Is Great Journalism Compatible With Business?

By: Carl Sullivan Can great journalism coexist with today's business strategies?

This question was discussed by 24 media executives and journalists who convened for three days in June at the sixth annual Aspen Institute Conference on Journalism and Society.

The nonprofit Aspen Institute released a report on the conference this week, calling attention to some trends that seriously concerned the participants, including:

* The changing definition of journalism: The vast amounts of information available to the public means that consumers no longer look exclusively to professional journalists for information. And seeking to draw younger audiences, media managers are introducing more "infotainment" programs.

* The shaky financial foundations of traditional media: Newspaper circulation continues to decline and advertisers seek new media as audiences fragment.

* Shrinking news operations: "Decisions that would be 'no brainers' in a dedicated news organization became much more problematic in a complex multi-media company," the report said, pointing to ABC's wooing of David Letterman and possible replacement of "Nightline." Media executives in large conglomerates are "likely to be drawn from entertainment or advertising backgrounds," and "may unwittingly be insensitive to the consequences their choices have on journalistic quality."

* Change-averse culture: News organizations are slow to implement internal reform.

While the executives didn't propose formal remedies to these problems, they agreed the industry should "consolidate support for journalism values within communication companies, particularly as a new generation of executives takes over whose careers are less likely to have been associated with news than their predecessors." Industry leaders should "underscore the business argument for journalistic quality, demonstrating how it strengthens and expands audience relationships," the report said.

Some of the conference participants proposed the following:

* Journalist value committees: Fusing "journalistic DNA" into the corporate governance of media companies and making journalistic excellence an oversight responsibility of boards of directors could help.

* Improving business-editorial communication: Ongoing conferences that bring together leaders of the business and editorial sides of media organizations would facilitate better communication about the importance of high journalistic standards. The media industry might even consider creating an organization that would include both CEOs and top editorial execs.

* Campaign to raise "journalistic literacy": The report said, "The surest way to finance quality journalism is to have the market demand it." Some participants suggested an industry-wide campaign to educate the public about the important of journalism in civic life.

Washington-based Aspen is a nonprofit global forum that promotes morally responsible leadership. Conference participants included high-level executives from Advance Publications, AOL Time Warner, The Associated Press, Belo, CNHI Inc., The Hearst Corp., Knight Ridder, MediaNews Group, The New York Times Co., the Public Broadcasting Service, The E.W. Scripps Co., Tribune Co., The Walt Disney Co., and The Washington Post Co.

For more information or to see the complete report, visit www.aspeninstitute.org.