Edward Jay Friedlander on the Future of JournalismOurBlook interview with Dr. Edward Jay Friedlander, professor and director of the School of Mass Communications at the University of South Florida Technology has taken journalism to a new level and the ability to instantaneously upload images, video and text has changed the way modern journalists do their jobs. What technological advances do you think future journalists should embrace? Any they should be wary of? EJF: Individuals entering journalism in 2010 should know the basics of the craft such as ...

Bruce Austin on the Future of JournalismComments on the government bailout issue by Bruce Austin, professor and chair of the Department of Communication at Rochester Institute of Technology: The government "subsidy" for broadcasters stretches much farther back than the introduction of Public Broadcasting; we note the governmental allocation of publicly owned broadcast frequencies to commercial interests for a revenue stream that empties only into a commercial pond. The application of public broadcasting's method(s) of financial support to ...

Matt Duffy on the Media Shield Law and AnonymityOurBlook interview with Matt Duffy, Georgia State University Ph.D. student What are the pros of the media shield bill law moving through Congress? MD: Nobody wants to live in a country where the government can coerce the press into divulging where it gathers its information. The press needs to act as a watchdog to the government and may not be able to do that job properly if reporters are worried about going to jail because they refuse to divulge their sources. The fundamental mission of the shield law ...

Bob Garfield on Future of Journalism < Interview with Bob Garfield, an all around media superstar. Garfield is the co-host of On The Media show on National Public Radio, a former advertising analyst for ABC News, and author of The Chaos Scenario, among other things. Garfield discusses the future of journalism, and the changes he has seen in the industry...

Tom Rosenstiel on the Future of JournalismOurBlook interview with Tom Rosenstiel, director of the Project for Excellence in Journalism. Editor's Note: The Project for Excellence in Journalism in Washington, D.C. is part of the Pew Research Center. Since it's probably the nation's foremost impartial watchdog and analyzer of the media, whom better to ask than him about what's going on?)With newspapers' staffs being decimated, it seems likely that so-called citizen journalists may have to fill the gap, or part of it. Yet your annual report notes ...

John Yemma on the Future of JournalismThis interview is part of the Future of Journalism interview series. Interview with John Yemma , Chrisitan Science Monitor editor Why has the Monitor decided to focus primarily on its web site, and cease its daily print publication? What benefits have you seen? JY: Primarily, we are making this move because we recognize that our reach is greater online than in print. We, therefore, want to concentrate our journalistic resources where they have the most impact. While we won’t initially save ...

Stephen J. Farnsworth on the Media Shield BIllOurBlook interview with Prof. Stephen J. Farnsworth, George Mason University What are the pros of the media shield bill law moving through Congress? SF: The main concern I have with the absence of a national shield law is that quality of journalism seems likely to suffer without more protection for journalists. As it stands now, government officials can pressure reporters and jail them if they don't get the information the government feels entitled to obtain. (Since information can often be obtained ...

Len Shyles on Media Shield BillOurBlook interview with Len Shyles, associate professor of communication, Villanova University What are the pros and cons of the media shield bill law moving through Congress? LS: First things first: For any discussion of the shield law changes, let's start with two relevant quotes from two of our Founding Fathers, the first from Thomas Jefferson, and the second from George Washington: Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a ...

Charlotte Grimes on NewspapersThis interview is part of the Future of Journalism interview series. This is an interview by OurBlook with journalism Prof. Charlotte Grimes , who holds the Knight Chair in Political Reporting at the Newhouse School, Syracuse University. What do you think of the idea being bandied about that governments as a last resort should bail out failing newspapers? CG: Like most journalists, I'm extremely squeamish about the thought of government doing anything with or to newspapers. My instinct is to say: Not ...

Martin Kaiser on Media Shield BillOurBlook interview with Martin Kaiser, president of the American Society of Newspaper Editors   What are the pros of the media shield bill law moving through Congress? MK: The main benefit is the creation of a legal protection for journalists that currently does not exist. While this is not a perfect bill, it will provide protection for journalists subpoenaed to testify in a federal proceeding.  Recent federal case law indicates that the journalist has no choice but to testify or go to jail (or face...

