A great irony of media reform is that people decry profit-driven corporations for subverting the Fourth Estate, but also don’t trust the journalists themselves to cover their issues in a meaningful way.

This issue of trust remains a serious hurdle, but change is in the wind.

Bloggers have effectively established a new accountability dynamic between producers and consumers of news.

Now, a new project called Spot.Us, a beneficiary of Knight’s 21st Century News Challenge, could do the same thing on the economic front, by creating a new microfinancing relationship between producers and consumers of news media.

Building Trust
Can this revitalize the social contract of journalism? Perhaps, but it won’t be easy. I did some instant research just now and found on the Think Progress blog the following stats on public trust of news media:

• A January 2008 Harris poll found 54 percent of Americans “tend not to trust the press”
• A February 2008 Zobgy poll found 67% say news media are “out of touch with what Americans want from their news”

The natural reaction to this — advocacy journalism that serves neglected communities — is good and important. It makes sense, for example, that media reformers would want to create institutions that will represent their particular political issues. They tend to be a civic-minded lot and are out on the frontlines — on the broadcast and cable fronts, anyway — dealing with sloggy issues of regulation and public access.

Nevertheless, the singular push for more politically progressive media that characterizes things such as the National Convention on Media Reform is out of step with the broad-based idea of reform, and in particular is not a solution to journalism’s general retreat in the United States today.

It is demanding of me to say to media reformers — “You just have to trust working journalists” … but that is indeed what I am saying.

More specifically, I want to see journalists empowered to do their job as everyone idealizes it — and give them an opportunity to earn the trust of the communities they serve.

That’s the goal, right? To have a well-financed, principled, demanding, skeptical and diverse news media that brings sunshine to every corner of our democracy?

The Medium is the Means
The Internet, at least as an idealized open-media system, greatly empowers both the “audience” and the “producer.” The relationship is deepened, and the special interests — the publishers, the ideologues, the alphas and the agenda-setters — are disintermediated … or they can be disintermediated, in an open information architecture.

At that point the issue of trust becomes a direct relationship between producer and consumer.

Bloggers blew down the wall of exclusivity that separated the journalism world from the mortal plane, creating revolutionary potential for a new level of accountability.

Now we have to untie the Gordian economic knot. The finances of the journalist-public relationship are currently hypermediated by advertising, by subscription and newsstand mechanisms tied to profit margins, by one-to-one marketing relationships that leverage the online world’s attention economy.

One way to cut through all the knotty layers of mediation is David Cohn’s Spot.Us project. It directly connects individual funders with reporters and news producers, taking a cue from Kiva, the microfinancing program for developing-world entrepreneurs.

[Caveat: Newsdesk.org will be working with Spot.Us to develop financing for coverage of “important but overlooked news.”]

This has the potential to create a new type of feedback loop that will specifically enable community-responsive reporting. If it really takes off at the grassroots, it can create a new cultural relationship of trust and accountability between news media and citizens.

Work hard to empower journalists — and work with them to find solutions. They are yoked to a problematic commercial system, but don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.

They got into the business to do good works for their community and their democracy, and you can help them make it all come true.

There is a widespread and paradoxical fallacy among media reformers that considers the nature of our media as a “second issue” that can and must be harnessed to specific political agendas of the progressive variety.

In fact, media is a primary issue that serves the entire socio-political process, not just the needs of progressive politics.

Failure to recognize this ultimately will marginalize the efforts of the media reform community.

It limits the issue of reform to one smaller fragment of the larger body politic, and does little to build inclusive media that can accommodate the breadth, depth and diversity of the political discourse — not to mention the journalistic inquiry — this nation requires to survive as a democracy.

The Problem of Political Media
This problem of media as a “second issue” is exemplified by an essay by Jeff Chester in The Nation on May 30.

Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy, offers some truly spot-on observations of the speed, effectiveness and depth of the Internet’s commercialization. He astutely notes:

The leading online companies and Fortune 500 advertisers are hard at work monetizing the key business model for digital media–interactive advertising. A sophisticated apparatus that tracks our online behavior and delivers compelling and personalized multimedia marketing messages will suck consumers into an ubiquitous environment that presents us with the right ad at the right time.

