In an open letter to craigslist, Steve Outing asks its founders and operators to help save the newspaper industry from itself. My response:

Steve,

It takes real chutzpah to ask Craig Newmark and Jim Buckmaster of craigslist to help newspapers salvage their classifieds businesses and thus save democracy, or at least the part of it that newspapers presumably foster.

Your clever open letter to them, at the same time congratulating and blaming, misplaces responsibility. It assumes they have the authority to solve a problem that the news industry inflicted upon itself: how to replace a subsidy predicated on controlling and authoritarian business practices.

Steve, I can’t decide if your modest proposal is naive, self-serving or tragically poetic.

Craig Newmark never set out to disrupt the newspaper industry. Motivated only by helping people out, he created a simple list for his friends, initially distributed through email, and later on the Internet when one friend showed him how to create a Web page. Their trust in him, as well as a passion for serving others through technology, gave craigslist its authority.

You miss the magic of craigslist. It is Craig’s “friends” — a community that has grown to 40 million people a month in 500 U.S. cities and 50 countries (larger than all news sites combined by several factors) — who disrupted newspaper classifieds. Call them users, customers, an audience, a market, or marketplace, they discovered that through craigslist they could do for themselves what others charged excessively in order to handsomely subsidize their businesses.

Trust in Craig, still craigslist’s chief customer service representative, remains at the heart of it. So are democratic, open markets: the right of the people to conduct commerce and journalism among and between themselves.

Meantime, newspapers charged premium prices for access to an arcane classification system that published a few, annotated lines of shorthand in very small type at the back of a dense product with limited, daily distribution. The hard-to-find, hard-to-read, one-way advertisements were distributed to parts of a relatively small geographic region for sellers and buyers to discover, at least those who happened to buy the newspaper and read the classifieds section on the very day they were prepared to make a transaction.

For a lousy experience, newspapers in growth markets such as Dallas, Denver and San Jose made hundreds of millions of dollars that drove margins of 30 per cent or more with these high-yield liners.

The experience was not significantly improved by importing this business to the online version of the newspaper. What didn’t work in print didn’t work online.

Newspapers used their profits not to expand their social mission, but rather to drive the stock price of the companies that owned them, to finance acquisitions, to reward management, and to acquire additional wealth through cost-management: death by acquisition accelerated by cutting their way to profitability.

Financing news operations has never been much a part of it; ask any editor who has asked for budget increases or additional staff to cover a society growing increasingly complex and competitive. The moral imperative is a myth perpetuated by editors and journalists, not by the publishers you (Steve) are asking Craig and Jim to help.

Now, other forms and systems – a collaborative, more democratic Fifth Estate, if you will — are emerging to replace an institution that is broken. Almost anyone can deploy the simple technology that craiglist uses. Anyone can participate in its journalism and commerce.

Publishers would be better served by implementing enlightened business strategies with a passionate consumer connection at its core. Until then, they will continue to be cast in a survival drama of their own making.

Newspapers are like a broken satellite falling of orbit. The technology is failing; the mission may soon be scuttled. To stay in orbit, the engineers must repair and update the technology systems. More importantly, the flight controllers must restore trust in the mission and its results by relinquishing control. Otherwise, Satellite Newspaper – classifieds and all — will burn up in the atmosphere.

Craig Newmark and Jim Buckmaster may be talented astronauts, but they shouldn’t go down with the pilots of their competitors’ obsolete ships.

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Is Craigslist insignificant? I’ve weighed in to a small debate:

Publishers underestimated Craigslist once with devastating results. Newspapers, which derive nearly 80 of their revenue from classified advertising, lost half or more of their lucrative classified business over the past five years, a loss that now threatens the economic stability of the industry. So while, as my friend and former publisher John Greenman suggests, Craigslist may not be remarkable for the amount of money it takes from a single newspaper market, it is hardly inconsequential. Were it not for its mostly free approach Craigslist could do much greater damage.

