5 questions that “future of news” panels should be asking

There are frequent panel discussions these days to discuss the future of news. But too often they stick to tired questions: Will paywalls work? Will e-readers save print media?

For a possibly more revealing discussion, here are five questions that should be asked of panelists:

1) What role can everyday citizens play in directing and participating in the news process? How do we build authority and reputation systems to make those contributions credible and useful?

2) What role can amateur bloggers play in an ecosystem of local news, and what roles must still be done by professionals?

3) How can new revenue streams (sponsorships, memberships, donations, product-discount marketing, premium information services) move beyond the limitations of display ads?

4) How is the emerging mobile news market different from the desktop web, and how do news companies take advantage of it? Are the new “tablet” computers something different as well?

5) Social networks are connecting everyone in real time, allowing people to spread basic news and observations among themselves. How does that change the function of professionally produced news?

What are the answers to these questions? What other key questions need to be discussed more? Leave your ideas in the comments below.

Posted on January 16, 2010 by Jeff Sonderman This entry was posted in Journalism. Bookmark the permalink.
  • Anna44

    It seems to me another question that should be asked is how do we make sure the “un-sexy” but vital news gets covered in a world of on-line “everyday citizens” writing about what interests them. For example, who, exactly, is going to cover what is going on in state governments or federal agencies? Even more, how do we compensate for any depth of knowledge–either by training or experience–brought to journalism by those who have, say, some education in scientific matters or years of observing local government. Certainly, ordinary people _can_ bring those things to their writing, but an important question is will they? In other words, how do we not lose journalism to blogging? I believe they both have their place but that they are not interchangable. We need a new model, but I don’t think anyone has yet defined what that model is.

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