“Journalists can not be dismissed from this discussion regarding business models”

The exercise of journalism has been permanently challenged by technological provisions and challenged by social conditions. Increasingly, in the current situation, the profession has also been threatened at the corporate level by the financial and economic difficulties that threaten its sustainability. The bankruptcy of the traditional business model has put journalistic companies under pressure, affecting not only the resources necessary for the mission’s performance but also forcing journalism to redefine its field and ethical and deontological practices

It was at this intersection between journalism, economic sustainability and ethics that the “Frontiers of journalism and business models: constraints and sustainability” meeting made sense on November 21 at the Institute of Social Sciences of the University of Minho.

Organized jointly by SOPCOM’s Economics and Communication Policy and Journalism and Society WG, this meeting, which had more than thirty participants, sought to identify the issues that are opening up in a common field of reflection for researchers from both WGs.

Elsa Costa e Silva, one of the organizers of the event and coordinator of the WG of Economy and Communication Policies, made a very positive assessment of the meeting, recalling the participation of civil society – professionals and trade unions – and academia, through a debate on the challenges and business models that influence journalism. The CECS’ researcher leaves the message that “journalists can not be dismissed from this discussion regarding business models”.

Luís António Santos, deputy director of the CECS, present at the opening session of the meeting, corroborated Elsa Costa e Silva, noting that “the idea of the national academy to reflect on the media is not now”. “This concern of the academy exists and is very alive in this meeting,” he said.

Luís António Santos corroborated Elsa Costa e Silva, noting that “the idea of the national academy to reflect about the media is not new”. “This concern of the academy exists and is very alive in this meeting,” he said.

[Text published on 11/23/2018]