Sessions 5

Why is it now more important than ever to rethink journalism?

Location: 
ONLINE - CENTRAL EUROPEAN TIME (CEST)

This year we have seen the collapse of some of the pillars that sustained our business from the dramatic downfall of advertising revenues to the post-truth discourse that has undermined the credibility of the media and its ability to fulfill its core mission as a guarantor of democracy. At a time as troubling as this, in which we have almost all our energy focused on survival, it is difficult to think about our fundamental role in open societies. In the words of Jarvis, "Our house was already on fire; COVID threw gunpowder on the flames".  While we stand on the ashes of the old world, a new nameless model and paradigm are emerging, and we have the responsibility to create what the new one is going to become. In this session we will talk about the possibilities offered by the internet, the need to create regulatory frameworks to keep the post-truth discourse in check, the need for transparency,, civic journalism and journalism as a public service, cultural change, diversity in newsrooms, the extinction of the business model and the different forces at play in this moment of uncertainty that threaten our profession and our survival, in short, what will be the future of journalism?

Moderator 

Speakers 

  • Professor and Director, Tow-Knight Center for Entrepreneurial Journalism, CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, USA

Shariff