Chester is aware of the dangers a for-profit business model represents for mass media and democracy — and he takes his cues from Neal Postman, C. Edwin Baker and Ben Bagdikian up to that point.

Yet his vision of this as little more than opportunity for “progressive Internet entrepreneurs” is deeply disappointing.

It displays mere political provincialism at a time of more general need for our nation and world.

It’s not that media isn’t of value to a political organization, but instead that he addresses the needs of politics rather than the needs of democracy.

It is the latest in a long, long line of media-reform prescriptions that fixate on political reform and advocacy to counter “mainstream” media — but which do nothing, nothing at all, to empower the people actually doing the work within media.

Journalists Neglected
Not once within Chester’s op-ed is the word “journalist” or “reporter” mentioned.

This is typical of the debate about media and democracy, which views reporters and editors variously as both the poor, downtrodden, expendable tools of the corporation or the arrogant priesthood of the corporation — but which never *ever* prescribes a reform agenda that would actually empower those reporters and editors to do their job on behalf of all Americans.

Chester acknowledges that the public media sector is, in fact, massively undercapitalized in this country.

He also acknowledges that this inadequacy — this lack of presence from broadly civic-minded public media interests — provides nothing but open space for corporate interests to create immersive, brand-driven online experiences for local information needs

We all know what that means. More showbiz. More profit-driven media, more disregard for anything except what sells, what hits highest, and what products have the most inter-brand synergy.

However, his solution — build yet more media that serves vested interests rather than broad social dialogue — displays a lack of vision that is endemic to the media reform debate.

What’s more, he seeks to adapt a “communitainment” model — one that “seamlessly integrates communications, community and entertainment” — on behalf of the progressive political agenda.

Yikes! Democracy would be far better served by harnessing sophisticated meta-critique and skepticism toward that self-serving, immersive “communitainment” model.

Show me that, and I’ll show you effective bullshit detection aptly suited to the needs of democracy in America — or anywhere.

Public Media & the Failure of Vision
We have to recognize that PBS and NPR, for all their value as media outlets, are rapidly becoming evolutionary backwaters in the fast-changing media ecology.

They are ponderously hierarchical and top-heavy in the decentralized Internet era. They lack vision, reach and relevance to the vast majority of Americans.

Chester’s call for a monetized form of “progressive” media is therefore not just unambitious — it actively subverts the idea of an expanded Fourth Estate at a time of real crisis for media and democracy.

As he notes, the terra nova of the Internet is being expediently colonized by commercial interests.

Do not underestimate how much is at stake — hundreds upon hundreds of billions of dollars, and profound, widespread cultural influence — or the resources they will commit to this.

Effective branding and masterful CRM integration with an immersive online “communitainment” experience is a holy grail that is already in reach.

This makes the call for more “progressive media entrepreneurs” so very disappointing.

Besides adding up to more neglect and continued lack of vision for truly civic-minded mass media, this prescription also has the peculiar effect of limiting the scope and potential of civic dialogue in mass media.

How?

Fragmentation.

Chester’s op-ed calls for yet another solipsistic, ideological cul de sac in the so-called Information Superhighway, where the choir awaits eagerly to be preached at, and comfortably affirmed.

A recent item in Gigaom.com identified ten ways “the Internet (as we know it) will die,” number four of which is “Death by a thousand fragments”:

In his book “The Big Switch,” Nicholas Carr cites one study that claimed more than 90 percent of the links originating within either the conservative or liberal community stay within that community. Some link referral tools can even be configured to keep visitors on sites with the same world view. The end result? Islands of like-minded people, increasingly sure there is only one right answer and that they’re in sole possession of it. And an end to the dreams of a global community envisioned by the Internet’s creators.

New Visions, New Hope
This fragmentation is already well underway. Outside of traditional public media investment, philanthropic support for mediamaking has almost exclusively been focused on partisan media.

