Another video from the World Editors Forum in South Africa, this about multiple newspapers from a single newsroom. The editor of Germany’s Die Welt, Andrea Seibel, makes a strong statement at the end:
One of the most important, if not bitter discoveries for journalists over the past decade has been that they do not operate in the ivory tower of of intellectual pursuit but are subject to the laws and mechanisms of the market. They simply have to open up and realize that the reader is their actual employer. Which means saying goodbye to the hallowed notion of journalism of journalism as a cultural good worthy of protection. You may smile at this statement but that is exactly what still bedevils the thinking amongst many in Germany. In a recent essay, the respected philosopher Jürgen Habermas actually stipulated that quality journalism has to be shielded from the brutality of the marketplace. We beg to differ. Protectionism is not the answer.
: ALSO: I’m delighted to see video coverage of WEF here, here, and here.
