May 17, 2009
‘The thing we’re losing is far from perfect’
USC Annenberg journalism director Overholser offers 10 important observations about journalism today
Geneva Overholser opened Knight Digital Media Center’s News Entrepreneur Boot Camp Saturday with a terrific list of 10 observations about journalism. No. 3 resonated most with me. Here’s the full list:
1. “It’s the public. It’s the public, stupid.” Journalists need to hold themselves “accountable for the impact of what we do on the public.”
2. “Reinforcements are on the way” in the form of smart, creative students who are dedicated to journalism.
3. “The thing we’re losing is far from perfect.” The news industry “left out wide swaths of the community,” including women and people of color. “We didn’t listen. We created false equivalencies.”
4. “We need to keep the principles, not the rules.” And the last principle standing must be transparency.
5. “There are lots of legitimate ways of doing journalism.”
6. With props to Clay Shirky: “Nothing will work but everything might.”
7. Find ways to collaborate. Focus on what only your news organization can do.
8. Communities do need journalism. Play a leadership role in the community
9. “We are not alone.” Others, such as the film industry, are struggling with the changing media dynamics.
10. Help others report information, including non-governmental organizations on the frontlines.
Overholser closed with an admonition for those who are discussing the future of journalism:
“Resist the urge to pronounce. This is not a duel. It should be a debate about the next steps for journalism in the public interest.”
Overholser is Director of the School of Journalism at USC Annenberg School for Communication. KDMC is partnering with the USC Marshall School of Business and the Online Journalism Review to provide the intensive week long boot camp for more than a dozen journalists who are developing online news and information projects.
Posted in Leadership | News entrepreneur Comments (4) • Permalink • Tell-a-Friend
Tags: knight foundation
Exploring innovation, transformation and leadership in a new ecosystem of news, by journalist and change advocate 
RSS Feed