Alternet.org, TomPaine.com, Grist.com — it is good that they exist, but wouldn’t it also be good if the Fourth Estate encompassed much more expansive territory on the Internet?

Sadly, public media in general has little to speak for on the Internet.

Important programs such as the Center for Public Integrity or the Center for Investigative Reporting remain beachheads, without a broad, community-level presence like the daily press or broadcast media.

Voice of San Diego and MinnPost are glimpses of the future — but there’s still a missing network element, and additional challenges arise with their ad-friendly business model. The Christian Science Monitor recently noted that part of MinnPost’s beat is “high-brow culture”; this creates a good environment for high-brow advertising, but questions remain as to whether that approach can effectively serve those citizens who lack such cultural and economic clout or interest.

The entrepeneurial future is full of promise and pitfalls, and we are in its defining moments. So I want to speak up and say that we must frankly recognize that the undue influence of advertising and political interests undermines the Fourth Estate.

This has always been the case, but the issue has grown amazingly acute. We have enough political media in this world, it’s time to get over our politics and think about the broad needs of democracy.

Thus the idea of “progressive media entrepreneurship,” to coin a phrase, registers as a non-starter for me. It speaks of a spiral of ideological self-interest that could never truly serve the citizenry as a whole — just a fragment of it.

Isn’t the Fourth Estate supposed to be bigger than all that?

Do our ideals of mass media and democracy not, after all, envision serving a diversity of voices, issues and needs?

Can’t we do better than mere political provincialism? “Progressive media entrepreneurs” is a Little League approach to a Big Media problem.

This attitude is, in part, why I’m not attending the National Conference on Media Reform this year — that and total exhaustion from overcommitment at work. Outside of the programming, which is too politicized, it’s a marvelous event to meet people who care about media.

Well, let’s get that networking started. Talk to me about empowering journalists by getting the political ideologues and commercial bean-counters out of the way. That would be a breakthrough conversation about media and democracy!

– josh wilson

Wow! Here I am at this amazing writing residency at the Mesa Refuge, which is a LOVELY facility perched directly on the edge of the San Andreas rift zone.

(Actually, I’m in the local public library using their wifi; there’s no Internet or phone at Mesa … they want you to concentrate on the writing there, with no distractions.)

How to summarize this remarkable experience so far? I’m sharing a spacious, very well-appointed house with two other writers — Andrea Godshalk, from Amherst, who’s writing about urban farming, and Tram Nguyen, the former editor of Colorlines Magazine, who’s developing a book about immigration and its connection to a variety of hot-button issues.

They are both tremendously fabulous individuals, and I am honored to call them colleagues. They’ve already taught me so much about their topics of interest, and my own writing endeavor. I hope I can offer them the same.

We each have private writing suites, and the place is packed with books, writing supplies, comfy couches and excellent food.

And it is truly a GORGEOUS setting. The house looks out over Tomales Bay and its broad tidelands, with a seaward ridge riding opposite. The fog and sun interact to spectacular effect, the hawks float about on currents of air, hummingbirds dart everywhere, and the place is exploding with flowers.

I don’t mean to lay it on too thick, but, a writer can feel truly valued and validated here.

My work here is focused on public media, and its iterations in the Internet era. There are several documents I’m working on, including an essay I hope to sell to someplace fancy like Harper’s, as well as a “final report” on the May 3 Innovations in Journalism Expo (which was a big success, BTW).

I also updated an essay I wrote (”Arts, Culture & the Crisis of Democracy”) for a grant proposal to the Haas fund for Independent Arts & Media’s arts program. We got the grant, but the essay is strong and deserves wider circulation. It’ll be appearing on the new Indy Arts Web site (thanks, Bosco!), so stay tuned for that.

I also hope to get some work done on two short stories.

One, as-yet untitled, is being written for an anthology to be published by Marina and Jason of fave SF guitar band The Rabbles, on the topic of the twice-as-big-as-Texas mass of plastic floating in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The story is turning out to be a bit macabre. It was originally going to be about a guy who starts collecting plastic trash on the street, in an attempt to get it out of the ecosystem and waste stream. I then realized that the petroleum byproduct accumulating in his basement was going to consume him and destroy him, as it will our own green-blue orb, someday.

