The FTC has rescheduled the dates of its series of workshops “From Town Criers to Bloggers: How Will Journalism Survive the Internet Age?” The workshops were originally scheduled for September 15-16. The new dates are December 1 and 2, 2009.
We are experiencing a critical transition for the future of news. The down economy and the overall trend for advertisers to move print advertising to online news sites has been devastating to media organizations across the nation. Some large daily newspapers have stopped their printing presses due to declining circulation. Many other print, radio, and television publishers have made significant staffing cuts and altered their distribution schedules because of decreased advertising revenue.
The FTC workshops will focus on the relationship between First Amendment protection, consumer protection and privacy and the economic challenges related to online news being offered to consumers for free.
The workshops will address many issues, including the economics of journalism and the need to make online journalism profitable. The workshops will also focus on the legal implications related to the future of journalism, including antitrust, tax and intellectual property issues. Speakers will include journalists, representatives from news organizations, privacy and legal experts, marketing and advertising specialists, academics, and representatives from new media websites, such as blogs and local news Web sites.
For more information please visit www.ftc.gov.