Now the question is whether publishers will make another, perhaps fatal, mistake by missing the point of the Craigslist experience: shifting trust in the digital marketplace. Craig Newmark is a mensch, the trusted face of online classifieds, an always-on customer-service celebrity with the world’s biggest buddy list. “Trust is the new trust,” is how the enigmatic Newmark once explained it to me. What he means is that in an environment where anyone can do what he does, the authentic expression of trust is the key differentiator. That may not be entirely true, but it is enough true to crush a greedy, feudal business predicated on controlled distribution and an arcane classification system for categorizing commerce among and between people. It is the emergence of everyone as an online broker in an open, connected marketplace that warrants coverage, breathless as that may be.

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Thanks to the generosity of the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation, iFOCOS is offering We Media Fellowships for independent, nonprofit or academic participants from any country to attend We Media 08, in Miami, February 26-28, 2008.

Who’s coming in 08? We hope: you. And many others.
See: http://www.ifocos.org/we-media-miami-2008/participants/

To apply for a fellowship, send an e-mail to info AT ifocos.org, with:

1. What’s your favorite digital tool or online communications service these days – and why?
2. What would you do with technology, communications and digital media services to make the world a better place for more people?
3. What do you hope to get out of attending We Media 08?
   

Applicants are solely responsible for acquiring the proper travel documents to enter the United States. iFOCOS does not provide support or assistance for travel visas and other immigration issues.

Join the We Media Community here: http://my.wemediacommunity.org/

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This is the fourth year for the We Media conference. Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore defined an agenda for media at We Media 05 hosted by The Associated Press in New York; BBC Managing Director Mark Thompson, Reuters CEO Tom Glocer, Al Jazeera Managing Director Wadah Kanfar, actor Richard Dreyfuss, Earth Institute founder Jeffrey Sachs and UN special advisor Nitin Desai participated in the We Media Global Forum in 2006 hosted by Reuters and the BBC in London; Craigslist founder Craig Newmark, Monster and Eons founder Jeff Taylor, Time Inc. Executive Editor Sheryl Tucker, Youtube sensation Happy Slip, and a host of other social media experts, creators, investors and entrepreneurs participated in We Media 07 in Miami.

Archives:

2007: Program | Participants | Sponsors | Blog

2006: Program | Participants | Sponsors | Blog

2005: Program | Participants | Sponsors | Blog

2004: Program | Participants | Blog

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Topix.net  sponsored Podtech.net to produce a "man on the street" video, asking a few ordinary people (and a few not-so-ordinary media insiders, like webware.com editor Rafe Needleman, KQED Executive Director of News Raul Ramirez and craigslist founder Craig Newmark): "What’s missing from local news?"

They also posed the question to a few people at this week’s Web 2.0 Expo in San Francisco.

Obviously it was a loaded question. I’d say fairly loaded given the widepread dissatisfaction with journalism in the U.S. Our research earlier this year  found that 72 percent of Americans are dissatisified with the quality of American journalism.

Common answers in this video: Too little relevancy, too much sad and depressing stuff.

Sigh. Another plea for happy news. Maybe that’s the Podtech niche.

Check it out here: What is Missing from Local News?

Sidenote: Podtech should have been clearer about the nature of this video. The video is explained this way:

"To commemorate Topix’s revamped site, PodTech’s Rio Pesino traveled around San Francisco and attended the Web 2.0 Expo asking journalists, bloggers, and locals what is missing from local news."

Topix CEO Rich Skrenta tells me his company sponsored the video. I have no problem with that. But Podtech should have said so more clearly. The video includes Topix logos at the beginning and end. That may be clear enough for some, or maybe Podtech regulars understand that all its content is sponsored. I don’t know if it is or isn’t, and that’s my point. I can’t tell. I don’t know what the deal is at that site.

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During the panel discussion about “The Power of Us”, Craig -aka Craig of Craigslist- mentioned his support for a brand new initiative recently launched by the Sunlight Foundation. Out of curiosity, I buttonholed Craig after the conference to find out more about this initiative, how it illustrates “the power of us” to improve democracy, and his forecast on other similar initiatives in the run-up to the 2008 election:

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Rarely do you attend a conference where the accumulated intellectual star power on one stage is as great as was the case in our final group panel discussion at the We Media conference Friday morning.  We had presidents and pollsters, intellectuals and editors, donors and corporate folks all gathered for one chat.  What we did get out of it?  Quite a bit it seems.

