*

Dana Walker has just informed the audience that Mr. Kovach from the NYT cannot make it and will no longer be a part of the forum. bummer.


**

And so it begins . . . (7:00pm)

**

Tyler Marshall is describing trends he has found through a Washington project. "The washington press corps is not so much shrinking, but transforming."

He notes another trend. There is the sharp increase in foreign correspondents.

Two other developments were found. One was reversal migration of bylines. "For years and years, there were niche publications and they would aspire to joining a major newspaper." Now, there are more and more niche outlets and this has implications for the democratic process. According to Tyler, it raises questions on how well our citizens are informed and what they have access to. (7:10 PM)

**

Mr. Whitaker has just taken the stand and is talking about traditional journalism and the importance of whistle blowers. "It is not so bad in television as it is in Newspapers," Mr. Whitaker says. He goes on to say that there has been a decrease in traditional experienced reporters.

Mr. Whitaker feels that whistle blowers are incredibly important. Over the decades, someone in the private industry or government was willing to talk to reporters on a confidential basis. "There will always be a need for whistle blowers to protect the common people" (7:14pm)

**

Ms. Struglinski has brought up an important point. If you aren't there, you can't tell whether a representative from Washington or whoever is speaking the truth.

Ms. Wittstock just commented on this.

In addition, Wittstock says that she doesn't think that anyone's immune from the financial situation. Right now, Wittstock thinks its important to work with citizen journalists. Politics is especially in need of these citizens who can work as whistle blowers or assist journalists in reporting what is important (7:18pm)

**

Mr. Tyler is now talking about Senator Lugar who has not received National coverage and not seen any objective feedback. They are not finding out the consequences of their votes. This is a sign. (7:22pm)

**

"Getting the information from the internet is like drinking from a firehose," Whitaker says. He goes on to say that you can "get overwhelmed by it."

A lot of news organizations have areas where they can improve, especially on the internet. Whitaker thinks its a shame that there is a trend in local media where the local organizations are not spreading information much. (7:24pm)

**

Struglinski - "It is frightening when all of sudden you are watching coverage of Washington through a webcast."

She is talking about transparency now. "The governments idea of transparency and our idea of transparency are very different things." (7:27pm)

**
Wittstock just brought up a story about covering a politician. She was asking a politician about a recent vote and what reaction the people the politician is representing would think:

WS: "Why did you change your vote?"

P: "Well, my district is under 2 feet of snow, what do they care?"

This is something that has to improve. Wittstock went on to say that people can't just go up to the Speaker of the House and inquire about changes to a local area. They need someone to serve their interests. (7:30pm)

**

Whitaker and Wittstock are now discussing the financial aspect of newspapers. In the past years, readers weren't just buying for the content, but for jobs too with classified ads. Now, the internet has cut that main source of revenue for newspapers. I think Craiglist has overpowered classified ads. ugh.(7:36pm)

**

The speakers are encouraging students to have as many multimedia skills as possible. Editing, filming, writing skills are all necessary. "Being a good writer is still key," Whitaker has just said. (7:39pm)

**

A student has just asked the panel about new media and citizens who are much closer to stories they can report on.

Whitaker thinks that its a good thing that the citizen journalists are providing a new perspective. At the end of the day though, you need money. Whitaker hits it home by saying that if you are a lone blogger in Iraq, you will need protection. You will need money to keep you safe. (7:43pm)

**

Wittstock continues to speak about money.

She goes on to say that public stations are great, nodding to NPR. There is a lot of time on public airwaves, but "535 people in congress and senate cannot fit in national newscast." Although you can do great things with public radio, you are risking different stories or factors. Again, someone has to pay for this stuff. (7:46pm)

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During the Iraq war, BBC news was the most popular. They were looked as an alternative and attracted Americans. (7:50pm)

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Student Brian Koenig asks about new alternative economic models and the issue of money v. content. Not much reaction.

**

Struglinski - All of my reporter friends are blogging for their news organizations. "The important thing is how they should be used and for what exactly.

"It's another outlet for reporting and I think that mainstream media is still trying to work out the kinks." (7:53pm)

**

Most reporters now not only have to do what they usually do but they have to tweet and much more. "How much time left do they have to report?" asks Whitaker. Although we need to embrace new forms of media, we also must be disciplined in actually gathering original and important material.

"You could be fast and correct, but miss the story," Whitaker says. I think there is room for all of it.

"A long time back at BBC we had to do radio and TV. You find yourself from one interview to the next and after awhile it was very hard to go out and break a story."

**

Why should students get in the business?

Right now, it beats wall street. - Whitaker

Now, there is a place for entreprenurship. You could make a name for yourself. -Whitaker

If you want to avoid boredom, every day is different - Wittstock

I never want to grow up - Tyler (7:58pm)