Volume 18, Issue 2
Britain's Hackgate: 'I think we've handled the crisis extremely well.' - Rupert Murdoch.
Cartoon: © Alan Moir, 2012, The Sydney Morning Herald.
In this issue…
Since the call for papers to the theme for this issue of the Pacific Journalism Review, more tumultuous events in journalism have unfolded dominated by the agonising restructure of the newspaper arms of media companies across the region. Hundreds of editorial jobs are on the line. The increasingly desperate search for the ‘new business model’ has been stepped up. But is the new model the only answer to the current plight of journalism? Are media proprietors paying enough attention to the fact that the business model is built on the public trusting the journalistic practices that sit at the heart of the media brands? Perhaps all stakeholders should pay closer attention to Conboy’s thoughts?
…this doom-laden perspective which permeates the news media industries ignores the fact that historically it is the audience, not the business model, which defines the contours of journalism. The business model has simply enabled journalism to marketise this audience for maximum profitability. (Conboy, 2010, p. 7)
From this perspective to retain public trust in journalism and to rebuild lost trust becomes as important as the quest to make online journalism pay. Indeed, without, or with low, public trust in news media, will online journalism ever pay enough to sustain quality journalism?
Excerpt from the editorial: Johan Lidberg
Fulltext of all PJR articles available on the INFORMIT subscription database