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After a Random Act of Media, the WeMedia Forum Miami dove into its Investment forum, which asked “Who will pay for new ways to understand news and act on it?”
The panel included a mixture of venture capitalists and entrepreneurs; Scott Rafer, MyBlogLog; Chris Ahearn, Reuters; Jeff Taylor, Monster and Eons; Chris Versace, Agile Equity; Brian O’Malley, Battery Ventures.

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Companies and individuals are invited to join and participate in the We Media community.
iFOCOS today announced a series of action and educational programs to spur global innovation in media. The media action tank also announced key leadership and advisory appointments as well as support from partners and foundations across a a variety of sectors.

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(Updated Jan. 19, 2007)

Thanks if you’ve already registered – or if not, what are you waiting for? Register here.

Here’s a look at who is coming to We Media Miami (subject to change at any time):

• Randy Abramson, Executive Producer, Discovery
• Robertson Adams, Communications Associate — Webmaster, Knight Foundation
• Chris Ahearn, President, Media, Reuters
• Jason Albrecht, Communications Intern, Knight Foundation
• Walyce Almeida, Contributor, NowPublic
• Lewis Alpert, Florida International University, School of Journalism & Mass Communication
• Fabricio Altamirano, CEO, El Diario de Hoy
• Eric Alterman, Founder/CEO, KickApps Corporation
• Rosental Alves, Knight Chair in International Journalism, University of Texas-Austin
• Kathy Andersen, Lois Pope LIFE Center, University of Miami
• Zita Arocha, Assoc. Director, Sam Donaldson Center, University of TX El Paso
• Adriana Avakian, Director of Marketing, United Press International
• Hannah Bae, Journalsim Intern, Knight Foundation
• Alice Backer, Francophonie Editor, Global Voices
• Nanna Baldersheim, Internet Community Associate
• Jacqui Banaszynski, Knight Chair in Editing, Missouri School of Journalism
• Joyce Barnathan, President, International Center for Journalists
• Marty Baron, Executive Editor, Boston Globe
• Clark Bell, Journalism Program Director, McCormick Tribune Foundation
• Dorian Benkoil, Editorial Director, mediabistro.com
• Ron Berryman, Senior VP, GM Television, Fox Interactive Media
• Roger Black, Roger Black Studio, Inc.
• Taryn Boatman, Assistant Program Officer, Excellence in Journalism Foundation
• James Brady, WPNI
• Kristie Bouryal, Director of Network Services, Associated Press
• Jody Brannon, Senior Editor, MSN.com
• Sophie Brendel, Head of PR-Editorial & Media, Reuters
• Brian Breslin, CEO, Infinimedia, Inc.
• Wendy Bromley Bodden, Managing Director, Images and Voices of Hope
• Merrill Brown, MMB Media
• Jane Brown, Executive Director, Robert W. Deutsch Foundation
• Gaby Bruna, Photo Editor, University of Miami Hurricane Newspaper
• Simon Bucks, Associate Editor, Sky News
• John Burke, The Editor’s Weblog
• Xavier Bussiere, Infinimedia, Inc.
• Mario Cader-French, Director, Public Affairs & CSR, MTV Networks Latin America
• Jennifer Carroll, Vice President/New Media Content, Gannett Co. Inc.
• Andy Carvin, National Public Radio Online
• Chad Capellman, Sr. Producer, Eons.com
• Susan Chang
• Sanjeev Chatterjee, Vice Dean, School of Communication, University of Miami
• Derek Chezzi, Senior News Editor, Yahoo Canada
• Nicholas Chiaia, COO & General Counsel, United Press International
• Farai Chideya, Host, News and Notes, NPR
• Jeff Clavier, Founder & Managing Partner, Softech VC
• Lauren Cornell, Executive Director, Rhizome.org
• Robert Cox, President, Media Bloggers Association
• Al Cupo
• Eileen Dailey, Director of Social Intelligence, Infina Group
• Larry Dailey, Associate. Professor, University of Nevada Reno
• Blyth Daylong, School of Communications, University of Miami
• Alex deCarvalho, President, Social Object
• Chuck DeFeo, Vice President & General Manager, Salem Communications
• Lori Demo, Assistant Professor, Ball State University
• John Dennison, President, Dennison Management Group, Inc.
• Carin Dessauer, Senior Fellow/Principal, iFOCOS and MC2
