Media Revolution: Liberation or Bankruptcy?
Date: 13 November 2009
Paris - British Embassy - 35 Rue de Faubourg St Honoré
This seminar, chaired by Quentin Peel of the Financial Times and Henri Pigeat, Président du Centre de Formation des Journalistes, ancien Président de l'Agence France Presse (left), looked at the impact the internet is having on traditional media as it becomes the primary source of news and information.
The seminar brought together figures such as Hugo Dixon from Breakingviews.com and Adam Boulton from Sky News as well as their French counterparts and was a frank and sobering review of the swiftly changing landscape. Questions arose as to the nature of the news we read and of the “citizen journalists” who write it. One of the conclusions was that although the traditional press is unlikely to survive in its current form, journalistic skills and informed opinion will still be valued. A brave new world of high tech media is bound to emerge and the process of getting from here to there is not necessarily going to be pretty. As print and broadcast media suffer from a declining audience and loss of advertising revenue, the possibility of looking for either state subsidies or private philanthropy was examined - although this raised questions as to journalistic independence.
The new media also offers exciting opportunities by widening the number of voices, news sources and opening more and more aspects of public life to scrutiny and debate. A full report by David Walker, formerly of the Guardian, will be available soon. Email if you would like a copy.