What’s Next in the Media

Despite the gloomy pronouncements about the future of the media, many opportunities exist at this crossroads toward a new and perhaps better form of communications. This book collects the work of some of the finest minds who want to make the media better rather than to focus on the “good old days” of the mavens telling the public what it should know.The media remain important in today’s society, although the media are changing rapidly—driven by a desire for readers and viewers to play a more significant role in the information they receive. Multimedia endeavors have pushed aside the narrow thinking of many legacy institutions, which have failed to adapt to the changing landscape. This collection looks at the historical and theoretical nature of the media, but it also looks ahead at the new map the media must follow to thrive.The analyses include those from academics, practitioners, and young media professionals who will shape the future. As legacy media institutions fail, other media outlets take their place—from community organizations and the ethnic press to social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Moreover, this book provides analysis of investigative journalism, media criticism, sports, wireless technologies, and other aspects of the current and future media environment.Christopher Harper serves as the co-director of the Multimedia Urban Reporting Lab at Temple University. The program is the capstone course for all undergraduate journalism majors in which they cover undeserved and underreported neighborhoods in Philadelphia at www.philadelphianeighborhoods.com.Harper has written and edited four books dealing with multimedia journalism, a subject that he has taught for 15 years. He also spent more than 20 years in the media as an editor, reporter, and producer for the Associated Press, Newsweek, and ABC News in Chicago, Washington, Beirut, Cairo, Rome, and New York.