Reliable media will survive, says expert

By Ben Agina in Germany

The media have been urged to invest in quality journalism.

Participants at a global forum in Bonn, Germany, told the media to adapt to a fast changing world.

Deutsche Welle Director-General Eric Bettermann said publishers and broadcasters must accept change to maintain quality and relevant journalism.

"In the age of mass media, high quality journalism is not a thing of the past," he told more than 900 participants at the opening of the Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum.

Mr Bettermann said the growing number of content producers on the Web is changing the media landscape.

Quality is key

He said following the initial euphoria by users and producers over new possibilities, there is disillusionment and consumers are looking for quality and reliability.

He said although journalists may have lost their monopoly in reporting, they are gaining a new function as scouts for the increasingly confusing issues.

"Reliability and independent and balanced reporting will be valued even more in future," he said.

He told journalists to live up to their social responsibility and "a return to distinctive journalistic ethics is very crucial".

"The New Media is not destroying journalism; it is media encompassing copy and paste philosophy and digital content recycling," he said.

He said high-speed journalism is not the only answer in the frenzy of new media.

"The financial and economic crisis, which has heavily affected the media market and structure, has reinforced these tendencies," he said.

He pointed out that shrinking editorial departments and news agencies will be hard to regenerate.

"We must actively counteract the depletion of journalistic resources and the loss of pluralism," he said.

He, however, said reconciliation of traditional and New Media could lead to effective new formats.

"This creates a possibility that did not exist: To have journalism leave an even more lasting impression on the public and, therefore, economically successful," he said.

The head of Germany’s international broadcaster talked of the importance of New Media for restricted societies.

Hunger for democracy

"Democracy and the public outcry for human rights cannot be subdued," he said. He said the media all over the world are taking huge steps towards democracy.

"When I look at China or Iran, it becomes clear to me: The foundation is in place," he said.

In many developing and emerging countries, he said, there will be digital leaps, higher than people expected.

He added that the West has to support these efforts through training and education for media professionals.

The conference ends on Friday.