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News publishers in danger of becoming 'digital windsocks', says Reuters Institute

Posted: 20/01/09 By: Nigel Brown

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Digital technology is threatening the quality and commercial prospects of British journalism, according to a report from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism (RISJ).

The 'What's Happening to Our News?' report, which was based on evidence from 70 industry luminaries, examined the future of commercial newsgathering, the value of 'professionalism' in the age of blogging and what can be done to meet the challenges facing the industry.

"The economic foundations of modern journalism are crumbling due to unprecedented changes in the scale and character of news consumption," said Dr Andrew Currah, author of the report, in a release.

The Oxford University lecturer concluded that commercial pressures, caused in part by the free access model for most online news, will continue to undermine the traditional business models used to pay for newsgathering and limit the resources available for original reporting.

"Publishers are in danger of being reduced to the digital equivalent of a windsock, shaped by the short-term whims of the news consumer," he said.

Currah's study suggested that the reliance of news websites on external links for traffic 'limits the value of news content to advertisers, the profitability of news publishing, and the resources available for professional journalism'.

The report also examined how editors' attempts to follow the 'clickstream' and appeal to a 'news agenda shaped by the noise of the crowd' and search engines is distorting news coverage.

News stories originating from PR organisations require greater transparency, but are not 'a fundamental threat to the independence and accuracy of British journalism', according to the paper.

Supporters of Currah's work have suggested that the consequences of these new practices could have a severe impact on the function of journalism in society.

"In an age of real time information, and limitless distraction, journalists can no longer assume that their 'professionalism' has a secure value. It remains hard to imagine a civil society that functions effectively, or a citizenry that can hold its government directly to account, without a confident independent and viable media," said Tim Gardam, chair of the RISJ's steering committee, in a foreword to the report.

The report outlines several proposals, including targeted tax breaks for public interest news publishing, changing legislation to allow for charitable funding of newsgathering and a voluntary set of media standards to improve public trust and transparency within the industry.

Government participation in tackling the issues raised by the report is also called for, in particular through the release of more data about publicly funded bodies and an increase in digital interaction between parliament and citizens.

'What's Happening to Our News' will be launched on January 22 as part of the Oxford Media Convention.

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