The other story is very sad, about a scientist who, in an effort to create a nanotech mechanism for facilitating flower pollination after the rampant spread of the bee-killing Colony Collapse Disorder, winds up accidentally creating something much worse. It is entitled “Morte Verde,” and takes place in Brazil in the near future.

It is a thrill and a privilege to be a part of the Mesa program, and a thrill and a privilege to be alive and kickin’ on this Earth of ours.

Let’s make the most of it, and leave things better off for those who come after us!

[ Here’s an event I’m producing via Indy Arts for the local SPJ chapter. Hope to see you there! ]

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INNOVATIONS IN JOURNALISM EXPO 2008
“Creating a Brighter Future”

Saturday, May 3, 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

A showcase for breakthroughs in business, technology, media and democracy

Venue:
The Domain Hotel, 1085 East El Camino Real, Sunnyvale, CA

Online:
http://artsandmedia.net/expo/journalism/

Phone:
415-677-9877

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PRE-ORDER your tickets today, prices increase at the door:
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/30296

DISCOUNTS FOR SPONSOR MEMBERS:
$12 admission (pre-order only) for members of SPJ-NorCal, Independent Arts & Media, the Maynard Institute, AAJA, NAJA, NAHJ, BABJA, Fotovision.org, and other Expo sponsors.

PANELISTS AND TOPICS:
http://artsandmedia.net/expo/journalism/#panelists

CAREER COUNSELING:
Speed-career counseling; reserve your space now — deadline April 28
http://www.artsandmedia.net/expo/journalism/#career

SPONSOR the Expo and gain promotional benefits. Call 415/677-9877, online at:
http://www.artsandmedia.net/expo/journalism/#exh

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ABOUT THE EXPO

The Innovations in Journalism Expo is a unique, one-day event showcasing cutting-edge work that combines journalism, technology, new business models, and philanthropy. Come and participate in lively discussions that will bring truly fresh perspectives and new ideas to the table regarding the “future of journalism.”

Featured panelists include GENEVA OVERHOLSER (”On Behalf of Journalism: A Manifesto for Change”), JON FUNABIKI (SFSU professor, former Ford Foundation officer), DAVID TALBOT (Salon.com founder), REESE ERLICH (international print and radio freelancer), DAVID OLMOS (former Los Angeles Times health editor), ROSE AGUILAR of Your Call Radio, SANDIP ROY of New America Media and many more.

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WHO?

The Expo is produced by the Society of Professional Journalists-Northern California and Independent Arts & Media, in conjunction with NewsTools2008/Journalism That Matters-Silicon Valley (April 30-May 2 @ Yahoo), RedwoodAge.com and the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education.

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SCHEDULE OF EVENTS & ACTIVITIES

9:00-9:45 a.m. WELCOME! Set up and Settle in
Join us for bagels, coffee and socializing. This is also the time for Expo sponsors to show up and set up.

9:45-10:00 a.m. Opening Remarks
Welcome comments from Linda Jue, president of the Society of Professional Journalists-Northern California.

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ROOM ONE

10:00 a.m.-11:15 a.m.: KEYNOTE — “New Money, New Media, New Hope”

ROSE AGUILAR hosts the daily public affairs show Your Call on KALW-FM. Her forthcoming book, “Red Highways,” will be out in September. The book collects political interviews with people living and voting in so-called “red states,” and calls for a more thoughtful and productive dialogue in the media and between people with differing views. She will speak about what the public wants from journalism, and what it gets.

PERSEPHONE MIEL is a Fellow at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at The Harvard Law School where she directs the Media Re:public project, examining the impact of participatory journalism on the information environment. Prior to joining Berkman, she spent more than 12 years with Internews Network, an international NGO supporting independent media around the world.