David Weaver on Future of JournalismInterview with David H. Weaver, a journalism professor at Indiana who just delivered the university's 2009 Distinguished Faculty Research Lecture on the future of journalism. Some experts argue that citizen journalism could help local newspapers survive. Do you agree or disagree? DW: I agree, but I think citizen journalists are best at reporting breaking events, and not likely to be very helpful for in-depth, analytical or investigative reporting. Is there any advice you would give newspapers on how to ...

John Hamer on Media Shield BillOurBlook interview with John Hamer, executive director of the Washington News Council.What are the pros of the media shield bill law moving through Congress? JH: It is valuable to have protections for confidential sources of important information that the public deserves and needs to know, IF those sources are genuinely in jeopardy of serious repercussions such as job loss or demotion, financial harm or physical threat. However, if national security is clearly at stake, there should be no such ...

Douglass Starr on Future of NewspapersThis interview is part of the Future of Journalism interview series.Following is an interview by OurBlook with Dr. Douglas Perret Starr, a professor of agricultural journalism at Texas A&M. What do you think of the idea being bandied about that governments as a last resort should bail out failing newspapers? DPS: It's a terrible idea, and it is against the Constitution. The First Amendment in the Bill of Rights states: "Congress shall make no law . abridging the freedom of speech or of the press. ." ...

PR Specialist Vanessa Horwell on the Future of JournalismBy Vanessa HorwellAlthough I am in PR, I am not isolated from the events taking place in the newspaper industry. You know why? Because they are a lifeline. Without newspapers and the existence of quality journalism and print media, the PR industry and indeed the entire advertising industry will suffer in a very big way.In PR, companies rely on us to get them in the papers, on TV, on the radio, and then finally the web.  And usually in that order.You’ll probably find that statement counterintuitive in a...

Nigel Eccles on Newspapers and Alternative Revenue Sources: BingoEditor's note: when we heard the latest brainstorm for creating revenue for desperate newspapers ... putting Bingo games on their web sites as is done in Britain ... we thought we'd ask our old friend Nigel Eccles about that. Nigel is co-founder and CEO of hubdub.com, based in the United Kingdom. Is Bingo a significant revenue source for the papers? NE: At a guess I would say between 25 - 50 percent of UK newspaper online revenues comes from non-advertising sources. Of that a big chunk is online gaming...

Joe Shea on Future of JournalismInterview with Joe Shea, editor-in-chief of the American Reporter, the internet's first digital daily. Why was the American Reporter created?Reporters, even back in 1995, were losing their jobs, and alarm about the future of journalism was growing even then. I had the insight that the mailing lists we were on could just as easily be email newspapers, with correspondents sending in stories from all over the globe. All we needed was a financial and business model, and so I created one.  Then the Web gave ...

Cailin Brown on NewspapersThis is an interview by OurBlook with Cailin Brown, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Communications, The College of Saint Rose, Albany ,N.Y. What do you think of the idea being bandied about that governments as a last resort should bail out failing newspapers? CB: Newspapers need to find answers that do not include relying on the government for a bailout. That being said, some would argue that the growing bankruptcy claims in the field indicate that indeed the industry is now looking to ...

Michael Saffran on Future of NewspapersThis interview is part of the Future of Journalism interview series.This is an interview by OurBlook with Michael Saffran, adjunct professor of communication at Rochester Institute of Technology. You have advocated for a lift of the newspaper/broadcast cross-ownership ban as one potential remedy for failing papers, with the lift being tied to a restriction on the number of stations/papers a company can own in one market. Could you elaborate on how this could help the financial situation of newspapers? ...

If Newspapers Fold, We'll AdjustBy Gerry Storch So the Chicago Tribune Co. files for bankruptcy. That doesn't mean the Tribune won't continue to publish but it sure makes it possible it will stop at some point soon. Since the other major paper in Chicago, the Sun-Times, also is an economic basket case, could that mean that the nation's third largest metro area ... a gigantic area across three states with more than eight million people ... will be without a primary printed source of daily information? What about Minneapolis, where the...

