The Future of Journalism

Go to the Nieman Lab webpage (part of Harvard university) and watch the video of Clay Shirky presenting to Harvard students. The video is also available on YouTube below but the Nieman Lab website has a written transcript of everything Shirky says.

1) Why does Clay Shirky argue that 'accountability journalism' is so important and what example does he give of this?

He advocates for societal change, citing a case of Catholic priests who were raped by 100 boys, who were eventually sent to rehab when questioned.

2) What does Shirky say about the relationship between newspapers and advertisers? Which websites does he mention as having replaced major revenue-generators for newspapers (e.g. jobs, personal ads etc.)?

In the past, newspapers held significant influence over advertisements, as companies could not leave a story published by the newspaper due to the lack of alternatives like Monster and Match.

3) Shirky talks about the 'unbundling of content'. This means people are reading newspapers in a different way. How does he suggest audiences are consuming news stories in the digital age?

The audience is actively engaging with news stories shared on social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook.

4) Shirky also talks about the power of shareable media. How does he suggest the child abuse scandal with the Catholic Church may have been different if the internet had been widespread in 1992?

The story, which could have been more widespread if the internet was more accessible, was eventually lost due to the lack of publicity it received due to forwarded news.

5) Why does Shirky argue against paywalls? 

He suggests that the current news model, which restricts the dissemination of news articles, could lead to a decrease in viewership and sharing, potentially causing news publishers to self-publish, thus affecting the business model of news companies.

6) What is a 'social good'? In what way might journalism be a 'social good'?

Journalists create accountability journalism by gathering individuals to write news stories, which they and the public can benefit from, promoting self-improvement and accountability in journalism.

7) Shirky says newspapers are in terminal decline. How does he suggest we can replace the important role in society newspapers play? What is the short-term danger to this solution that he describes?

He suggests increased accountability journalism, but it's short-term and won't completely replace newspapers, as it maintains the same structure and function.

8) Look at the first question and answer regarding institutional power. Give us your own opinion: how important is it that major media brands such as the New York Times or the Guardian continue to stay in business and provide news?

The importance of these large brands, which have been part of culture and tradition for a long time, is highlighted due to their wide audience and their perceived trustworthiness as trustworthy sources, making their reporting to them crucial.

Part 2: MM55 - Media, Publics, Protest and Power

Media Magazine 55 has an excellent feature on power and the media. Go to our Media Magazine archive, click on MM55 and scroll to page 38 to read the article Media, Publics, Protest and Power', a summary of Media academic Natalie Fenton’s talk to a previous Media Magazine conference. Answer the following questions:

1) What are the three overlapping fields that have an influence on the relationship between media and democracy?

Political, Economic, Journalistic fields

2) What is ‘churnalism’ and what issues are there currently in journalism?

In a corporate news world it is now difficult to maintain profit margins and shareholder returns – unless you employ fewer journalists. This means not only insecure, short-term contracts, but also fewer journalists with more space to fill in less time. And this often leads to a greater use of unattributed rewrites of press agency or public relations material, and the cut- and-paste practice now known as churnalism.

3) What statistics are provided by Fenton to demonstrate the corporate dominance of a small number of conglomerates? 

But in the UK, there are an ever-smaller number of global media institutions dominating the media landscape. Just three companies control 71% of UK national newspaper circulation while only five groups control more than 80% of combined online and offline news.

4) What is the 'climate of fear' that Fenton writes about in terms of politics and the media? 

Politicians are afraid of negative publicity and damaging their re-election chances due to their close ties to big media players. This has led to a lack of investigation into news media wrongdoings, media conglomerate expansion, and new regulation. Journalists are often intimidated to stand up against a bullying culture where commercial priorities are prioritized over journalistic responsibility. This limits democratic freedom for ordinary members of the public, as governments are not distorted by the private interests of media conglomerates. The media becomes de-democratizing when news proprietors accumulate excessive power and influence.

5) Fenton finishes her article by discussing pluralism, the internet and power. What is your opinion on this crucial debate - has the internet empowered audiences and encouraged democracy or is power even more concentrated in the hands of a few corporate giants?

I think that the internet has empowered audiences as producers, allowing big corporations to monetise from their fan base. This has led to media freedom and information pluralism, seen as a democratic gain. Access to the internet provides communicative abundance and individual power, potentially changing democracy through three interconnected themes.