About Us
25 January, 2006
Connected. Community. Without limits. Welcome to the future of the media industry: Correspondent.com
In the last decade, the media industry changed beyond recognition. Few commentators dispute that as the digital revolution gains pace, publishing and broadcasting will continue to transform.
Above everything, the internet has created a new type of reader with new demands. News needs to be 24/7, it needs to be updated regularly and it needs to be accurate: Curious readers are only a search and click away from another side of the story.
Many users, particularly younger readers who have grown up with the internet, are suspicious of the mainstream media. It’s viewed as too stuffy and elitist. It’s too close to the establishment or advertisers to rock the boat or it’s too tied up with lobby groups and the PR industry.
Increasingly, web users are turning to media made by themselves and their peers.
Weblogs complement mainstream news reports for many readers. Podcasts, video blogs and other self-publishing tools have opened the way for interested amateurs - as well as up to date professionals - to reach a new global audience.
Newspapers and broadcasters have struggled to adapt to the changes technology and the marketplace - while some commentators argue that the era of big newspapers and powerful broadcasters is ending.
Where does this leave professional journalists?
How can a reporter differentiate himself from the thousands of citizen journalists, commentators and bloggers out there? Should he even attempt to do so?
How will newspapers, magazines and broadcasters change to face the technological and social changes posed by the digital revolution - and what sort of people can be expected to staff them? How will reporters, editors and users organise themselves to provide a service that meets the needs of readers while allowing them to contribute or combine professional feeds with personal input? What will the news agency of the future be like?
Every journalist working today and every student at journalist school will face these challenges.
However, we believe that the digital revolution presents journalists with as many opportunities as challenges.
With a dizzying multiplicity of sources available online, the need for balanced, independent reporting has never been greater. We believe that as old brands sink and others surface, readers will still be prepared to pay for news from proven sources: In the information age, reliable information will be a luxury.
Furthermore, the web’s global reach and soaring number of media outlets offer journalists a bigger audience than ever.
Journalists who adapt to the new media environment could find a global market for their work.
How to adapt? How can traditional reporting values find a home in digitised, globalised media?
Correspondent.com hopes to address these issues and others affecting professional journalists. We hope to help people like you meet the career challenges posed by the fast-changing news industry.
Correspondent.com - reporting from the front lines of the digital revolution.
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