GENEVA OVERHOLSER is the newly appointed director of the School of Journalism at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School of Communications. She previously held the Curtis B. Hurley Chair in Public Affairs Reporting for the Missouri School of Journalism, in its Washington, D.C., bureau. She is a frequent print, broadcast and online media critic, and the author of “On Behalf of Journalism: A Manifesto for Change.”

DAVID TALBOT, the founder and former editor-in-chief of Salon.com, is also the author of New York Times bestseller “Brothers: The Hidden History of the Kennedy Years.” He recently launched a media and entertainment company called The Talbot Players with his brother Steve, executive producer of PBS’ Frontline World. He is also helping develop the San Francisco Free Press, a nonprofit Bay Area news engine that aims to combine the best of professional and citizens’ journalism.

MODERATOR: CYNTHIA GORNEY is a professor at the Graduate School of Journalism, U.C. Berkeley, a magazine writer (with regular contributions to National Geographic, The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, Oprah, Runners World and Harpers, among others), an occasional radio host of KQED-FM’s Forum, and the author of “Articles of Faith: A Frontline History of the Abortion Wars.”

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ROOM ONE

11:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m. NEW CAREERS: Next steps, new opportunities

Layoffs, buyouts, cutbacks and consolidations have claimed the jobs of hundreds of journalists in the Bay Area, from the San Francisco Chronicle to the San Jose Mercury News. This panel will examine next steps for the casualties of the business crisis that’s currently devastating news media.

TOM BALLANTYNE, “career doctor” for journalists and others, on career changes and transitions for the many Bay Area journalists reeling from the recent layoffs at MediaNews publications and other properties.

REESE ERLICH reports regularly for National Public Radio, Latino USA, Radio Deutche Welle, Australian Broadcasting Corp. Radio, and Canadian Broadcasting Corp. Radio. He also writes for San Francisco Chronicle, St. Petersburg Times, and the Dallas Morning News. His first book, “Target Iraq,” was a best seller; his second book, “The Iran Agenda,” came out in late 2007 and he’s now working on a third, chronicling 40 years of reporting from Cuba.

LESLIE GUEVARRA is a transitioning media and communications professional with more than 25 years experience as a news reporter, editor and senior newsroom manager in print. She has also been a public affairs program host and associate producer in television, and a podcaster. Her leadership roles have included director of newsroom hiring and staff development and interim head of human resources for a newsroom of more than 500 people. She is a founding member of the Asian American Journalists Association’s San Francisco Chapter and most recently was a deputy managing editor for the Chronicle.

BRUCE KOON is news director of KQED Public Radio in San Francisco. He oversees a 20-person newsroom that produces regional news programming for Northern California and a statewide program, The California Report. Previously, he was executive news editor of Knight Ridder Digital. His online team contributed to the effort that earned the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for the Biloxi Sun Herald coverage of hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. A founding board member of the Online News Association, Koon also has been an editor for the San Francisco Examiner and Oakland Tribune and a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, San Francisco Chronicle and National Observer.

FREE CAREER COUNSELING: Professional career coaches will be on hand Saturday afternoon for free 10- to 15-minute speed consulting sessions about career transitioning. They’re available for a quick critique of your resume or to provide tips on interviewing, networking and the right next steps for you. YOU MUST PRE-REGISTER so we have enough consultants on deck. To participate, pre-order tickets for the main event, and click the “Career Counseling Signup” option in the order form. SIGNUP DEADLINE: APRIL 28

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ROOM TWO

11:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m. THE NEWSROOM: Growth, change, adaptation

What are the secrets of success for a newsroom in today’s economy? This panel examines both the realities of growing opportunities in segmented and hyperlocal markets, as well as the gap between what’s offered these markets and what they really want.

ANDREW FITZGERALD, head of Collective Journalism, Current TV’s Vanguard news division, is a graduate of the USC School of Cinema-Television where he studied alternative forms of documentary filmmaking. Prior to Current, Andrew worked for Channel One News, where he co-produced Channel One’s first user-generated project around the 2004 elections. He joined Current in August of 2005, quickly making his mark producing Current’s award-winning Hurricane Katrina coverage.

