Just got back from the Arkansas Society of Professional Journalists Conference in Little Rock, where about 75 lost souls gathered to hear me, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s Conan “Cannon Galaxy” Gallaty and the Arkansas News Bureau’s Zack “Zack” Stovall talk about “The Future of Journalism” in a panel discussion moderated by the ADG’s John “The Croupier” Krupa.
Since I was on the panel, I couldn’t really take notes, but here is a rough summary of the key points from each presenter:
Gallaty: When media audiences are fragmenting while news consumption is growing at the same time, we believe that it’s a mistake to just take what you produce in print and just roll that over online. That’s why we’re working to develop a value-added paid content model for the Arkansas-Democrat Gazette on the web that will bring in video, databases and special features you just can’t get anywhere else. It may not be a model that works for everyone, but we feel that we need to experiment. And while there are certainly challenges for media content providers going forward, including how to address the challenge of lower advertising returns in an online environment, I’m still optimistic that young journalists with the right skills can succeed in this industry.Stovall: What, me worry?Kinkade: None of you seem to understand. I’m not locked in here with you….you’re locked in here with me!
And then in subsequent presentations, Max Brantley from the Arkansas Times talked about why he believes he was exactly right to publish the Arkansas concealed carry permits list, and Lance Turner did a multimedia presentation. Journalism is saved. The end.
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