Newspaper's are a public good
1) Why does Clay Shirky argue that 'accountability journalism' is so important and what example does he give of this?
He says that 'accountability journalism' is important because it allows big stories to get published and the example he gives is of the Catholic Church scandals which caused a lot of attention but was only published because of journalism which highlights the importance of it. Shirky believes that without quality journalism, such cases like the one previously mentioned would not come to light and the people will be under the power/control of a corrupt person.
2) What does Shirky say about the relationship between newspapers and advertisers? Which websites does he mention as having replaced major revenue-generators for newspapers (e.g. jobs, personal ads etc.)?
Advertising is a big part of the revenue that newspapers receive which helps them to carry on producing the newspapers and paying the journalists. However, Ford went to The New York Times to remove the adverts from there; with advertising costing more for bigger newspaper institutions it is easier to go to a smaller one and publish advertisements there. He also stated that monopolies were the ones who were trying to change the R&D departments.
3) Shirky talks about the 'unbundling of content'. This means people are reading newspapers in a different way. How does he suggest audiences are consuming news stories in the digital age?
Shirkly talks about how there is more demand than supply in terms of people getting their news. He says that in the future it will become digital because people are so use to the way that the news is just handed to them for free that now it seems weird to pay for something which is suppose to be a public good. Then sees that public's goods rather than commercial ones and it is because of such a saturated market, revenue streams for online advertising is plummeting. He believes that in the future there will never be a digital dime (news for free).
4) Shirky also talks about the power of shareable media. How does he suggest the child abuse scandal with the Catholic Church may have been different if the internet had been widespread in 1992?
The paper (back then) didn't just attract people. The majority of the audience for Boston Globe were Catholics, and by reader a story that is to do with their religion is something that they will spread across the community. So much so, that the audience numbers were like a chain reaction, spreading and spreading on a global scale. In my opinion I think with this being the case people wouldn't have forgotten about the story due to it being there on the internet for anyone to see whenever they wanted.
5) Why does Shirky argue against paywalls?
He believes that you shouldn't take news away from people, something which is a public good shouldn't be used to generate money and become a commercial good. He states that paywalls are seen as a violation of the contract, and that it won't bring them any value by charging a price for it. The whole point to change for such products is to take an infinite good and turn it into a finite good.
6) What is a 'social good'? In what way is journalism a 'social good'?
A social good is where people can come together and share it and this links to journalism as it is now accessible online which makes it easier for people to come together and share the story. This makes it a social good as its for everyone to share and see rather than only certain individuals. Shirky states that we need people to come from outside the market and outside managerial culture which can help them provision them self enormous amounts of public goods.
7) Shirky says newspapers are in terminal decline. How does he suggest we can replace the important role in society newspapers play? What is the short-term danger to this solution that he describes?
Shirky states that news papers are something that is "irreplaceable", as it is the one source where accountable journalism can take place properly. Newspapers are declining rapidly and even though this is the case they are not replaceable as the news which is received is published by journalists so the news is regulated whereas news online is just given out without being regulated but it is down to the consumers to keep alive the newspaper industry.
8) Look at the first question and answer regarding institutional power. Give us your own opinion: how important is it that major media brands such as the New York Times or the Guardian continue to stay in business and provide news?
I think media brands such as The New York Times and The Guardian are a big part in society and they give us news on stories such as the wider issues in the country and world which citizen journalism cannot give us insight to such as Brexit. A story which was generating a wide target audience from all ages and ethnicity cannot be presented online by people on social media or false news stories which shape peoples ideology in a negative way by providing false information. With this being the case we need newspapers to give us the correct information as it is regulated and you'll receive a more accurate view. If someone is against David Cameron, they will look up a newspaper that is very right wing, as it provides audience pleasures. It is this form of interactivity that big named news corporations have developed and therefore gained a big reader base. Due to this loyalty and audience pleasures they provide, people will stay loyal and continue to support the paper as they receive pleasure and entertainment from their content.
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