Future of media


Media and regulation: times are a-changin’

The ongoing debate about how to regulate the media to protect against anti-competitive behaviour is muddied by the ever-changing platforms the digital world creates, writes James Chessell.

Hurtz hurts the future of old media

Washington Post stalwart Howard Kurtz is going digital: he’s ditched WaPo to work for the Daily Beast website. Need more proof that newspapers are dying?

How the 24/7 media cycle helped kill off Rudd

The extraordinary events that took place in the nation’s capital last week give us a good opportunity to get some purchase on the big questions of media, says Matthew Ricketson.

The old man loves his iPad

W H Chong’s elderly father-in-law has been waiting desperately for an iPad to arrive, to read books with adjustable font size. Did it live up to his high expectations?

Who can save Newsweek?

Newsweek is for sale. And it doesn’t matter that its an internationally renowned publication, the fact that it is a weekly loss-making publication means it’s worth basically nothing. NY Times assesses the possible buyers.

Post-New Matilda … where to, and what are the lessons?

The coming and going of independent sites is part of new media. But what lessons, if any, are there in the death of the leftish website New Matilda?

Are podcasts the new short story?

Despite what you may have heard, the short story isn’t dead — it’s just take on a new form, with a growing number of podcasts dedicated to reading aloud.

Wankley Awards: Newspaper editors overcome with iPad fever

A virulent strain of iPad fever has infected Australia’s newspaper publishers, since desperate editors long ago decided Apple’s latest must-have gadget was the saviour of newspapers.

What next for the Aussie blogosphere?

With news that New Matilda is folding, the tiny Aussie political blogosphere has shrunk even further. Replicating the magazine model online just doesn’t work, says Mark Bahnisch.

If iPads are the future of magazines, then the future is bleak

Wired magazine was the hyped iPad app that everyone was waiting for, the one that would show the world how exciting mags could be. Except, it’s expensive, huge and barely interactive.

iPad the newspaper saviour? Nah, it’s just a fun diversion

The hype around the iPad as the savior of newspapers is fun — but it’s wrong. But iPad newspaper apps make a fascinating diversion from the real, continuing dilemma for publishers, writes Tony Faure.

Why does James Murdoch hate public libraries?

James “Son of Rupert” Murdoch has hit out at the British Library and its evil information sharing ways. Roy Greenslade has a memo for him: libraries don’t care about your bottom line.

The end of guidebooks

The days of trekking through foreign lands with a dog-eared, note-filled Lonely Planet guide will soon be over, predicts travel writer Hackpacker. Apps simply offer so much more.

How the iPad will revolutionise US Congress

The hottest accessory on Capitol Hill is the iPad, and it could revolutionise the way the US government does business, ending the piles of paper bills and giving politicians instant access to constituent and policy data.

How HuffPo took over the world

In just five years, The Huffington Post has become the largest independent news site in the world, and its traffic now eclipses that of the WashPo, WSJ and LA Times. Now there’s just one more title to top: the NYT. Henry Blodget gives it six months.

200 moments that have transformed journalism since 2000

The Poynter Institute’s interactive timeline identifying the 200 key moments in journalism from 2000-2009 that have shaped the current media landscape.

The future is neither the iPad nor 3D

2010 will be defined by two big narratives about the media: that the iPad will revolutionise print, and 3D will revolutionise TV. Both miss the point, says Dan Barrett.

Playboy‘s 3D centrefold is about more than just bigger boobs

Playboy has released a 3D edition of its ailing t-n-a magazine. But it’s not just a gimmick, says Melinda Varley: it’s a sign print media is finally “getting” digital.

How Google will save the news

The media moguls may be pining the murder of the news industry on Google, but they couldn’t have it more wrong, says James Fallows: the search giant is actually working overtime to come up with strategies to save it. Read what the big G has in store for the future of the media.

Can you create a magazine in 48 hours?

That’s the question the folks behind 48 Hour magazine are trying to answer. After they unveil the each issue’s theme, writers have 24 hours to produce and submit content, then the production team have 24 hours to stick it all together.

Will paying peanuts result in money or monkeys for online media?

Sites like eHow pay wannabe writers mere pennies for inane articles like “How do I paint ceramic mugs?”, but they’re raking in the hits and the cash. Will dirt cheap user-generated content be the saviour or the killer of online media?

Could sports reporters be replaced by robots?

Computers can now write sports reports as well as any journo — and they’re faster, cheaper and more accurate to boot. Is it time to bench sports writers?

Why the internet is not all it’s cracked up to be

Internet and politics expert Evgeny Morozov lays out a few home truths: the internet is not a force for good, Twitter will not undermine dictators, Google does not defend freedom, and it isn’t all bringing us closer together.

Two paths for the future of text

Author Steven Berlin Johnson’s excellent take on how the great minds of the 17th and 18th century compiled their favourite passages of text, and what it means for journalism today.

NYT vs. WSJ: the last great newspaper war?

The Wall Street Journal is muscling in on the New York Times’ territory, launching a local New York section. Is this really the last great newspaper war, or just the first great battle of the online news age? asks Wired.