Normally, I’d just toss this on my Tumblr blog as a quick quote, but since I’ve been using this space to promote the Chicago Media Future Conference, I thought it best to note this passage from a NY Times story last week:

“‘New media’ doesn’t mean transplanting old media to a new medium; it requires a new vocabulary, a new relationship with the audience — a massive social network that now talks back — and, sometimes, a new set of expectations about objectivity and timeliness.”

If there’s a better outline of what we ought to be talking about at the CMFC, I haven’t read it yet.

Thanks to the Trib’s Rob Elder for the tip.

The Lackner Andrews blog also had some thoughts on our project:

Understanding how media habits are changing – and how news operations can adapt – should be a top priority for all media managers. Before you can talk about how to make money, you have to know how people are consuming your product.

[Snip]

Google isn’t killing journalism, but Google has changed the way people find, consume, and share the news – and do so in ways that circumvent the old revenue models.

[Snip]

Professional journalism is still wanted and needed – but we have to start saying out loud that news organizations are not providing their work in ways that meet the needs and habits of their audience. And by not adapting to this reality, the news industry is losing credibility, relevance, and revenue. News orgs need to figure out the nature of their product and its value to the consumer before setting their sites on making money. Business models are not solutions for what ails journalism right now.

I’m not sure I agree that “business models aren’t solutions for what ails journalism.” They’re not the ONLY solution, but I think they’re part of it. Then again, I could be wrong. It’s a point for debate, and that’s why we’re doing this.

More on The Chicago Media Future Conference.

Note: The Chicago Media Future Conference website launches May 1.