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Live From Memphis - Journalism That Matters

by ilona

Fri Jan 12, 2007 at 09:17:51 PM EST

Memphis is buzzing tonight. And there's revolution in the air. While the ducks still make their way up the steps of the Peabody Hotel (and Elvis very literally is still everywhere), mixed in with the mist of the day and the traditions reflected in this historic city's glossy cobblestone streets are thousands of new, old, traditional, young, seasoned and passionate media types banding together this weekend to say, "We want more -- and we want better."

The Journalism That Matters sessions and the National Conference for Media Reform meet-up have taken wing -- and to the streets. The energy is palpable.

And the future of journalism is here and now.

citizen journalism :: :: :: buzz-it!

Just wrapping up a couple of hours ago, "From Mainstream to New Media: Finding Common Ground to Grow Participatory Democracy" was a melding of traditional mainstream media minds, J School educators, media reformers and citizen journalists. The brainchild of The Journalism that Matters Consortium and The Media Giraffe Project, this unlikely group of individuals formed one large circle of trust to conduct "conversations with a purpose."

And how. From the event's brochure:

The process was created by Chris Peck, editor of the Memphis Commercial Appeal, the late Cole Campbell, former editor of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and visionary journalism educator, freelance writer and news futurist Stephen Silha, and change practitioner and writer Peggy Holman.

For those who think today's traditional media editors and journalists don't care about the current quality of news, let me assure you that's just not the case. Many of them have the same questions that we have:

How do we do journalism that's worthy of the First Amendment?
How can we work in ways that better serve community?
How can all interested parties work together to elevate, sustain, and nurture the craft of journalism?
Are we covering the stories that people care about?
If not, what do we need to do to get it right?

They worry about how their economic model effects the quality of their journalism. Many are trying to find ways to mix the reality of the today's news business with the energy and passion found in the work being done by those of us who have only recently entered the rhelm of reporting. There's a lot of uncertainly -- from all sides.

But there's also a great sense of opportunity.

The work has begun to find ways to make sense of today's rapid-fire changes in the media. Citizens and reformers and news editors and journalism educators and bloggers really have the same goal in this revolution: to forge relevancy and purpose -- and meaning -- out of the chaos of our times. The idea is to jump-start a renaissance of journalism that matters.

To us all. For us all. By us all.

Live From Memphis - Journalism That Matters | 7 comments (7 topical, 0 hidden)

A League of Their Own? (5.00 / 5) (#1)

I read this:

They worry about how their economic model effects the quality of their journalism.

And got a vision of a wave of professional journalists striking out on their own, delivering their own content, reaping their own ad revenues.

A flash of that came from the idea of recording artists skipping the record label's contract and releasing music straight to the public.

I was reading yesterday about a 13-year old vision of decentralization and the end of conglomeration... that has yet to happen, and some might argue we're still headed in the opposite direction, to the extreme; still, were the mood to strike everyone at once, or even a half or a quarter of the pros, what a shift in the balance of mass communication would occur.

Thanks for the report, and for stirring such visions in my head tonight.
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by wanderindiana on Fri Jan 12, 2007 at 09:28:38 PM EST

Revenue (5.00 / 4) (#2)

Carolyn Said/SFGate: Papers forming big ad network. Top 3 publishers are developing it; will invite others.

The model is (and has been) shifting towards something resembling the yellow pages more than the daily classifieds. The trick is to reach far enough into the local communities, something none of the majors has done well - yet.

by rba on Fri Jan 12, 2007 at 10:01:03 PM EST
[ Parent ]

: just the other day (5.00 / 5) (#3)

I pointed out to K. Paul Mallasch, who is butting heads with the local Gannett publication in Muncie, IN, that an ad served up on his site was from a subsidiary of Gannett. In jest, I warned him he might get dropped.
I liked this second-to-last paragraph from the Chronicle article:

It is unclear whether increased cooperation on ad sales might raise antitrust implications.
Like I said, still moving in the wrong direction. This might be the way to go.
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by wanderindiana on Fri Jan 12, 2007 at 10:08:33 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Wish I were there too (5.00 / 3) (#4)

I hope we'll be getting more reports Ilona. You get to be our eyes and ears this weekend.

by standingup on Fri Jan 12, 2007 at 10:57:59 PM EST

For Regular Folk.... (5.00 / 2) (#5)

"To us all. For us all. By us all."

Somehow the People seem to have forgotten "We Own The Airwaves", and "We Hire Our Representatives" and many in that industry have helped make us forget.

Just as 'Investigative Journalism' was allowed to be pushed aside and kept well out of the mainstream, untill folks like yourselves helped to revive, and boy does that make this citizen happy, Real Journalism will be led by the New Dedicated which was the once Pride of that Profession, and frankly I see that coming from those not attending the regular Journalism Schools, they like Business Schools are fast becoming dinosaurs as they seem to have drifted from ctual Teaching the Crafts and Professionalism!

Thanks Ilona, one can read the Excitement of Forward Progress in your post!

by jimstaro on Sat Jan 13, 2007 at 08:11:39 AM EST

Thanks Ilona (5.00 / 2) (#6)

for keeping us up on what's happening in Memphis!

by Cho on Sat Jan 13, 2007 at 12:09:46 PM EST

Thank you! (5.00 / 1) (#7)

I totally wanted to go to Memphis, but sadly I just couldn't do it for a variety of reasons. It's great to know you were there and can fill us in, Ilona!

Shocked but not surprised about the economic model comment. When newspapers want to maximize quarterly earnings, news is the first thing to go, starting with research departments. Some papers no longer have the staff to do all the big investigative stories they might like. As professional journalists turn more and more toward their own blogs, it will be interesting to see what happens.

by Kay Shepherd on Tue Jan 16, 2007 at 02:03:32 PM EST

Live From Memphis - Journalism That Matters | 7 comments (7 topical, 0 hidden)

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