Exploring the future of newspapers

My Wednesday talk show on KGNU this week featured a lively discussion about the future of newspaper journalism and its impact on democracy. While we delved deeply, the hour sped past, so both guests will return this spring.

You can listen to an MP3 recording of our dialogue below.

The first guest was James T. Hamilton. Jay is the Director of the DeWitt Wallace Center for Media and Democracy. He also is the Charles S. Sydnor Professor of Public Policy Studies along with being a Professor of Economics and Political Science at Duke University. His research includes public choice and political economy; media policy; television violence; and environmental policy.

James T. Hamilton

Jay has written or co-authored six books, including Regulation through Revelation and Channeling Violence (Princeton), which won the Shorenstein Center's Goldsmith Book Prize. He is also a recipient of the David N. Kershaw award for distinguished public policy research. My opwn favorite is his book, All the News That's Fit to Sell: How the Market Transforms Information into News.

The second guest was Chris O'Brien, Director of The Next Newsroom Project, based at Duke..Chris is a business columnist for the San Jose Mercury News, covering Silicon Valley for the past eight years,  and he writes the blog, SiliconBeat.com. He recently launched a new business blog, DocuDrama, covering the securities filings of Valley companies.

Chris O'Brien

Chris earlier was metro and business reporter for seven years at The News & Observer of Raleigh, N.C.  after an internship  at The St. Petersburg Times in FL. He attended Duke from 1987 to 1991, serving as editor of The Chronicle, graduating with a major in public policy studies and history. While his wife attended graduate school, O'Brien took a leave of absence from the Mercury News to be a stay-at-home dad. Since returning to the Mercury News, he's been appointed to a committee that's leading efforts to reinvent the newspaper's business plan.

So, you can see that both guests have great credentials to talk about the future of the newspapers business and its impact on democracy. Our conversation ranged from the need to keep citizens informed to the shifting nature of the news business to the changing business models for newspapers.

For a lightly edited MP3 version of the hour program.
Click here: Jan 21 "Metro" Show on KGNU  (24.6 MB - MP3)

Enjoy!

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