• Luis Diaz, www.periodismodepaz.org, Author
• Melissa De Leon Douglass, President, Panama Gourmet, Inc.
• Steven Donahue, Editor, Language Magazine
• John Dotson, Jr., Publisher Emeritus, Akron Beacon Journal
• Paul Driscoll, Director of Broadcasting, University of Miami
• Richard Ducey, EVP, BIA Financial Network
• Allen Dunaway
• Christina Eguizabal, Program Office, The Ford Foundation
• Amy Eisman, Director of Writing Programs, American University
• Karl Eisenhower, Washingtonpost.com
• Di-Ann Eisnor, CEO, Platial, Inc.
• Paula Ellis, Vice President/ National and New Initiatives, Knight Foundation
• Brandon Erlacher, General Manager, Truth Publishing Company
• Fernando Espuelas, Chairman & CEO, VOY, LLC.
• David Evans, Managing Director, Red 7 Media
• Cathleen Farrell, Editor, PODER
• Marc Fest, CEO, External Ideas
• Virginia Fielder, Consultant, Knight Foundation
• John Fischer, Infinia Foresight
• John Flickigner, Executive Director, Summerbridge
• Fabrice Florin, Executive Director, NewsTrust
• Marcos Foglia, Multimedia manager, El Nuevo Dia
• Dennis Fox
• Nic Fulton, Chief Scientist, Reuters Media
• Roger Gafke, Director of Program Development, Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute, University of Missouri
• Gregory Galant, Venture Voice
• Christine Gambito, Happy Slip
• Carlos Garcia, CEO, Scrapblog, Inc.
• Al Gashi, Business Development Manager, Pluck
• Mark Giannini, SVP & COO, BIA Financial Network
• Mark Gibelli, Co-Founder, StoryBoard Consulting, Inc.
• Robert Gilbert, Morris Communications
• Mark Glaser, Editor, PBS MediaShift
• Seth Gordon, Managing Partner, Gordon Reyes & Co.
• Jon Gossett, Senior Vice President, Development, American Public Media
• Michele Grant, BBC
• Mel Grayson, Arts Editor, Deerfield Forum
• William Green, Vice Provost, Undergrad Education, University of Miami
• Tish Grier, blog editor/social media manager, iFOCOS
• Kim Grinfeder, Assistant Professor, School of Communications, University of Miami
• Sam Grogg, Dean, School of Communication, University of Miami
• Hetti Haarklau, The Associated Press
• Ali Habashi, Director, Arnold Center
• Andrew Haeg, Senior Producer, Center for Innovation in Journalism @ American Public Media
• Michael Halleran
• Michelle Halsell, CEO/Co-founder, Missing Pixel
• Teresa Hanafin, Director of Community Publishing, Boston.com
• Erin Hanafy, The Associated Press
• Jens Hansen, Director, Center for Journalistik og Efteruddannelse (CFJE)
• Elin Hansen, Update
• Eduardo Hauser, CEO, Daily Me, Inc.
• Neal Hecker, AVP Program Services, WPBT
• Cristi Hegranes, President, Founder, The Press Institute for Women in the Developing World
• Don Heider, Associate Dean, University of Maryland
• Diane Hockenberry, Director of Audience Development, Newspaper Association of America
• Keith Hopper, Product Manager, Public Interactive LLC
• Paul Hyland, Executive Producer, edweek.org, Editorial Projects in Education
• Alberto Ibargüen, President, Knight Foundation
• Jeremy Iggers, Founder, Twin Cities Daily Planet
• Shel Israel, Author, Naked Conversations
• Joshua Johnson, Anchor/Reporter, WLRN Miami Herald News
• Pamela Johnson, Executive Director, Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute, University of Missouri
• Steve Johnson, Online Editor, The Associated Press
• Mark Jones, Community Editor, Reuters
• Brad Kalbfeld, Managing Editor, Broadcast, The Associated Press
• Ruth Kamar
• Stephanie Kanowitz, Web Editor, Federal Computer Week
• Gary Kebbel, Journalism Program Officer, Knight Foundation
• Loren Keller, Program Officer, The Stanley Foundation
• Jim Kennedy, VP Strategy, The Associated Press
• Katie King, Director, Marsteller Interactive
• Kent Kirschner, Account Executive, Neighborhood America
• Jemima Kiss, New Media Reporter, Guardian Unlimited
• Lillian Kopenhaver, Dean, School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Florida International University
• Thomas Kunkel, Dean, University of Maryland, Philip Merrill College of Journalism
• Beth Laing, Project Manager, iFOCOS
• Lisa Lamb, Vice President Sales & Marketing, DailyMe, Inc.
• Christina Lane, Assistant Professor, University of Miami