Mickey Alam Khan on Future of JournalismFollowing is an interview by OurBlook with Mickey Alam Khan , editor in chief of Mobile Marketer , a trade publication in New York. What do you think of the idea being bandied about that governments as a last resort should bail out failing newspapers? MAK: Not a good idea. Government should not control media. That’s what happens in Russia and Venezuela and other tinpot dictatorships. Newspapers will have to figure out their own business model. If they take government dollars, they will surrender...

OurBlook Founder Paul Mongerson Interview with OurBlook Founder Paul Mongerson. Mongerson, who is 87 years old, is the former chairman and CEO of Stanadyne, a Fortune 500 company. He has had an avocational interest in news media for nearly 30 years, and was the author of the journalism textbook "The Power Press: Its Impact on America and What you Can do About It...

Marti Harvey on Future of NewspapersThis interview is part of the Future of Journalism interview series.This is an interview by OurBlook with Marti Harvey, faculty member and student  newspaper advisor for the Eastfield College EtCetera. Eastfield is in Mesquite, Texas (near Dallas. What do you think of the idea being bandied about that governments as a last resort should bail out failing newspapers? MH: I don't feel comfortable with government bailing out newspapers because of the inherent conflict of interest, i.e., journalism's ...

Paul Conti on Future of NewspapersThis is an interview by OurBlook with Paul Conti , instructor in communications at The College of Saint Rose in Albany, N.Y. What do you think of the idea being bandied about that governments as a last resort should bail out failing newspapers? PC: Bad idea. I do believe in newspapers. I believe that free journalism (unrestricted reporting) is essential to democracy. But having the government pay to keep the press afloat is just a bad idea. How can you report on what the government is doing when they...

Paul MacArthur on future of papersThis interview is part of the Future of Journalism interview series. This is an e-mail interview by OurBlook with Paul J. MacArthur , assistant professor of public relations and journalism at Utica College. The San Diego paper is up for sale, the Miami paper is up for sale, the Minneapolis paper has missed an interest payment, the Chicago Tribune empire is in bankruptcy ... on and on we could go ... can you foresee major metro areas in the U.S. suddenly being without the printed word as their primary ...

Sean Dougherty on the Future of JournalismThis interview is part of the Future of Journalism interview series. By Sean Dougherty, Vice President, Stern + Associates The future of journalism is on the Internet – the best, most accessible, most free, most versatile and open communications medium in history. The signs of the times are coming faster than ever and at the rate we’re going, print journalism’s primacy among the literate and influential could soon be as distant a memory as  Burma Shave billboards. The Detroit Free Press and Detroit...

Andrew Degenholtz on Future of JournalismThis interview is part of the Future of Journalism interview series. Interview with Andrew Degenholtz , president of ValueMags ,  a magazine subscription marketing agency. How has the Internet affected your company, and what have you done to adapt to new technologies? AD: Our company develops partnerships with online companies to sell magazine subscriptions. We are watching how the Internet is changing the way that consumers search for and find content online. Search engine optimization has been the...

Nigel Eccles on Future of PapersThis interview is part of the Future of Journalism interview series. Interview with Nigel Eccles, co-founder and CEO of UK website hubdub.com What should U.S. newspapers start doing? NE: That reminds me of the old Irish saying “I wouldn’t start from here if I wanted to get there”. The problem for U.S. newspapers is that they failed to invest and innovate during the good times. They remained hugely over-exposed to print revenues and missed a golden opportunity over the period 2003-06 to increase ...

Jonathan Stark - More Local NewsThis interview is part of the Future of Journalism interview series. Interview with Jonathan Stark , a business consultant who specializes in web applications for creative professionals. He is the author of "Web Publishing with PHP and FileMaker," is a regular speaker at the FileMaker Developers Conference, and is on the editorial board of FileMaker Advisor magazine. Newspapers are in a very interesting position right now. In terms of revenue, the newspaper industry has been in decline for at least a ...

