Life and Social Sciences
INSTITUTE FOR SOCIAL RESEARCH LUNCHTIME SEMINARS 2007
Thurs 28 June
Professor Fred Fletcher (
‘The Future of News’
At each stage of their development, modern news media have altered the nature of the public sphere. From the coffee houses of the 18th century, through the emergence of daily newspapers, news services, the electronic media and the subsequent dominance of television, each has changed the character of the public discourse so necessary to modern liberal democracies. The latest development, which presents a rapidly moving target for researchers, is the online public sphere. The Internet has challenged the dominance of the traditional media, presented information in novel ways and raised questions about established definitions of news and the role of journalists and, above all, created a new public sphere. As with other new media, news on the Internet is taking on new forms, involving audiences in new ways (as both seekers for and providers of news and commentary), and is altering news consumption patterns. This paper explores these changes from the perspective of the audience. Drawing on recent survey data, including results from the World Internet Project, it examines patterns of news consumption and information seeking among different age groups and draws out implications for debates on the perceived credibility of traditional and online news and information sources.
All welcome