• Nancy Lane, President, Suburban Newspapers of America
• JD Lasica, President, Ourmedia
• Thomas LeBlanc, Provost, University of Miami
• Robyn LeVine, Reporter, School of Communications, University of Miami
• Suzanne Levinson, Director of Site Operations, Miami Herald Media Co.
• Rick Lewis, Executive Director & CEO, Friends of WLRN
• Greg Linch, News Editor, The Miami Hurricane
• Donna Logan, President, Canadian Media Research Consortium
• Joseph Loong, Senior Programming Manager, Blogs, AOL Inc.
• Bruno Lopez, VP, General Manager, Univision Online
• Luis Lora, Sr. Associate, Palladium Equity Partners, LLC
• Santiago Lyon, The Associated Press
• Stanislas Magniant, Co-founder, Netpolitique
• Ndesanjo Macha, Sub-Saharan Africa editor, Global Voices Online
• Mike Maidenberg, Vice President/Communities Program, Knight Foundation
• Michael Maness, VP/Strategic Planning, Newspapers, Gannet Co., Inc.
• Kofi Mangesi, Director, International Institute of ICT Journalism
• Steve Mansfield, PreFound.com
• Steven Marder, CEO, Eurekster
• Michael Markson
• Ernesto Martelli, Director Editorial, La Nacion, Grupo de Revistas
• Maria Martin, Director, GraciasVida Productions/GraciasVida Center for Media
• Jorge Martinez, Director of information Services, Knight Foundation
• Sibyl Masquelier, President, Executive Resource Group, Inc.
• Jeanne McCann, Director of New Media, EPE
• Karyn Meshbane,
• Mark Metz, Founder & CEO, MetroGuide.com, Inc.
• Larry Meyer, Vice President/Communications, Knight Foundation
• Myles Miller, Reporter, Children’s PressLine
• Robin Miller, Editor-in-chief, OSTG (aka Slashdot)
• Bill Mitchell, Editor, Poynter Online
• Harry Montevideo, Publisher, The Red and Black Publishing Co.
• Evgeny Morozov, Director of New Media, Transitions Online
• Sharon Moshavi, Communications Manager, Knight Foundation
• Andrew Nachison, President, iFOCOS
• Joe Natoli, Sr. VP for Business & Finance, University of Miami
• Eric Newman, VP, General Manager, Pluck Corporation
• Craig Newmark, Service Rep & Founder, craigslist
• Eric Newton, Vice President/Journalism Program, Knight Foundation
• Naomi Nixon, University of Miami
• Chris Nolan, Editor/Founder, Spot-on.com
• Sarah Nordgren, Director of State News, The Associated Press
• Rory O’Connor, President and CEO, Globalvision
• Brian O’Malley, Senior Associate, Battery Ventures
• Esteban Ochoa, Director 2Net, CIE Argentina
• Roger Ogden, President and CEO, Gannett Broadcasting
• Rich Oppel, Editor, Austin American-Statesman
• Mike Orren, President, Pegasus News, Inc.
• Elizabeth Osder, Sr. Director, Product Development, Yahoo Media Group
• Bill Ostendorf, CEO, Creative Circle Media Consulting
• Geneva Overholser, Hurley Chair, School of Journalism, University of Missouri
• Jeremiah Owyang, Director of Corporate Media Strategy, PodTech
• Angel Padula, CTO, Tele Red
• Angela Pacienza, Director of Online News, The Canadian Press & Broadcast News
• Gloria Pan, Communciatons Director, iFOCOS
• Souneil Park, M.S. student, Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology
• Lanaea Parker, Deputy Director, Knight, International Center of Journalists
• Horacio Ruiz Pavon, Publications Director, Inter American Press Association
• Ted Perlmutter, Director of IT, Ctr. for International Conflict Resolution
• Dale Peskin, Director, iFOCOS
• Mary Peskin, Associate Director, American Press Institute
• Geoffrey Philip, Global Voices
• Jason Pontin, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher, Technology Review, Inc.
• Georgia Popplewell, Co-Mg. Editor/Caribbean Editor, Global Voices
• Meredith Porte, Producer/Host, WLRN Public Television
• Vikki Porter, Director, Knight New Media Center, USC Annenberg School for Communication
• David Poulson, Assistant Director, Knight Center for Environmental Journalism, Michigan State University
• Adam Powell, Director, Integrated Media Center, University of Southern California
• Aaron Presnall, Director of Studies, Jefferson Institute
• Valentin Prieto, Writer/Editor, Babalu Blog
• Isaac Prilleltensky, Dean, School of Education, University of Miami
• Richard Prince, Editor/Writer, Black College Wire and The Maynard Institute
• Laurie Racine, SVP Strategy/Business Development, Eyespot
• Scott Rafer, CEO, MyBlogLog, Inc.
• Richard Rambarran, Manager of Web Development, University of Miami
• Brian Reich, Director of New Media, Cone Inc.
• Allan Richards, Chair, Dept. of Journalism, Florida International University
• Guillermo Riera, Digital Media Manager, LA NACION
• Richard Robinson, VP Products and Programming, Freewebs
• Daniel Robledo, Senior Webmaster, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
• Luis Rodriguez, Webmaster, School of Communications, University of Miami
• Michael Rogers, Futurist-in-Residence, The New York Times Company
• Scott Rogers, President, MetroGuide.com, Inc.
• Gaston Roitberg, Content Manager, LA NACION
• Jay Rosen, Professor of Journalism, New York University
• Steven Rosenbaum, Magnify.net
• Alan Rosenblatt, Executive Director, Internet Advocacy Center
• Dan Rua, Managing Partner, Inflexion Partners & FloridaVentureBlog.com
• James Rucker, Executive Director, Color of Change
• Emilio Sanchez, Bureau Chief, Efe News Services
• Emilio Sanchez, Program Coordinator, Inter American Press Association
• Ramiro Sanchez
• David Sasaki, Regional Editor, Latin America, Global Voices
• Jon Sawyer, Director, Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting
• Jan Schaffer, Executive Director, J-Lab: The Institute for Interactive Journalism
• Rick Schneider, President, WPBT Channel 2
• Mike Schreibman, Executive Director, Children’s PressLine
• Michelle Seeling, Assistant Professor, Visual Comm, University of Miami
• Tiffany Shackelford, Assistant Managing Editor, Stateline.org
• Susan Schein, Executive Director, Entertainment Industry Incubator
• Donna Shalala, President, University of Miami
• Michael Skoler, Executive Director, Center for Innovation in Journalism, American Public Media
• Rich Skrenta, CEO, Topix.net
• Andrea Spiegel, Editor-in Chief, VP of Content, Freewebs
• Mary Spillman, Assistant Professor, Ball State University
• Paul Steiger, Executive Editor, The Wall Street Journal
• Hal Straus, Interactivity and Commuity Ed, Washingtonpost Newsweek Interactive
• Lisa Stone, President, BlogHer
• Paul Surgrue, Dean, University of Miami School of Business
• JoAnne Sullivan Woolley, Director of Development, Internews Network
• Jeff Taylor, Founder & CEO, Eons.com
• Isaac Tetteh, Web Manager/Dep. News Editor, Radio Gold 90.5 fm
• Steve Tieitelbaum, Director, Medical Web Services, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
• Elisa Tinsley, Director, Knight International, International Center for Journalists
• Michael Tippett, Co-founder, NowPublic.com
• Chris Tolles, VP Sales & Marketing, Topix.net
• Denise Tom, Journalism Program Specialist, Knight Foundation
• Dave Toole, CEO, Outhink Media
• Meredith Townsley, Associate Producer, Events, Red 7 Media
• Joseph Treaster, Reporter, New York Times
• Sheryl Tucker, Executive Editor, Time Inc.
• Vivian Vahlberg, Director of Digital Media, Media Management Center, Northwestern University
• Michelle van Gilder, Director International Business, Zogby International
• Ernesto van Peborgh
• Elissa Vanaver, Assistant to the Publisher, Miami Herald
• Carlos Vassallo, CEO, LatinVision Media
• Sandra Venditti, Online Newsroom Chief, LA NACION
• Chris Versace, Senior Vice President, Agile Equity
• Chris Waddle, Director, Knight Fellows in Community Journalism, University of Alabama
• Tsitsi Wakhisi, Associate Professor, School of Communication, University of Miami
• William Walker, University Librarian, University of Miami
• Alan Webber, Founder, Fast Company
• Rebecca Weeks, Director of Business Development, Real Girls Media
• William C. Weiss, Chairman and CEO, The Promar Group LLC
• Allie Williams, Marketing Manager, Zvents
• Kinsey Wilson, Executive Editor, USA Today
• William Wilson, Editor, New Media, etruth.com
• Kurt Wimmer, SVP, General Counsel, Gannett Co. Inc.
• Emily Witt, Staff Writer, Miami New Times
• Scott Woelfel, Armchair Media
• Anthony Wojtkowiak, University of Miami
• Ruiyan Xu, Associate Producer Interactive, P.O.V./American Documentary
• JJ Yore, Marketplace
• John Zogby, President, Zogby International

