SPECIAL JOURNO EDITION

29 October 2009

World
Wide
Journo
T
by Teodora Beleaga
he global journalism debate, regarding the issue
of crisis in the industry, took place yesterday at
the Humber Lecture Theatre. Speakers gathered in
person and via video-chat to express their views
and challenge the opinions of others.
Overwhelmingly, as two journalists never cover the same
angle of a story, ‘Is world journalism in crisis?’ speakers of-
fered a multitude of answers from the most daunting and
off-putting to the most optimistic. Some argued in favour of
the crisis, some argued against it, and some had the cour-
age to state the irrelevance of the matter in terms of the
industry’s evolution.
Many conclusions were drawn. The craft of journalism
was explored almost microscopically. What all speakers did
though, was to point at one or several areas of journalism
that are indeed in crisis, at least from their point of view.
What differentiated them was whether they attributed the
crisis to the entire industry (locally or globally) or not.
The conference began on time and lasted exactly three
and a half hours. It was opened and chaired by Kevin Marsh,
who briefly expressed his opinion on the subject and then
boldly challenged all speakers with some key questions. “It’s
very easy to use the word crisis” he said “and it’s very easy to
think that if one part of the world is in crisis than it all must
be.” Still, he argued that “journalism is probably facing more
challenges in quickest submersion than it’s ever faced. But”
he asked “does this amount to a crisis?” and “is it a global
crisis?”.
For Jeff Jarvis there’s no such thing as a crisis. He believes
that by using this word, we are looking at some rather
drastical and desperate solutions. Jarvis is no supporter of

“...journalism is
Picture courtesy of Teo Beleaga

probably facing
more challenges
in quickest
submersion than
it’s ever faced” Kevin Marsh questioning Jeff Jarvis (New York)
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

“If there isn’t a crisis,

they [journalists]
will damn certainly
invent one”
the Government funding journalism and envisions an
opportunity for journalists to rise as business men and
women. “I think the future of journalism is entrepreneurial Prof Richard Keeble speaking from Coventry
not institutional.” One well known phrase was cited in reply
to Jeff Jarvis’s views: “If you have lemons you, you go and lenges the way news are produced.
make lemonade.” One daunting, rather unanswered question that was
Professor Richard Keeble described journalists as inven- raised was: ‘Is the audience willing to pay for news?’ While
tors “obsessed with crisis” and courageously stated that the some do see a future where online ‘news’ will be paid for,
industry was, is and always will be in crisis, because journal- the question still remains if those ‘news’ will be professional
ists simply can’t escape the vicious circle of “crisis for crisis”. and provide facts and expertise or will they be opinionated
He said: “If there isn’t a crisis, they [journalists] will damn journalism.
certainly invent one”. If you missed the conference check the university’s
Jeremy Paxman believes one contributing cause to a YouTube channel to see it, and journalism.co.uk for more in
potential crisis is the rather low position of journalists in the depth comments.
public eye. “In popular regard journalists are somewhere
between estate agents and second-hand car salesmen.”
Moreover, this idea is perpetuated within commercial media “... journalists
are somewhere
organisations, leaving journalists exploited by the commer-
cially entertaining packaging.
The influencing issues that were raised include: politi-
cal interference, news corporation’s financial and job crisis,
the ever growing PR “monster”, ownership and citizenship between estate
journalism (which was compared by Suzanne Franks with
citizenship dentistry), content manipulation and the digital agents and second-
revolution that leads at the same time towards both media
convergence and media fragmentation while it also chal- hand car salesmen”

Pictures courtesy of Teo Beleaga

Nick Davies speaking from Brighton Jeremy Paxman speaking from London

The student and staff newsletter of the Media and

Communications department of Coventry School
of Art and Design
Edited by Teo Beleaga
Submissions invited to teo.beleaga@gmail.com
With many thanks to John Mair and all his guest speakers
for making this such a worthy experience.