Full transcript
0:00The A to Z of isms... Journalism.
0:03Journalism is a product of modern history
0:05and it's shaped by the politics of the places where it works.
0:08In liberal democracies, it's based on the ideals
0:10that knowledge is important, that expression should be free
0:13and that reliable information is good for society.
0:17It's been driven by the invention of new technologies
0:19such as paper, printing, electricity, photography
0:22and now of course, digital,
0:24social media, the internet. It's changed radically over time -
0:28from medieval scribes recording war and taxes
0:31to paid pamphleteers in coffee shops waging political battles,
0:35to mass market newspapers that use new tech, like trains and telephones,
0:38to gather and spread the news,
0:40to television and radio that allowed us to see, hear and connect
0:43with the rest of the world.
0:45The BBC's Richard Dimbleby's radio reports
0:47from Belsen concentration camp
0:50brought the horrors of the Holocaust to the world.
0:52Television journalists like Dan Rather
0:54and photographers such as Don McCullin
0:56showed America the brutal reality of Vietnam,
0:59and reporters from the Washington Post Metro desk
1:01forced a presidential resignation over Watergate.
1:05As journalism became more influential so politicians battled to control it.
1:09Journalism was always about power.
1:12Power over information, holding power to account or providing propaganda.
1:16It claimed to make and break careers, swing elections and even start wars.
1:20It's produced heroes who have revealed scandals
1:23such as systematic child abuse by paedophile priests.
1:26It's also created monsters who ruined lives and broke the law
1:30such as the journalist who 'hacked' into people's phones.
1:33Now it's all changing again.
1:35Automatic software programs are writing 'bot journalism'
1:38citizens broadcast on their phones.
1:40Algorithms created by huge technology companies
1:43shape the flow of news as people like or retweet
1:46the facts and opinions they want to share.
1:48That's meant an explosion of content,
1:50a tidal wave of information,
1:52much of it false, furious and fractious.
1:55People are confused about what to trust, uncertain what is true,
1:59fearful of the anger, conflict and bias they find online.
2:03We're in an age when populist leaders and shadowy interest groups
2:06use the cliche 'fake news'
2:08to attack journalists and deliberately mislead the public.
2:11So why did journalism fail to see all this coming?
2:14Do we even need journalists anymore?
2:17Fake news is actually good news for trustworthy, reliable journalism.
2:21It's a chance for the news media to show why they're needed -
2:24to sort out the truth from lies and speak for the citizen.
2:28The digital age is a chance for journalism to reinvent itself
2:31with new tools such as virtual reality or artificial intelligence.
2:35The internet provides massive competition for the mainstream media
2:38but it also offers pathways to new business models
2:41such as membership, subscription and collaboration.
2:44Most of all it offers an opportunity for journalism to get back in touch -
2:48to be more diverse, relevant and engaging.
2:51In a social world where emotions and values drive our communications
2:55journalism needs to rediscover the human touch
2:58and also to get back some key traditional ideals -
3:01to be reliable, responsible and to tell the stories that help to explain
3:06our complicated and often frightening world.
3:12Thanks for watching! :)
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