CHICAGO, June 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Newspapers are under tremendous
economic stress, but the newspaper newsroom must be preserved if freedom of
information is to be protected, the publisher of the Chicago Sun-Times said.
"The newsroom is the issue," said Cyrus Freidheim, president and CEO of
the Sun-Times Media Group. "The real critical mass of journalists are in
newspapers. So we have to figure out how to make a transition that keeps
newspapers alive."
Freidheim was one of four leading Chicago journalists speaking Wednesday
at the National Press Club's Centennial Education Forum on the First
Amendment, freedom of the press and the future of journalism. The forum at
Columbia College in Chicago was part of a nationwide effort by the Club to
talk about the core values of journalism during this rocky period of
transition.
Renee Ferguson, a top investigative reporter for Chicago's NBC News 5,
said the biggest recent change has been the collapse in the separation between
promotion and news.
"They were separated like Church and State," she said. "Now I have to
understand promotion; what people want to watch. I worry that we are getting
too market driven. I want us to be a profession that relies on our best
journalistic judgment."
But Bill Adee, associate managing editor for innovation at the Chicago
Tribune, said it is good for journalists to know what readers care about. As
head of the Tribune online service, he can track which stories get the most
hits.
"If you are doing a story, and you would not read that story yourself, you
should stop," he said. "Reporters should still pursue stories they think are
important, but they should know what is popular."
Young people still are looking for journalists to help them make sense out
of the mass of information available on the Internet, said Vivian Vahlberg,
managing director of the Media Management Center at Northwestern University.
A survey the center did of 90 people aged 17 to 22 found that "They want
someone to separate the wheat from the chaff, to tell them what's important.
If they get on a site that they think is spinning them, they will get off."
The panelists said the First Amendment is under attack by the courts that
want journalists to reveal their sources.
"That's why each news organization must stand up," said Freidheim, whose
paper is embroiled in a dispute with a judge that wants a reporter to release
confidential information. "There's no way to cover government without that
protection."
Added Ferguson, "The way things are now, you can't promise to protect
sources unless you are willing to go to jail."
As part of its centennial celebration, the National Press Club, the
world's leading professional organization of journalists, will host similar
panels in cities across the country.
Moderated by veteran national correspondent and former Club President Gil
Klein, the panels will draw prominent journalists to talk about the changes in
the industry and the core values of journalism.
"In this time of change, the Club thinks it's important for people to
understand the role of journalism in promoting democracy," said Club President
Sylvia Smith.
Each event includes a screening of the Club's centennial documentary, "A
Century of Headlines," that looks at journalism's past through the lens of the
Club's history.
The Club has partnered with the World Affairs Councils of America
(www.worldaffairscouncils.org) and its 89 chapters nationwide as well as with
journalism schools at leading colleges and universities to present these
events through the end of the year.
This program is underwritten by a contribution from Aviva USA, one of the
nation's fastest-growing life insurers (www.AvivaUSA.com). The grant will pay
for the distribution of 12,000 copies of the documentary and education
materials as well as promotion of the forums.
More information about the panels and the schedule for where they will be
held for the can be found on the Club's Web site: www.press.org.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL PRESS CLUB:
The National Press Club is the world's leading professional organization
for journalists. Founded in 1908, the Club has 3,700 members representing most
major news organizations. The Club holds more than 2,000 events including news
conferences, luncheons and panels each year, and more than 250,000 guests come
through its doors. On the web at www.press.org .
SOURCE The National Press Club
Gil Klein, National Press Club Centennial Project director, +1-703-338-2721,
gklein@press.org, or Melinda Cooke of The National Press Club,
+1-202-662-7516, mcooke@press.org