Paul Steinmetz on Future of PapersThis interview is part of the Future of Journalism interview series. An interview by OurBlook with Paul Steinmetz , director of university relations and a journalism teacher at Western Connecticut State University. The San Diego paper is up for sale, the Miami paper is up for sale, the Minneapolis paper has missed an interest payment, the Chicago Tribune empire is in bankruptcy ... on and on we could go ... can you foresee major metro areas in the U.S. suddenly being without the printed word as their ...

The Death March of NewspapersFrom Blogger Scott Testa Print media are dying. They are blaming the current economy and the decline of advertising and classified sales as the culprit of their troubles. Here are some other factors that explain the downfall of the newspaper business. Most newspapers are either very liberal or very conservative. Readers are growing weary of this. They want unbiased news reporting, not slant. By the way, network television news better learn quickly from print media on this one before it's too late for ...

Thursday Bram on Citizen JournalismThis interview is part of the Future of Journalism interview series. Interview with Thursday Bram , blogger and former journalist. With the rise of vehicles like Wikipedia and its sister projects, such as Wikinews, that are run with the help of volunteers throughout the world, do you think citizen journalism will run primarily on this model? Secondly, is there a difference in the quality of work between paid freelancers and citizen journalists who do the work for free? While I think that the Wikinews ...

Demand is Still ThereThough journalism is going through a huge (but not unprecedented) period of transition, the demand for good information will never go away, and therefore, neither will those who have been professionally trained to procure and provide that information. Journalists in this country have come to be seen as part of the establishment, rather than as policing the establishment. Because the demand for unbiased information was not being met, this opened a space for citizen journalists, who are seen as less ...

Paul Swider on Papers' FutureThis interview is part of the Future of Journalism interview series. The following is a Q&A e-mail interview by OurBlook about the future of newspapers with Paul Swider, a reporter with the St. Petersburg Times until being laid off last May. The San Diego paper is up for sale, the Miami paper is up for sale, the Minneapolis paper has missed an interest payment, the Chicago Tribune empire is in bankruptcy ... on and on we could go ... can you foresee major metro areas in the U.S. suddenly being ...

Tim O'Brien on the Future of JournalismThis interview is part of the Future of Journalism interview series. The following is a Q&A e-mail interview by OurBlook about the future of newspapers with Tim O'Brien, owner of O'Brien Communications. The San Diego paper is up for sale, the Miami paper is up for sale, the Minneapolis paper has missed an interest payment, the Chicago Tribune empire is in bankruptcy ... on and on we could go ... can you foresee major metro areas in the U.S. suddenly being without the printed word as their ...

Michael Ray Smith on Future of NewspapersThis interview is part of the Future of Journalism interview series. Interview with Prof. Michael Ray Smith , professor of communication studies, Campbell University , Buies Creek, N.C.The San Diego paper is up for sale, the Miami paper is up for sale, the Minneapolis paper has missed an interest payment, the Chicago Tribune empire is in bankruptcy ... on and on we could go ... can you foresee major metro areas in the U.S. suddenly being without the printed word as their primary reliable source of ...

A New Level of JournalismThe Internet has taken journalism to a new level, vastly expanding content, accessibility and reach.  On the downside, the mainstream media as we've come to know it, has suffered because old-line newspapers are suffering according to historical measures of success - circulation, mainly.  Since circulation is the basis for advertising rates and revenues, as circulation numbers have decreased the industry has suffered.  Broadcast news organizations have suffered in similar ways as media consumers have ...

David Johnson on Future of Papers This interview is part of the Future of Journalism interview series. Interview with David E. Johnson, the CEO of Strategic Vision and a leading Republican pollster and strategist. The San Diego paper is up for sale, the Miami paper is up for sale, the Minneapolis paper has missed an interest payment, the Chicago Tribune empire is in bankruptcy ... on and on we could go ... can you foresee major metro areas in the U.S. suddenly being without the printed word as their primary reliable source of ...

USA Media Did Not Invest in TimeI ’ve worked in the online media business since 2000 and have conducted a lot of analysis of the news industry both in the UK (where I am based) and in the US. Basically my view is that the US news industry suffers from over capacity, poor management and has been delivering a poor product to readers for some time (partially due to lack of local competition). The internet represents a structural change that even if newspapers were well run it would be challenging for them to address it. However ...