MONROE - Members of the southern Wisconsin news media expect challenges to continue for their industry, but emphasized the role of traditional journalism in democracy.
Peter Fox, executive director of the Wisconsin Newspaper Association, moderated a forum Thursday, at the Monroe Arts Center discussing the future of the industry in a challenging time.
Community journalism is "indispensable to democracy ... Public knowledge is central to a democratic system," said Brady Williamson, an attorney practicing constitutional law, who taught at the University of Wisconsin School of Law for 20 years.
But radio, television and newspapers are struggling with decreased revenues as the Internet is taking more of people's time and attention.
Scott Thompson, owner of Big Radio, including WEKZ in Monroe, said his approach is to keep news "live and local," focusing on local weather and high school sports.
"'It is live, local and immediate' that will be our forte," he said.
In deciding which news stories to cover, said Tom Bier, station manager of Channel 3 in Madison as well as My Madison Channel 14 and Channel3000.com, news is "facts and what is of interest to many people."
"It's a challenge to put together relevant news to so many" four to five times a day, he added.
"Newspapers offer depth in time that other media can't," said Jeff Rogers, editor of The Monroe Times.
Costs are endangering journalism, and many news outlets can't afford to send journalists to far off areas, Williamson said, but if you can practice journalism on the Internet, you can practice it on other media.
"Facts are in danger today," he said, partly because the Internet - where many people get information - deals in opinions, not facts.
"Only newspapers by and large, and a few broadcast stations do original reporting," said Professor James Baughman, former director of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at UW-Madison.
"Most of what we know, 85-90 percent, is generated by newspapers," he said. "Newspapers are the community's bulletin board."
Comedians, like Jon Stewart and Jay Leno, get the information for their routines from newspapers, he added.
Reporters should be and "are bearing witness," Baughman said. If no one is bearing witness, he said, government can go awry.
Editorial pages provide opportunity to start a conversation on the community level, he added.
The Internet created a sense of empowerment, and users can know what they want to know and nothing else, he said.
Members of the panel saw some of the same economic impacts on their respective industries.
Bier said his company sees millions of dollars each year on infrastructure, production costs and staffing going into developing a product that is given away for free, and nationally broadcast television is seeing a 17 percent reduction in advertising revenues.
Thompson tried a Web site, giving away his news for free in two forms. When he tried to charge for it, he said he got a dismal 200 subscriptions, but received 2,300 e-mails questioning why he dismantled the site.
The Monroe Times has seen a budget cut across the board, "with every department taking a staff reduction," Rogers said. However, while print circulation is down, the Web site of the newspaper has seen a daily unique visitor count of 6-7,000.
Internet has caused people to expect free information, the panel agreed.
However, Williamson said it is a "mistake to look at this as an economic problem" that will change when the economy resurrects.
News media "will survive, but they'll be different," he said. "Duties, as perceived, will be changed. There's more to it than making a profit."
Peter Fox, executive director of the Wisconsin Newspaper Association, moderated a forum Thursday, at the Monroe Arts Center discussing the future of the industry in a challenging time.
Community journalism is "indispensable to democracy ... Public knowledge is central to a democratic system," said Brady Williamson, an attorney practicing constitutional law, who taught at the University of Wisconsin School of Law for 20 years.
But radio, television and newspapers are struggling with decreased revenues as the Internet is taking more of people's time and attention.
Scott Thompson, owner of Big Radio, including WEKZ in Monroe, said his approach is to keep news "live and local," focusing on local weather and high school sports.
"'It is live, local and immediate' that will be our forte," he said.
In deciding which news stories to cover, said Tom Bier, station manager of Channel 3 in Madison as well as My Madison Channel 14 and Channel3000.com, news is "facts and what is of interest to many people."
"It's a challenge to put together relevant news to so many" four to five times a day, he added.
"Newspapers offer depth in time that other media can't," said Jeff Rogers, editor of The Monroe Times.
Costs are endangering journalism, and many news outlets can't afford to send journalists to far off areas, Williamson said, but if you can practice journalism on the Internet, you can practice it on other media.
"Facts are in danger today," he said, partly because the Internet - where many people get information - deals in opinions, not facts.
"Only newspapers by and large, and a few broadcast stations do original reporting," said Professor James Baughman, former director of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at UW-Madison.
"Most of what we know, 85-90 percent, is generated by newspapers," he said. "Newspapers are the community's bulletin board."
Comedians, like Jon Stewart and Jay Leno, get the information for their routines from newspapers, he added.
Reporters should be and "are bearing witness," Baughman said. If no one is bearing witness, he said, government can go awry.
Editorial pages provide opportunity to start a conversation on the community level, he added.
The Internet created a sense of empowerment, and users can know what they want to know and nothing else, he said.
Members of the panel saw some of the same economic impacts on their respective industries.
Bier said his company sees millions of dollars each year on infrastructure, production costs and staffing going into developing a product that is given away for free, and nationally broadcast television is seeing a 17 percent reduction in advertising revenues.
Thompson tried a Web site, giving away his news for free in two forms. When he tried to charge for it, he said he got a dismal 200 subscriptions, but received 2,300 e-mails questioning why he dismantled the site.
The Monroe Times has seen a budget cut across the board, "with every department taking a staff reduction," Rogers said. However, while print circulation is down, the Web site of the newspaper has seen a daily unique visitor count of 6-7,000.
Internet has caused people to expect free information, the panel agreed.
However, Williamson said it is a "mistake to look at this as an economic problem" that will change when the economy resurrects.
News media "will survive, but they'll be different," he said. "Duties, as perceived, will be changed. There's more to it than making a profit."