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Advisory Board

• Jeff Belk, former SVP, Qualcomm and Founder, ICT168 Capital
• John Bell, EVP and Global Creative Director, Oglivy Public Relations Worldwide
• Merrill Brown, Principal, MMB Media
• Nicholas Chiaia, President, United Press International
• Carin Dessauer, Principal, mc2
• Jim Kennedy, VP, Strategy, The Associated Press
• Susan Mernit, Consultant and Founder, Oakland Local
• Craig Newmark, Founder, craigslist.org
• Adam Clayton Powell III, Vice Provost for Globalization, University of Southern California
• Scott Rafer, CEO, Lookery.com
• Richard Sambrook, Director, Global News Division, BBC
• Karen Stephenson, President, NetForm
• Rebecca Watson, VP, Business Development, gWallet
• Dean Wright, SVP and Managing Editor, Consumer Services, Reuters America

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iFOCOS with the University of Southern California will Innovate Across a New World of Media

RESTON, VA, October 4, 2006 — Two leading media analysts announced today the formation of a new non-profit institute, iFOCOS, the Institute for the Connected Society. iFOCOS convenes thought leaders across disciplines to understand and use the new expanding media and to create better-informed global citizens. Their goal is to drive innovation around a new definition of “media” – one that includes traditional media and new emergent media, typified by the explosion of social media.

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Program (subject to change)
Updated: January 25, 2007

Wednesday, February 7

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Reston, VA - Some of the world’s most interesting minds will meet in London on May 3-4 for discussions and collaborations on how media can help foster trust and impact on the most pressing global issues.

Online registration is now open for the We Media Global Forum at www.mediacenter.org/wemedia06/

The We Media Global Forum will be held at the BBC Television Centre in West London and Reuters global headquarters in Canary Wharf. The Media Center, the media-technology-society think tank based in Virginia, USA, will conduct the event in association with the BBC and Reuters.

BBC Director General Mark Thompson and Reuters CEO Tom Glocer will attend and participate in the forum.

Thanks everyone for your patience as we worked feverishly to capture, process, tag and upload and upload … and upload nearly eight (8!!!) hours of audio from Wednesday’s We Media conference. The following sessions are now ready for downloading!

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