Question

What do you think the future of international media holds?

Answer 1

Today, media reaches into every corner of the world and is becoming increasingly important, particularly in the West. Universities, think tanks and research centres are producing a complex body of knowledge about the current news-making process. Three major factors that are changing every field of human endeavour, including the journalist-readership relationship are-

More revolution- Characterized by increases in everything from the number of countries to population size, standards of living, literacy rates and quantity of products on the market.

Mobility revolution- Has set people, goods, money, ideas and values moving at hitherto unimagined rates towards every corner of the planet (including those that were once remote and inaccessible).

Mentality revolution- Reflects the major changes in mindsets, expectations, and aspirations that have accompanied these shifts.

It is widely known that the internet has been a game-changer in this “mentality revolution”, and even more so in the information field. Today, billions of people are online and mobile devices enable them to record and share news and multimedia content with a global audience. This is especially true for English-speaking outlets.

On the other hand, both audiences and revenues are skyrocketing in the digital arena, and more and more readers get their daily news via smartphones and tablets. However, old media is producing mixed signals: some outlets are struggling to keep up with this digital revolution, while others are fully embracing the unexpected shift. Obviously the approach chosen by new media and “digital native” outlets is less problematic, given its complete reliance on social-media channels and mobile apps – even if it attracts some criticism for low-quality content and lack of journalism standards.

Indeed, in the last few years many old-school reporters have moved their quality and expertise in the digital realm, while traditional enterprises are making room for new jobs: social discovery specialist, data scientist, community manager, social advertising analyst, and many more. The result is an eclectic collection of hybrid newsrooms, where 100-year-old newspapers are in direct competition with websites launched just a few years ago. Some outlets were brewed in prestigious university media departments, while others are simply one of the many Silicon Valley achievements.

Obviously the overall role of journalism is rapidly changing: is it better stick to old news reporting or create click-baits? Should we aim at “former readers” or consumers? The reality is that today’s online business model is largely dependent on advertising and requires huge traffic levels to produce good revenues. Therefore any addition to a “conventional” story – direct comments, social-network discussions, mobile-app presence – becomes a vital part of a larger process aimed at attracting more users.

It is a landscape further complicated by the great success of instant-messaging apps such as WhatsApp, which has more than 800 million users and was bought for $22 billion by Facebook in February 2014, and the arrival of players with very different business models and editorial goals. Today Medium hosts stories by renowned journalists such as Steven Levy, editor of the BackChannel section, or intriguing sections such as Eidolon, with a fascinating tagline: “A modern way to write about the ancient world.” Also worth a mention is Quartz, a digital native news outlet that relies on veteran and young reporters for economic and world news aimed at mobile devices, with a main office in New York City and correspondents in several cities around the world.

Our planet is undergoing deep transformations at social, political and cultural levels, and online news reporting does reflect this. We should embrace and develop the landscape outlined above, with its many different players, models and approaches. After all, change in media is the daily business, not an exception – and talking about it could easily become yesterday’s news.