new media” save or destroy “old

media”?3. Is it old vs new or old AND new? 4. Are we in this together? 5. Tomorrow’s media: what is it like?

…but, first, how “new” is it?

For example, that’s “new media” in the 70s...

Fanzines & Zines: great examples User-Generated

Content (UGC)

Self-publishedSelf-published SamizdatSamizdat

CountercultureCounterculture

Low BudgetLow Budget

Self-expression/not $$$Self-expression/not $$$

DIY Community

Easy to produce

Low barriers

DIY: from counterculture to DIY: from counterculture to mainstreammainstream

The crucial difference is that readers/producers of pamphlets were

POORLY or NEVER connected

+

% of Population Going Online

Source: State of the News Media 2007

Internet is getting more widespread

...and better

…and different

As a result, thousands of new social Web services appear

FLICKR

YouTube

WordPress

Sign-ups for Second Life

Technorati

More is still to come…

Outline

1. Problems with Old Media2. Will “new media” save or destroy “old

media”?3. Is it old vs new or old AND new? 4. Are we in this together? 5. Tomorrow’s media: what is it like?

about

• 435 senior news executives from around the world answered the Newsroom Barometer (there are 10,000 daily newspapers worldwide). These included editors-in-chief (45%), managing editors (17%) and other types of news executives across the board.

What best describes your view of online / new media journalism and its role in your

community?

Because of the possibility to interact with readers online, it has been said that: "News is no longer a lecture, it is a conversation"

(Dan Gillmor). How do you view the effects of this phenomenon on quality journalism?

2007 Newsroom Barometer, World Editors Forum and Reuters

Do you think that the majority of news (print and online) will be free in

the future?

2007 Newsroom Barometer, World Editors Forum and Reuters

Overall, how optimistic are you about your newspaper's future?

2007 Newsroom Barometer, World Editors Forum and Reuters

Looking 10 years into the future, what will be the most common way of reading the news in your community?

2007 Newsroom Barometer, World Editors Forum and Reuters

Over the next 10 years, do you think that the quality of journalism is going to:

2007 Newsroom Barometer, World Editors Forum and Reuters

If you had to invest in editorial quality, what would you do first in the newsroom?

If you had to invest in editorial quality, what would you do second in the newsroom?

Outline

1. Problems with Old Media2. Will “new media” save or destroy “old

media”?3. Is it old vs new or old AND new? 4. Are we in this together? 5. Tomorrow’s media: what is it like?

Thanks to new media, the conversations in old media are getting

richer

But it’s not just enhancing old conversations; it’s creating new breaking and other

interesting stories too

Whole programs made entirely of amateur user-generated content ALREADY appear on

professional TV

Outline

1. Problems with Old Media2. Will “new media” save or destroy “old

media”?3. Is it old vs new or old AND new? 4. Are we in this together? 5. Tomorrow’s media: what is it like?

Tomorrow’s media: what is it like?

New skill-set is needed

Most important skills for online journalists

...new ways to present news/data

QUESTIONS?