Journalism.co.uk: Rep J Founder Says Join Niche Movement
Last week it was Spain today Representative Journalism gets attention in the United Kingdom, via Journalism.co.uk, the go-to website for journalists in the UK. Here are couple of highlights from the Q&A done with me:
As mass journalism markets un-bundle and become niche markets, news operations – if they are to survive – will have to join the niche movement rather than fight it…
News on the recent Oregon Public Broadcasting and Representative Journalism connection:
I have been banging on PBS’s doors for a long time looking for someone to see the merit in what I am saying. Steven M. Bass, president and CEO of Oregon Public Radio, likes the idea and we are going to see if it works in three rural parts of Oregon.
The towns get very little coverage. If it works there, watch out: everyone will be banging down the Representative Journalism door.
More on the recent $250,000 Kennesaw State University grant from the Harnisch Foundation:
That’s actually ongoing funding: Ruth Ann Harnisch, the foundation’s president, has been an advocate and an inspirational force for the Rep J concept…
The latest installment will be used to advance research aimed at discovering innovative ways to produce financially sustainable, high quality and ethically sound journalism.
It will allow us to help underwrite more applied research, build collaborations and advance innovative projects around the USA and maybe the world to test the viability of citizen-funded journalism.
Will people pay for news?
…as more and more newspapers sink, there will be less and less journalism. If you want it, you will have to pay for it. If you don’t want to pay for it, fine, but I don’t think it will be much fun living in a free society without high quality, ethically sound journalism.
