Director General Bettermann: ‘We Must Invest More in Quality Journalism’
June 3, 2009
Deutsche Welle Director General Erik Bettermann argued for investing more in quality journalism worldwide at the opening of the Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum on June 3. “In the age of mass media, high-quality journalism isn’t a thing of the past,” said Bettermann in front of approximately 900 participants. “In the future, it will be required for civil society and peacemaking processes. Publishers and broadcaster must drastically assimilate to a changing media world in order to maintain journalism with quality and relevant content.”
Bettermann said that the growing number of people producing content in Web 2.0 is dividing the media landscape even more. He went on to state that following the initial euphoria felt by users and producers regarding the new possibilities, there is now a certain disillusionment and that users are looking more and more for quality and reliability. Although journalists may have lost their monopoly on reporting world issues, they are gaining a new function as scouts for the increasingly confusing media world. “Reliability and independent and balanced reporting will be valued even more in the future,” stated Bettermann with confidence. He went on to say that journalists are required to live up to their social responsibility and that “a return to distinctive journalistic ethics is necessary”.
“New media isn’t destroying journalism, but rather a media-encompassing, copy and past philosophy and digital content recycling,” said Bettermann. “High-speed journalism isn’t the only answer in the frenzy of new media.” The financial and economic crisis, which has heavily affected the media markets and structure, has reinforced these tendencies even more. The battered structures – like the shrinking local editorial departments and news agencies – will be hard to regenerate. “We must actively counteract the depletion of journalistic resources and the loss of pluralism,” said Bettermann.
He went on to say that the “reconciliation of traditional and new media” could lead to effective new formats and that the individual strengths have to be used and combined intelligently. This creates a possibility that didn’t exist before – to use journalism to leave an even more lasting impression on the public and thereby be economically successful as a media company.
The head of Germany’s international broadcaster referred to the importance of new media for restricted societies. Blogs and Twitter broke through the govern-mental monopoly on information in many countries. “Today, anyone can be a public watchdog,” said Bettermann. It is now even possible for people in isolated countries to receive first-hand information from around the globe. Democracy and the public outcry for human rights can’t be subdued. Worldwide the media is taking huge steps towards democracy. “When I look at China or Iran, it becomes clear to me: The foundation is in place.” In many developing and emerging countries there will be digital leaps that people never expected. The role of the western world is to support these efforts – for example with training and education for media professionals.
Along with the 50 individual events, the conference welcomed 900 participants from around the world. Co-host of the Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum is the Foundation for International Dialogue of the Sparkasse in Bonn. The convention is also supported by Germany’s Federal Foreign Office, the government of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the city of Bonn, DHL, The Economist, Intermedia, KD Deutsche Rheinschifffahrt AG and the dpa group companies news aktuell and picture alliance.
June 3, 2009