Journalism in the Digital Age

Alex Pearlman • March 22, 2010

With the advent of the Internet, decades ago, journalism has been dying a slow death. We’re around just in time to get our degrees for the death rattle.

But now there’s hope! Respectable sites have been popping up left and right, in every city in the world, covering news, investigating, incorporating blogs and social media, and picking up the slack left by big, metro, daily papers that have been besieged by budget cuts and lay-offs.

While many thought the days of ethical journalism were behind us, now we can see that like every other time in history when there has been a vacuum that needs to be filled, something filled it.

Sites like GlobalPost.com, Slate, The Voice of San Diego, and countless others have proven the naysayers wrong. With in-depth, investigative reporting, the Internet has given journalism the boost it needed to get over this rough patch.

Still, there are some imposters out there. How can a reader tell if what they’re seeing online is real, factual, unbiased news, or if it is just your run-of-the-mill Internet rumor-mongering?

This week, The Suffolk Journal and The Suffolk Voice, in our first venture together, are co-hosting a conference that deals with this dilemma: how are traditional news sources, like newspapers, going to survive with websites and citizen journalists giving away content for free? And how are reputable sites going to survive among all those that write news with an agenda?

During two panels and a keynote speech, these issues, and more, will be discussed in the C. Walsh Theatre at our “Journalism in the Digital Age” conference.

With heavy hitters like David Beard, the editor of Boston.com and Adam Gaffin, the founder of UniversalHub.com, as well as the Editors in Chief of both the Journal and the Voice, “Journalism in the Digital Age” will certainly be an interesting and enlightening few hours. You could spend your time doing something worse.

So, to conclude with a shameless bit of self-promotion,

COME TO OUR CONFERENCE!

Schedule

1 p.m. – Introduction

Dr. Robert Rosenthal, Chairman of the Communications and Journalism Department

1:05 to 2:05 – Traditional Media Panel

Moderated by Professor Bruce Butterfield

David Beard: Editor at Boston.com

Josh Benton: Director of Media Lab at the Neiman Foundation for Journalism

Alex Pearlman: Editor in Chief of the Suffolk Journal

2:05 to 2:15 – Intermission 1

2:15 to 3 – Keynote Speaker