Reconstruction
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November 16, 2009 11:33 AM
Journalism’s Valhalla?
The Chronicle of Higher Education has invited Michael Schudson and Leonard Downie to follow-up on one of the recommendations their “Reconstruction of American Journalism” report put forward: that universities, which have long provided institutional support for independent knowledge creation and research, get more involved in producing and sustaining journalism.
In the lead essay in the Chronicle Review, the weekly newspaper’s...
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October 20, 2009 12:15 PM
The Reconstruction of American Journalism
What do you think of the report?
There’s no shortage of takes on the news industry’s ills, and on the possible strategies that could preserve and sustain costly reporting. Yesterday, the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism released one such report by Michael Schudson, a communications professor at the school, and Len Downie, the former longtime editor of The Washington Post.
Downie and Schudson’s report, available as...
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October 19, 2009 01:00 PM
The Reconstruction of American Journalism
A report by Leonard Downie, Jr., and Michael Schudson
For reactions to this report, click here.
American journalism is at a transformational moment, in which the era of dominant newspapers and influential network news divisions is rapidly giving way to one in which the gathering and distribution of news is more widely dispersed. As almost everyone knows, the economic foundation of the nation’s newspapers, long supported by advertising,...
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October 19, 2009 12:30 PM
First Read: Follow the Breadcrumbs
What if it’s not just the business model of journalism that is broken?
Laurels to Len Downie Jr. and Michael Schudson for a comprehensive review of developments in the journalistic ecosystem.
Darts for the mile-wide, inch-deep reportage. We all know about most of these developments. So, what epiphanies are to be drawn from what is working? I wish their calls to action were grounded in more specific context to convince people of their...
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October 19, 2009 12:30 PM
First Read: Report Ignores Web’s Nimble Nature
Why not a Journalism Geek Squad? Or Report For America?
When it comes to news, the Web doesn’t work the way Michael Schudson and Len Downie suggest in their report. They present various entities in the new-media landscape as if they are destinations, like printed newspapers, that should be able to build and maintain definable audiences capable of attracting ad revenue, philanthropy, or government subsidy. But in fact, audience loyalty...
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October 19, 2009 12:30 PM
First Read: Journalism Minus its Old Public
Even if funds can be found, journalism's reach is narrowing
Leonard Downie Jr. and Michael Schudson provide a superb survey of the initiatives in progress to sustain independent reporting, and their recommendations generally deserve support. But at the same time, they understate the changes taking place in the news and its public, and consequently underestimate the difficulties that American democracy faces.
The challenge that the Internet poses is not just...
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October 19, 2009 12:30 PM
First Read: The Mutualized Future is Bright
But we will need some help—from government and others—to get there
Recently, I was confronted with a legal obstacle that—possibly for the first time since we were founded in 1821—prevented The Guardian from reporting something that had happened in Parliament. We wrote a bafflingly cryptic front-page piece and I left the office feeling pretty fed up. But before sitting down to eat, I borrowed the restaurant’s computer to Tweet the fact...
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October 19, 2009 12:00 PM
Schudson Talks Back
A response to CJR’s responders about “The Reconstruction of American Journalism”
Thanks to CJR and particularly to respondents Martin Langeveld, Alan Rusbridger, Jan Schaffer, and Paul Starr for their thoughtful comments on our report.
All seem to agree we have advanced the discussion a pace or two; all think, to different degrees, that we have some distance to go. We agree on both counts!
We find Martin Langeveld’s suggestions...
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October 19, 2009 11:30 AM
Executive Summary: “The Reconstruction of American Journalism”
News reporting that holds accountable those with power and influence has been a vital part of American democratic life—especially in places with daily newspapers profitable enough, and with owners public-spirited enough, to maintain substantial reporting staffs. Accountability journalism is now at risk, along with the advertising-supported economic foundations of newspapers.
In a comprehensive report commissioned by the Columbia University...
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October 19, 2009 11:00 AM
“The Reconstruction of American Journalism”: About This Report
“The Reconstruction of American Journalism” is an extraordinary report on the present and future of our profession, written by Leonard Downie and Michael Schudson, and commissioned by the Columbia Journalism School.
Their assignment was to take a comprehensive, clearheaded look at the enormous changes taking place in American journalism, to assess them, and to make recommendations for the future....
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October 19, 2009 10:30 AM
Podcast: Leonard Downie and Michael Schudson
Last week, before the release of their new report, The Reconstruction of American Journalism, Leonard Downie and Michael Schudson joined CJR for a half hour conversation. They discussed the state of the nation's journalism, the panoply of reporting start-ups across the country, and their recommendations for how these new efforts might be nurtured and strengthened.
Click here to download the...
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Reconstruction Feature
The Reconstruction of American Journalism
By Leonard Downie Jr. and Michael Schudson
This report proposes new steps for maintaining a vibrant, independent press, with special emphasis on local "accountability journalism" that is essential to civic life. The report is available on this page, along with commentary from five responders and a podcast with the authors.
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Desks
The Audit Business
- Audit Notes: pyramid people, Disney and ABC, no USA Today paywall Roddy Boyd digs into a diet-shake pyramid scheme
- Hot air Rises Above on CNBC An anchor pins a minor dip in stocks on the TV appearance of a minor politician
The Observatory Science
- Dull news from Doha UN climate summit a ho-hum affair for the press
- Highway to the danger zone Following Sandy, HuffPo and NYT dig into the folly of coastal development
Campaign Desk Politics & Policy
- NBC News sets good example for Medicare reporting People perspective leads to clear explanation of impact of proposed changes
- In Pennsylvania, a niche site with wide reach PoliticsPA drives political conversation in Keystone State
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The Kicker last updated: Fri 3:00 PM
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