According to the final Digital Britain report, published in June 2009: “As the economic foundations of news publishers come under great pressure, especially in local and regional markets, there’s an imminent danger that large parts of the UK will be left without professionally verified sources of information.” With journalism as we know it undergoing massive changes, the MST organised a short series of talks (by Lionel Barber and Alan Rusbridger) at the British Academy in summer 2009 to make the intellectual case for journalism in a modern democracy.
Background
Martin Moore, Director of the Media Standards Trust, outlines the thinking behind the series.
Read Martin Moore’s introduction
Lionel Barber
The editor of the Financial Times spoke on 15th July 2009, and predicted that most news websites would be charging for content within a year.
Watch and read the lecture – and reaction
Alan Rusbridger
The editor of The Guardian spoke on 22nd July 2009 and outlined his vision of a ‘mutualised newspaper’. He also gave support for plans to give public funding to the Press Association to provide local news from public authorities.
Watch and read the lecture – and reaction
