Media: More on the Future of Journalism

TORONTO, ONTARIO - Earlier this month, the Project for Excellence in Journalism released its annual state of the media analysis, including a section on newspapers. Considering that this report amounts to some of the best minds in the industry trying to chart out a future, it's pretty sobering that the suggestions for the future of newspapers as summarized in a Christian Science Monitor article don't seem to hold much promise--and I mean that even in terms of news organizations, not just physical newspapers.

The first idea is one I have advocated for both newspapers and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation--creating non-profit foundations, like ProPublica, to produce high-quality news. However, they point out that it is unlikely that there is enough funding to become a general ownership model. It's hard to argue with that assertion, though maybe it can save a few newspaper organizations as they turn into general journalism organizations.

The other ideas? Adopt the cable model, in which a fee to news producers is built into monthly Internet-access fees consumers already pay. I like this one, but I see only one way to administer it--as a tax. That will never fly in the United States, so unless someone figures out a better way to administer that idea, I'm afraid an idea that makes a lot of sense will be stillborn.

Next, build online retail malls within news sites to create a local search network for small businesses and link them directly with customers. I like this one as well, but I don't see how if the current advertising-supported methods are failing that this one will bring enough additional revenue to work, either.

Third, develop subscription-based niche products for elite professional audiences, which have already proved to be a profitable growth area in journalism. Clearly, this may work for some publications, but it's hardly a recipe for providing general news.

Finally, collaborate to challenge aggregators, especially Google, to start sharing more revenue. I don't see this happening. There are too many options for news collection (say, Al Jazeera for national news in the United States, which as a reminder is government-funded) for there for be any incentive for the aggregator to do this--and some have said as much.

Interestingly, my other standing idea, an official fourth estate funded by government is not listed as an option for newspaper organizations, which may say more about the mind-set of the United States than it does about the actual practicality of the idea. Indeed, it seems to be so far removed from what is considered acceptable in the United States that it isn't even worth mentioning and rejecting. Considering the lack of other options, I am reaching the conclusion that this must change and the idea must be taken seriously.