His talk, part of the Media Standards Trust's 'Why Journalism Matters' series, expanded on ideas shared at other conferences and interviews earlier this year, and indicated both optimism and pessimism for finding a means to financially sustain responsible journalism.
Answering a question after the speech - reported on Journalism.co.uk at this link and soon to be available on YouTube - Rusbridger said he could see the possibility of making money out of the Guardian's @guardiantech Twitter following, for example.
Monetising the Twitter following
"The question of how you monetise those 900,000 [followers] is deeply interesting, but that's not my job - I do think you've got those 900,000 people coming voluntarily - you've got to think what would they pay for?" he said.
"Who would those 900,000 technology people most like to spend time with? Let's say it was Steve Jobs. Is he the most interesting man in technology, I don't know, but let's say he is.
"What would be the forums [in which] you could put Steve Jobs in touch with those people? Anything between one penny and £10,000: you might get a very small number."
Providing specialised information and journalism in the online community, is a way forward he believes: "I don't know if they're [Guardian journalists] experts, but they're specialists, and I absolutely think the role of specialists on the Guardian is crucial," he said.
Speaking to Journalism.co.uk afterwards he said: "I spend the money, I don't make it. But the commercial people on the Guardian, when they talk about it, they find it [specialised events] a highly interesting thought."
He acknowledged that the Washington Post came under fire for attempting to sell access to political journalists, and said that was not what he was describing: "I'm not thinking of selling influence or access - that was almost like lobbying.
"I think in the same way that we have an events business on the back of the paper, where we will discuss education and have an annual public services conference where people pay to come along to that, we can copy that kind of that thing, rather than selling access."
Local news in decline; PA could provide 'public information'
As newspapers are less able to report 'public information' and there is 'collapse of the structure of political reporting’ there is increased risk of corruption, Rusbridger said, referencing an article in The New Republic by Paul Starr.
He was concerned he said, that councils, committees and courts would go unscrutinised and he called on the audience to support the Press Association in its bid to syndicate more local public service reporting to local papers and websites.
While praising BBC news services, he does not support the corporation's monopolisation of local news, he said.
"This bit of journalism is going to have to be done by somebody," Rusbridger said.
"It makes me worry about all of those public authorities and courts which will in future operate without any kind of systematic public scrutiny. I don't think our legislators have begun to wake up to this imminent problem as we face the collapse of the infrastructure of local news in the press and broadcasting."
Rusbridger said local public service journalism is a 'kind of utility' that is just as important as gas and water: "We must face up to the fact that if there is no public subsidy, then some of this [public service] reporting will come to pass in this country. The need is there [for subsidy]. It is going to be needed pretty quickly."
Related links on Journalism.co.uk:
- 'Alan Rusbridger’s digital crystal ball: what next for ‘public information’ journalism?'
- 'Alan Rusbridger (@arusbridger) on why Twitter matters'
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