New Business Model Must Mesh Professional Journalism, Collaboration
Three trends will reshape the media business in the connected society, Nitin Desai, special asst. to the UN Secy.-Gen., said Wed.: The world’s shift in economic balance from developed to developing nations; more people exercising democratic rights; and emergence of new networking technologies. Real change will come from the Internet’s increasingly communitarian nature, Desai said at We Media 2006 London. The challenge is finding a business model that combines established media professionalism with the Web’s collaborative potential, he added.
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“People power” is changing the media landscape, Desai said. He claimed street protests are becoming better at toppling unpopular regimes than armed conflicts -- perhaps because they make better theater and are easier to cover, he said. The past 10-15 years, a network of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) has emerged, united over environmental concerns, human rights and other issues, Desai said. NGO efforts -- citizens connecting across borders through new communications technologies with media help -- have led to creation of the International Criminal Court, the landmine treaty and other concrete results, he said.
Locally, communities and NGOs have united to hold govt. accountable, Desai said. As China, India and other nations become key economic players, their media industries will help change the face of the industry, he said.
All this is occurring in a networked society, Desai said. But the Internet hasn’t changed the media because established firms keep seeking new ways to distribute content rather than new collaborators, he said. Change will come partly from new technologies and modes of news distribution, but chiefly from systems in which viewers have a more active role, such as blogging. Offerings like Wikipedia and MySpace signal a far more communitarian online world, Desai said. The music industry’s adaptation to new technologies could provide a new business model for media companies as well, he said.
The media industry should make content relevant to particular markets, Desai said. Media outlets should reach past TV, Internet and radio distribution, since in parts of the world, mobile phones and SMS are far more available, he said. The fight for freedom of expression and of the media is far from over, Desai said. The We Media forum on “how we create a better-informed society by collaborating with one another,” was put on by the Media Center, the BBC and Reuters.