Newspapers: The future of journalism

1) Why does Clay Shirky argue that 'accountability journalism' is so important and what example does he give of this?
The commercial success of newspapers and their linking of that to accountability journalism wasn’t a deep truth about reality. Best Buy was not willing to support the Baghdad bureau because Best Buy cared about news from Baghdad. They just didn’t have any other good choices.

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.)?

 Monster and Match and Craigslist- all have the logic that if you want to list a job or sell a bike, you don’t go to the place that’s printing news from Antananarivo and the crossword puzzle. You go to the place that’s good for listing jobs and selling bikes.

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?

People are no longer reading entire newspapers or magazines from cover to cover. People are now consuming news through digital platforms like social media or news apps.

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 could have spread much more quickly. The ability for individuals to share information easily through social media, blogs, or forums would have let survivors, whistleblowers, and journalists to boost the story beyond the reach of traditional newspapers 

5) Why does Shirky argue against paywalls? 

Limiting audience reach, Paywalls disrupt the information sharing flow and restricts social good as important stories must be shared. 

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

Something that benefits a large number of people in a large scale

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?

Non-profit journalism, participatory forms of journalism. Th danger of these is a decline in investigative journalism

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?
I believe it is crucial that they stay in business and provide news but their news needs to evolve over time. These newspapers produce high quality features and offer consumers and society as a whole ways to hold those in power accountable for their actions through investigative journalism.

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?

The political field- intervenes when the state powerfully limits or enables the diversity of voices

and views in the press.

The economic field- refers to commercial influences that encompass elements such as

concentration of ownership; profit pressures relating to types of ownership.

The journalistic field- to assumptions that have emerged over time about what constitutes ‘news’, and about the purpose of journalism.

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

A greater use of unattributed rewrites of press agency or public relations material, and the cut- and-paste practice

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

Just three companies control 71% of UK national newspaper circulation while only five groups control more than 80% of combined online and offline news. In this climate, political parties, the police and other institutions are reluctant to investigate wrongdoing in the news media.

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

Politicians are fearful of career-wrecking and life-ruining negative publicity. 

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 the internet has definitely empowered audiences to question those in power and exercise democracy more. This is due to free speech, the more public opinions have become due to comment sections, tweeting, and vlogs.