DAN GILLMOR, the founding director of the new Knight Center for Digital Media Entrepreneurship at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University, is also founder of the Center for Citizen Media, and an outspoken advocate for new media technologies, methods and funding models.

KOUROSH KARIMKHANY is vice president of corporate development at CondeNet, the online arm of Conde Nast Publication, where he has overseen the integration of Wired.com, Reddit.com and NutritionData.com. Prior to that, he was General Manager of Wired.com, the senior producer of Yahoo! News and Weather, and product manager at Yahoo! Games. He also has written extensively about technology for Bloomberg News and Reuters. He holds a BA in economics from UC Irvine and a Master’s in Journalism from Columbia University.

TROY MAY, publisher of the growing lesbian/gay lifestyle publication ON Magazine (formerly OutNow Magazine), addresses the topic of good reporting and selling advertising, and the synergy between print and online publications.

CHRIS RAUBER, reporter for the San Francisco Business Times, notes that his parent company has publications in 45 American cities, and at a time of retreat for daily journalism is actually hiring. “Business journals are successful,” he says, “because they target a niche audience that is interested in the specific news they have to offer.”

MODERATOR: TOM MURPHY is CEO and Editor in Chief of RedwoodAge.com, a national news site designed for readers over 40. Prior to that, Murphy was the founding Managing Editor of MarketWatch.com, a Bloomberg correspondent and the AP news supervisor in San Francisco.

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12:45-1:45 p.m. LUNCH + PUBLIC SPACE
Take a break, circulate, shake hands, trade business cards, catch up, cool down, and generally propose, propound, present, pontificate and participate.

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ROOM ONE

1:45-3:00 NEWSTOOLS 2008 REPORTBACKS
Panels, speakers and topics presented opportunistically based on NewsTools 2008 proceedings April 30-May 2

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ROOM TWO

1:45-3:00 JOURNALISM BEFORE PROFITS: The Future of Public Media

Much heralded as the future of media, the Internet has proven much more difficult to monetize. Large corporations are learning how to implement the ad-driven model online, but still struggle, even as smaller sites and bloggers leverage Google Adwords to build small empires. But what else is possible? How can public media and TRADITIONAL media, such as print, blaze new trails in the New Media Economy?

TED GLASSER (professor of communication, Stanford University) focuses on media practices and performance, with emphasis on questions of press responsibility and accountability. His books include Custodians of Conscience: Investigative Journalism and Public Virtue, written with James S. Ettema, and The Idea of Public Journalism.

DAVID OLMOS, a former reporter, editor and Pulitzer finalist at the Los Angeles Times, discusses new models for specialized reporting. Olmos, the former Health Editor at the L.A. Times, is developing a project to produce explanatory reporting on health issues in California.

MICHAEL STOLL & JOSH WILSON: Two working journalists who have taken the plunge as nonprofit entrepreneurs, Wilson and Stoll are building a nonprofit, commercial-free infrastructure for serious journalism at the community level. Through their sponsoring agency, Independent Arts & Media, they are exploring new ideas for both online newsrooms (Newsdesk.org) and that cornerstone of community journalism, newsprint (The Public Press).

SANDIP ROY is an editor with New America Media and host of its radio show UpFront on KALW 91.7 FM. He manages New America Media’s immigration beat and writes regularly for mainstream and ethnic media including San Francisco Chronicle, San Jose Mercury News, India Currents, India Abroad and The Times of India. He is also a commentator for NPR’s Morning Edition and has appeared on CNN International, This Week in Northern California and co-hosts Your Call with Rose Aguilar on KALW. He has received awards from the South Asian Journalists Association, Trikone, National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association, American Women in Radio and Television and the National Federation of Community Broadcasters.

MODERATOR: LOUIS FREEDBERG, a former editorial page editor for the San Francisco Chronicle, is the founder of the California Media Collaborative, which promotes dialogue among key representatives of the California media with leaders in key California constituencies, including academia, philanthropy and public policy and other nonprofit organizations in order to devise and implement new strategies for improved coverage of the state.

