Newspapers: The future of journalism
Go to the Nieman Lab webpage (part of Harvard university) and watch the video of Clay Shirky presenting to Harvard students. The video is also available on YouTube below but the Nieman Lab website has a written transcript of everything Shiky says.
Play the clip AND read along with the transcript below to ensure you are following the argument. You need to watch from the beginning to 29.35 (the end of Shirky's presentation). Once you've watched and read the presentation and made notes (you may want to copy and paste key quotes from the transcript), answer the questions below:
1) Why does Clay Shirky argue that 'accountability journalism' is so important and what example does he give of this?
Clay Shirky argues that accountability journalism is so important because it informs the public of people who are doing wrong things and allows them to complain so that something can be done about it. The example he gives is that of Father John Geoghan,a priest who had been employed by the Catholic Church since the 1960s. It was found that he was a pedophile and 'had raped or fondled over 100 boys in his care'. He was able to get away with this as the Church was ineffective in punishing him. After the Boston Globe published a story on it in 2002, naturally he was punished rightfully after this.
2) What does Shirky say about the relationship between newspapers and advertisers? Which websites does he mention as having replaced major revenue-generators for newspapers (e.g. jobs, personal ads etc.)?
Shirky states that newspapers were overcharging advertisers and were also under-serving them. (confused)
3) Shirky talks about the 'unbundling of content'. This means people are reading newspapers in a different way. How does he suggest audiences are consuming news stories in the digital age?
He suggests that audiences are consuming news stories in the digital age in a way that is opposite from intellectual. It's now based on industry and what news agency can get the most page views. Therefore, the content put forward by news sites 'is made by the consumer and not by the producer.'
4) Shirky also talks about the power of shareable media. How does he suggest the child abuse scandal with the Catholic Church may have been different if the internet had been widespread in 1992?
If the internet had been widespread in 1992, people would have found out about the activities of the priest earlier, due to the story being forwarded many times, and could have acted upon it straight away.
5) Why does Shirky argue against paywalls?
Shirky argues against paywalls because he believes they prevent the whole effect os people spreading news because not everyone has access to it.
6) What is a 'social good'? In what way is journalism a 'social good'?
A 'social good' is something that benefits the general public. Journalism is a social good because there are many stories that are published that end up benefiting the public. The previous example of the priest can be seen as a social good as it revealed the truth about a man who was meant to be protecting children, instead of hurting them. Justice can now be served because he had been found out.
7) Shirky says newspapers are in terminal decline. How does he suggest we can replace the important role in society newspapers play? What is the short-term danger to this solution that he describes?
Shirky suggests we can replace the important role of newspapers with something else. He suggests that 'We need a class of institutions or models, whether they’re endowments or crowd-sourced or what have you — we need a model that produces five percent of accountability journalism. And we need to get that right 17 times in a row. ' The short term danger to this situation is that we will lose out on lots of potential accountability journalism.
8) Look at the first question and answer regarding institutional power. Give us your own opinion: how important is it that major media brands such as the New York Times or the Guardian continue to stay in business and provide news?
I think that it is very important for organisations like this to stay in business and provide news. This is because they are some of the most trust worthy sites that provide quality journalism. It is also important for there to be a wide range of institutions providing news so that lots of stories are brought out to the open.
Play the clip AND read along with the transcript below to ensure you are following the argument. You need to watch from the beginning to 29.35 (the end of Shirky's presentation). Once you've watched and read the presentation and made notes (you may want to copy and paste key quotes from the transcript), answer the questions below:
1) Why does Clay Shirky argue that 'accountability journalism' is so important and what example does he give of this?
Clay Shirky argues that accountability journalism is so important because it informs the public of people who are doing wrong things and allows them to complain so that something can be done about it. The example he gives is that of Father John Geoghan,a priest who had been employed by the Catholic Church since the 1960s. It was found that he was a pedophile and 'had raped or fondled over 100 boys in his care'. He was able to get away with this as the Church was ineffective in punishing him. After the Boston Globe published a story on it in 2002, naturally he was punished rightfully after this.
2) What does Shirky say about the relationship between newspapers and advertisers? Which websites does he mention as having replaced major revenue-generators for newspapers (e.g. jobs, personal ads etc.)?
Shirky states that newspapers were overcharging advertisers and were also under-serving them. (confused)
3) Shirky talks about the 'unbundling of content'. This means people are reading newspapers in a different way. How does he suggest audiences are consuming news stories in the digital age?
He suggests that audiences are consuming news stories in the digital age in a way that is opposite from intellectual. It's now based on industry and what news agency can get the most page views. Therefore, the content put forward by news sites 'is made by the consumer and not by the producer.'
4) Shirky also talks about the power of shareable media. How does he suggest the child abuse scandal with the Catholic Church may have been different if the internet had been widespread in 1992?
If the internet had been widespread in 1992, people would have found out about the activities of the priest earlier, due to the story being forwarded many times, and could have acted upon it straight away.
5) Why does Shirky argue against paywalls?
Shirky argues against paywalls because he believes they prevent the whole effect os people spreading news because not everyone has access to it.
6) What is a 'social good'? In what way is journalism a 'social good'?
A 'social good' is something that benefits the general public. Journalism is a social good because there are many stories that are published that end up benefiting the public. The previous example of the priest can be seen as a social good as it revealed the truth about a man who was meant to be protecting children, instead of hurting them. Justice can now be served because he had been found out.
7) Shirky says newspapers are in terminal decline. How does he suggest we can replace the important role in society newspapers play? What is the short-term danger to this solution that he describes?
Shirky suggests we can replace the important role of newspapers with something else. He suggests that 'We need a class of institutions or models, whether they’re endowments or crowd-sourced or what have you — we need a model that produces five percent of accountability journalism. And we need to get that right 17 times in a row. ' The short term danger to this situation is that we will lose out on lots of potential accountability journalism.
8) Look at the first question and answer regarding institutional power. Give us your own opinion: how important is it that major media brands such as the New York Times or the Guardian continue to stay in business and provide news?
I think that it is very important for organisations like this to stay in business and provide news. This is because they are some of the most trust worthy sites that provide quality journalism. It is also important for there to be a wide range of institutions providing news so that lots of stories are brought out to the open.
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