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The future of journalism may be in niche products supported less by advertising than by corporate sponsorships, interest groups and public broadcasting-style memberships, leading Georgia journalists said at a National Press Club Centennial Forum.

 

While Cynthia Tucker, editorial page editor of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, described how her paper is pulling back its reporting to the core four counties in the metropolitan area, Susanna Capelouto, news director for Georgia Public Broadcasting, said her organization is expanding.

 

"The reason public broadcasting is doing so well is that they can specialize on the 'why' of journalism," Capelouto said. "They make the connection, they tell the story, and they are supported by their members, so the pressure isn't there."

 

To keep up with the costs of doing public interest reporting, many news organizations will have to change their commercial model, Tucker said. A century ago, people could pick their newspapers according to their political beliefs or their demographics, and journalism may be returning to that model.

 

Capelouto and Tucker were speaking at one of the National Press Club's forums on "The First Amendment, Freedom of the Press and the Future of Journalism" being held around the country to mark its 100th anniversary. At each forum, the Club gathers a panel of leading local journalists to talk about where the news business is going and how to protect its core values.

 

The Atlanta forum was co-sponsored by the Atlanta Press Club.

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