The future of journalism...

In a Memeburn interview with Janet Heard, a 2009/10 Nieman fellow of journalismwho attended Harvard University for an academic year, Heard said that there is "a considerable amount of panic about the future of journalism, and lots of experimentation taking place with regard to new media models", but that through the year, there was a shift in tone from despair to optimism. We realised that the focus should be on the craft of journalism – irrespective of the medium. The real issue is finding ways to deliver on our goal to be accurate, truthful and trustworthy. A flourishing press is an essential tool in any democracy. We began to concentrate on ways to retain quality journalism. We also discussed at length ethical issues in the digital era – from plagiarism and attribution to accountability and fact-checking." Read the rest of her interview here, and then summarise and give your own opinion on her comments.