Debating the Future of Journalism
By Andy Burness, June 25, 2010
Yesterday afternoon marked a first for Burness: after 25 years of managing events alongside our nonprofit partners, we tried hosting one of our own. Over lunch at Washington’s Busboys and Poets, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author Alex S. Jones took the stage alongside Nicco Mele, who has made his mark as Howard Dean’s internet operations director, a Harvard lecturer and co-Founder of EchoDitto.
The question of the day was simple: “Are we losing the news?” In a digital world, are investigative reporting and hard-hitting journalism endangered, or just evolving? And either way, what does it mean for citizens, government and organizations? Both Alex and Nicco brought their unique perspectives to the debate, and it was encouraging to see them agree as much as they disagreed. The discussion flowed into a spirited hourlong question-and-answer session, with audience members adding their own insights about the changing state of journalism.
Above you’ll find a short “teaser” video with a few excerpts from the debate, and the full video will be posted in this space later today. I’d encourage you to watch!
Update: Here’s the full video recording, and here are photos from the event: