MyMediaFeed

Media mogul Rupert Murdoch lectured in Australia this week on the topic of the global crisis facing the media.  Addressing the revenue slumps for newspapers, Murdoch said that the rise of competition has simply meant that ignorant editors finally need to pay attention to their audiences.  The distrust of readers, Murdoch claimed, is the main reason that they are looking elsewhere for their news.  Additionally, the internet has meant that a “one size fits all” approach to business models will not work any longer; advertisers are following viewers to online sources, and television and newspapers need to adapt to the changes or they will die off.  Murdoch has made some of these statements before.  In the following interview with Charlie Rose, recorded last year, Murdoch says many of the same things:

Discussion Questions

1.  Is Murdoch right?  Are newspaper editors failing because they are failing to adapt to their audience?  What examples, aside from Rathergate, could Murdoch have cited to illustrate his point?

2.  If Murdoch has diagnosed the problems causing the media crisis, what has he done differently with his own companies to respond to those changing conditions?

3.  If Murdoch is right, what does the future hold for American media?