State of the Media Report

The 2007 state of the media report has been published in the USA

Its main finding,perhaps no surprise were

1. All media is losing audiences
2. the growth of online news is slowing down
3. There is a recognisition that all outlets must adapt to change-

and it concludes as far as US newsrooms are concerned

"there is more reason than in the past years to believe that US’ traditional newsrooms will succeed in embracing this time of transition."

"Journalism it says is becoming less of a part of people's information mix,the press are no longer the gatepeople of what the public knows"

For those who dont want to plough thru the report,there is a very good executive summary on PDF file

The report identifies seven major trends

1. News organisations need to think thru the implications of this new era of shrinking ambitions.This is really the move towards local news coverage or "franchised as the Americans like to say.
2. That the industry must become more aggressive about getting a new economic model."Advertising works differently in the online world.
3. In line with that does the investment world see the media as a declining industry or is convergence the new flavour of the month.
4. Is the dominant ownership model the way to deal with today's newsroom
5. As others have identified,media is no longer about journalsitic ideology but the profession must now be able to converse with its audience.
6. Blogging is about to enter a new era where it will be used more in political campaigning,Pr and scandal.
7. Recognising that journalists are becoming more accepting of the web, a clear model of how to do this is yet to emerge.