Past Event DVDs
Discussion: March 24, 2010

The Future of News
Spring 2010 Series

This event is being livestreamed on our website. Half-price student tickets are available. Please note that tickets will be available for sale on the door.
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Event Information:
And that, so they tell us, is the end of the news. We won’t be buying newspapers any more to learn what’s happening in the world because we can get that information at no cost on the net, and without having to trek to the newsagent. We won’t be hearing from serious journalists any more: how can they earn a living if any old blogger can lift their expensively-crafted articles and post them on his own site? In any case we’ll lose the habit of reading the news, since it will no longer come packaged with all the gossipy, sexy bits in newspapers that compensate for the hard graft of slogging through current affairs. And as we never had to pay the full cost of serious news stories in the first place – these having been subsidised by advertising in the gossipy, sexy bits – there won’t be enough of us prepared to pay the full economic cost of news gathering in the future. That’s the story from the Jeremiahs of journalism. But are they right? Aren’t we too culturally attached to the news, the newspaper and to serious journalism to let them die that easily?
The discussion took place at: Methodist Central Hall Westminster.
Doors opened at 6:00 pm. The debate started at 6:45 pm and finished at 8:30 pm.
Speakers:

David Elstein Chairman of DCD Media plc and the Broadcasting Policy Group, formerly Chief Executive of Channel 5.

Claire Enders Founder of Enders Analysis, a research service focusing on technology, telecoms and media across Europe.

A. A. Gill Journalist and author, currently the Sunday Times's restaurant and television critic.

Turi Munthe Founder of Demotix - www.demotix.com - a street-journalism website and newswire.

Andrew Neil Former editor of the Sunday Times; publisher of Press Holdings and Chief Executive of the Spectator, broadcaster and business consultant on media matters.

Matthew Parris Times newspaper columnist, television and radio broadcaster.

Jacob Weisberg Editor-in-chief of the Washington Post's Slate Group of online magazines.
Chair:

Simon Jenkins Columnist for The Guardian and the London Evening Standard and former editor of the Times newspaper. He is also Chairman of the National Trust.
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