Newspapers have been conservative, complacent and slow to take up the digital revolution that is well under way today. This acknowledgment was made at the We Media conference in London by World Association of Newspapers Director General Timothy Balding.
He says that the Web revolution has been a “kick up the pants” for some newspaper companies, but that there are examples of online newspapers are innovating by running their own online blog tools.
BBC Director General Mark Thompson says that what excites him is that there has been a shift from an initial anxiety and fear of this digital wave, to a sense that this “extraordinary unfolding world gives us a better chance to fulfill BBC’s public services than before.” He also says that the BBC is developing (and has developed, to some extent) a “fanatic closeness to audiences.”
From Thompson’s experience at the BBC, users are eager to engage and participate. When the BBC acts as an enabler and facilitator for this, things work effectively. However, when they are dictated and controlled as per the typical traditional media scenario, they lose interest.
Thompson thinks the traditional broadcast idea of news organizations dictating to the audience is over.
