The Need for News

New Delhi 4.07.2011

Why does humankind need news?

Orderly movement of time A sense that the world is knowable A recognition of ones place in the world The idea of an interdependent world

The construction of news

Around the dateline/time slot The names of newspapers Studio set/music Hierarchy of importance Editorial pronouncement and the need to process news

Some key changes

From stable order to unstoppable movement From information to stimulation From ticking over of time to flow of events From journalism to media From centrally generated to locally produced

The Marketisation of news

Part of the system, not being able to stand outside it Driven by what reader/viewer wants News as advertising?

De-centralisation of news
The world as news gatherer Social media outlets Low dependence on traditional news outlets Greater control over news by individuals

Overall Impact: supply side

Both variables feeding into each other Heightened anxiety about attracting consumers Acceleration into sensationalism

Overall impact: a consumer perspective

The mental model of media as amplifying rather than representing reality Fragmented into items, scams, links, articles The gradual collapse of the idea of the single truth Wanting to hear what one believes Both freedom and unease

The future?
The collapse of the media title? The rule of social media? The abbreviation/dumbing down of news?

The starting point: The need for credible news

At its heart, news cannot be moulded by consumers Credibility becomes even more critical when news gathering gets atomised In an interdependent world, news has much greater functional value

Role of media titles

Curation of opinion Certification of authenticity Ability to stand outside the market system while participating in it

The need for news

Is growing Taking new forms Is generating new dichotomies

The challenge
To adapt to a new world without dismantling what exists The idea of a single world is constructed by news

 Thank you