The Society of Professional Journalists and Media Alliance presents a panel examining The Coming Media Monopoly: Concentration of Press Ownership and Its Effects featuring moderator Erna Smith and panelists Linda Foley, Tim Redmond, Stephen Buel, Brad Westerhold, and Sandy Close.The last year has seen dramatic shifts in Bay Area media ownership:
MediaNews, the new owner of the San Jose Mercury News and Contra Costa Times, will soon control nearly two-thirds of local daily newspaper circulation; the two largest weekly newspaper chains, Village Voice and New Times, merged; and there's been an escalating scramble by several large media companies to control the expanding market for ethnic and foreign-language readers.
Can journalism survive in an era of Wall Street mergers and acquisitions?
What about public service and community needs?
What can be done in response to these trends to strengthen the quality of our news media workplaces?
Hear from journalists and media reformers who are responding creatively to the evolving media landscape.