On Sept. 24, DigitalJournal.com is hosting a panel discussion to uncover the new media strategies and business models behind the media biz. The free event will also explore citizen journalism and its role in reshaping journalism as you know it.
What are the most pressing challenges facing Canadian media today? What digital initiatives are expected to usher in new forms of revenue? Can citizen media complement mainstream media, or does it compete? How should it play a role in the world of journalism going forward?
These are some of the questions that will be posed to panelists at the Future of Media speaker series debuting on Thursday, September 24 at the Drake Hotel in downtown Toronto. Hosted by DigitalJournal.com, this free event will explore various facets of online news projects, from citizen journalism to hyper-local blogs to business models.
The speaker list is a who’s-who of major players in online news: Rachel Nixon, director of digital media at CBC News and former editor at NowPublic; Richard Mcilveen, producer of the local late-night CTV News and the tech trends segment “Webmania”; Keith McArthur, senior director of social media and digital communications for Rogers Communications; Tim Shore, founder of Toronto news site blogTO; and Chris Hogg, CEO of citizen media news outlet DigitalJournal.com. To find out more about the speakers, click here.
The Future of Media event has been enjoying incredible buzz, even on the first week it was announced. Media news site MastheadOnline.com wrote about the event, and social media junkies have been tweeting about the event for several weeks on Twitter. Also, some media outlets confirmed they are sending reporters to cover The Future of Media event, and DigitalJournal.com will film the entire event to be uploaded to YouTube later.
Sonia Lowe is an interested journalist anticipating the discussion. Fashion editor for Anokhi Magazine in Toronto, she says she’s intrigued about the “evolution of the industry from print to Web and how and why we must adjust to a digitally evolving climate.”
Lowe believes online news can complement offline news by acting as a value-added feature. “A print article can be used as a conduit to drive traffic to affiliate online platforms,” she says.
Omar El Akkad, a technology reporter for the Globe & Mail newspaper, is also attending the speaker series. He realizes it’s early days for the rise of digital news, but he’s learning to do more with less. “The barrier has been broken down,” he notes. “One person is expected to be reporter, photographer, videographer and application designer.”
The changing landscape of new media is in constant flux, and many people are wondering what will happen to epic mainstream companies or burgeoning new media sites. And with citizen journalism and social media increasingly playing a role in journalism, The Future of Media provides an outlet for panelists to give their thoughts on where media are headed, and allows audience members to ask questions and take part.
Plus, there’s a chance for every attendee to win more than a dozen prizes tailored to anyone with a passion for journalism: The gadgets range from notebook PCs to mobile video cameras to GPS units to multimedia hard drives. More info on the prizes can be found here.
If you want to follow up-to-the-minute updates on DigitalJournal.com’s Future of Media event, check out its Twitter feed here. If you’re on Facebook, click here to RSVP to the event invite.
