Public Workshops and Roundtables: How Will Journalism Survive the Internet Age?

The Federal Trade Commission ("FTC" or "Commission") announces that it will hold two days of public workshops on December 1 and 2, 2009, to examine the Internet's impact on journalism in newspapers, magazines, broadcast television and radio, and cable television. The Internet has changed how many consumers receive news and altered the advertising landscape. Low entry barriers on the Internet have allowed new voices of journalism to emerge; the Internet- enabled links from one web site to another have given consumers easy access to all types of news; efficiencies available through the Internet have substantially reduced advertising costs. These and other changes related to the Internet have benefitted consumers greatly. On October 7th, 2009 the Federal Trade Commission announced that they would be hosting Workshops and Roundtables asking the all important question, "How Will Journalism Survive the Internet Age?" Our June 11th segment titled "Has Blogging Crossed The Threshold of Legitimacy" focused on asking the tough questions surrounding this very issue. Based on the realization that the ever increasing influence of the new social media especially through blogging had not gone unnoticed, the FTCs recent decision to institute standards holding bloggers accountable for what they write, now appears to be just the beginning of a sweeping examination of the influence and responsibilities of social media as a whole. But what are the consequences of the emerging social media both in the immediate future and long term? In today's show I welcome an international guest panel to expand on the discussion from our June 11th show, specifically looking at the continuing sustainability of traditional models in the areas of "journalism in newspapers, magazines, broadcast television and radio."