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3:15-4:30 FUNDING & PHILANTHROPY

Is there funding for new public and independent media? What role does the philanthropic sector have in this formula? How do the strengths and disadvantages of the nonprofit model play out? Is the traditional public-media model even viable? How does the philanthropic sector simultaneously drive and need to adapt to new media realities?

DAVID COHN has written for Wired, Seed, Columbia Journalism Review and the New York Times, among others. He’s also worked with NewAssignment.net, NewsTrust.net, the expanding citizen journalism network Broowaha, and is developing an innovative new funding mechanism that’s been likened to “Kiva for Journalism” called Spot Reporting.

JON FUNABIKI is a professor of journalism at San Francisco State University, where he works at the Center for Renaissance Journalism, a new interdisciplinary center on emerging opportunities for community, ethnic and other forms of news media. Previously he was the Ford Foundation’s deputy director of media, arts & culture.

SUSAN MISRA senior consultant at the TCC Group, manages the Challenge Fund for Journalism (CFJ), a joint grantmaking initiative of the Ford Foundation, James S. and John L. Knight Foundation, McCormick Tribune Foundation, and Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation. She has also provided strategic planning and evaluation services to a number of philanthropies including the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation, Stuart Foundation, and Campion Foundation. Misra received a Master’s in Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

MARC SMOLOWITZ, an Academy Award-nominated documentary film producer, is the Technology Circle Chair of the Full Circle Fund, an engaged philanthropy organization in the SF Bay Area. He is a member of the Full Circle board of directors, and a producer at the online video startup Tellytopia.

MODERATOR: LINDA JUE (President, SPJ-NorCal; Director, New Voices in Independent Journalism; Executive Editor, George Washington Williams Fellowship) is a longtime advocate of free and independent media, and was associate director and a founding staff member of the Independent Press Association. She brings insight into the challenges of both mustering funding for the independent press, and sustaining nonprofit media infrastructure.

4:45 p.m.: Closing Comments & Thanks

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SPONSOR THE EXPO … and get significant promotional benefits
Businesses, nonprofits, schools, community organizations and advocacy groups are invited to sponsor the Innovations in Journalism Expo. Spread the word about your good works to a select community of journalism leaders, educators, advocates and practitioners. Call 415/677-9877 for details.
Get Sponsorship info online: http://artsandmedia.net/expo/journalism/#exh

Sponsor Benefits include:
Logo placement and link on Web site
Logo placement and contact info in Expo printed program and press materials
Advertising options in the May 3 Expo program
Individual promotional table at the May 3 Expo, with high-visibility exhibitor space
Discounted Expo tickets for your membership

For more event information, contact Josh Wilson, edit at artsandmedia.net, 415/677-9877 or Ricardo Sandoval, rsandovalpalos at yahoo.com, 916/321-1018.

The situation McClatchy is in defines the paradox of journalism today — that Wall Street business practices and serving the public’s right to know are profoundly disconnected.

On News You Might Have Missed, we’re always looking for the story that’s off the beaten track, but which illuminates a larger societal concern.

We’ve often found McClatchy taking the lead with reporting on important international stories that just aren’t cracking the mainstream — such as the Afghan opium economy, or Ethiopia’s Ogadun conflict. Their Iraq reporting, too.

In that light, an item in Fortune magazine (“McClatchy’s Fall from Grace,” Dec. 18) is telling:

“Holy smokes–what happened to McClatchy?

“Just a few years ago, industry observers hailed the newspaper company and its boyishly charismatic chairman and chief executive, Gary Pruitt, for growing earnings and producing solid journalism at a time when some of its rivals couldn’t accomplish either.

“The peak: March 22, 2005, when the company’s shares hit an all-time, split-adjusted high of $76.05.

“Then the industry turned and so did McClatchy’s fortunes.”

It couldn’t be clearer that radical thinking is required to secure good journalism practice as an institution of democracy. The commercial business model has simply failed.