Journalists and media executives all over the world gathered
Jan. 16 to watch and participate in a webinar originating
out of the WAN-IFRA Newsplex at the University of South
Carolina and focusing on the future of news.
Speakers included Wall Street Journal Managing Editor
Raju Narisetti and New York Times correspondent Binya Applebaum
in New York, noted media analyst Ken Doctor in California,
World Editors Forum Executive Director Cherilyn Ireton
in Paris and several others.
CMCIS Dean
Charles Bierbauer led off the webinar, putting the
changes in the media world of the last decade into
a context of the immediacy of the 24/7 news cycle.
Applebaum talked about his evolution from a print reporter
in Jacksonville who did not wish to work in video to
now being a New York Times correspondent creating content
across formats and actively participating in social
media. Narisetti emphasized the importance of newsroom
metrics, explaining they are not contrary to good journalism.
Doctor focused on the critical question of business
models and what news organizations must do to remain
economically viable.
The online
audience for the webinar ranged between 70 and 90
people over the entire two hours. Those watching
were in the U.S. and Europe as well as India and
Pakistan, where it was the middle of the night. The
webinar used a new technology, Spreecast, which allowed
those watching to post comments and ask questions
that could be viewed by others.
The event marked the 10th anniversary of Newsplex,
the College's newsroom of the future, which operates
in conjunction with the World Association of Newspapers & News
Publishers. Newsplex Director Randy Covington moderated
the webinar, which was sponsored by the College,
the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association and
the World Editors Forum, which is part of WAN-IFRA.
