That tells us a lot about the state of the world at the moment. Many of us are concerned about the quality of our governance,the state of our media,and how we as citizens can make sense of an increasingly complicated world and communicate with each other in meaningful ways.
The original idea for a journalism institute grew out of conversations I had with friends and advisers about what might be done to enrich our civic life – its institutions and the quality of public discourse.
Journalism has many critics;I believe journalism also needs its champions.
Initially,I was focused on the Australian market. But it soon became clear that any venture of this sort must be global in outlook and ambition. News and social media is global. Any Australian project must be global too.
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I am not an expert. I would never pretend to have all the answers. But like everyone else I consume the news and I sense that we are at a moment in time,perhaps at a tipping point,where some very fundamental principles about truth and democracy are up for grabs.
That sounds high-minded. I don’t mean it to be. I know that news has always been subsidised to varying degrees by business. The “rivers of gold” that flowed from advertising revenue for established media companies have run dry and new ways of monetising journalism must be found. To those looking for new sources of revenue,I say:more strength to your arm.